WK10 Policy

Week 10: Social Change Project

Throughout the course, you have taken specific, actionable steps for social change. The work you have done, when collected and viewed as a single artifact, is your Social Change Project.

Consider the major milestones you already completed for your Social Change Project. How has your work, as well as the feedback you received from your colleagues and Instructor, in the following areas helped to inform you evolving approach to advocacy and policy analysis?

· Week 2: Final Project Milestone 1: Identification of a Social Problem

· Week 4: Final Project Milestone 2: Issue Statement and Identification of a Policy

· Week 6: Final Project Milestone 3: Social Advocacy Proposal

· Week 8: Final Project Milestone 4: Policy Alternative

Additionally, you reviewed seminal and emerging literature for advocacy strategies that can guide your actions and ultimately help you convert your goals for change into policy that drives change. You also practiced your advocacy in the form of oral and written communications—skills that will help you navigate different power dynamics, build critical relationships, and influence decision makers to support your advocacy efforts. How has this work helped to shape your advocacy skills and prepare you for interactions with decision makers?

Reflecting on your work—your ongoing practice as a social work professional—often leads to enhanced patterns in your practice. This week, you submit a report on your comprehensive Social Change Project. This is an opportunity to reflect on your work over the term, including the conclusions you reached regarding the connections between social work practice and advocacy, and consider how you can continue to develop your advocacy skillset to make social change a reality in your communities.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Analyze the relationship between social work practice and advocacy

· Analyze important takeaways through each stage of the social change project

· Identify opportunities for improvement in policy implementation practices

· Propose next steps for advocacy as a social worker

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Cengage Learning. 

· Chapter 13, “Troubleshooting the Implementation of Policies in Task 7” (pp. 460–487) 

For your Assignment this week, you will submit your Final Project—the culmination of the Social Change Project you have been actively working on throughout this course. You will review your past Final Project Milestone Assignments, reflect on your experiences and

Assignment: Social Change Project: Final Project Report

Over the past several weeks, you have analyzed a policy related to a social problem and have advocated for change. For this Assignment, you submit your final report and present on your experience and the outcomes of your Social Change Project. 

To Prepare:

· Read Chapter 13 of the Jansson text. 

· Review the feedback you received on the following Assignments: 

· Final Project Milestone 1: Identification of a Social Problem (Week 2) 

· Final Project Milestone 2: Issue Statement and Identification of a Policy (Week 4) 

· Final Project Milestone 3: Social Advocacy Proposal (Week 6) 

· Final Project Milestone 4: Policy Alternative (Week 8) 

· Select at least five scholarly sources to support your final report. The sources can be from the Learning Resources throughout the course or from your own independent literature searches. 

By Day 7

Submit a 2- to 3-page final report of your Social Change Project. The final report should include the following: 

· Provide a brief synopsis of the social problem and policy you identified. 

· Describe the steps of your project: 

· How did your experiences as a social work professional and your own goals for advocacy inform your selection of a social problem? 

· How did your knowledge of, or prior experiences with, the social problem inform your policy analyses? 

· What did you learn through each step, including your selection of a social problem, identification of a policy, proposal for advocacy, and recommendation for a policy alternative? 

· Reflecting on your experience, identify 2–3 opportunities for growth. What would you do differently based on your recent learnings?  

· For example, you might select a different policy alternative that would be better received by elected officials (or other decision makers in a position of power). Or you might use different strategies when speaking in front of a group to advocate for change. 

· Explain how policy relates to direct practice. 

· Describe how you will apply advocacy skills as a social worker. 

· Be sure to incorporate at least five scholarly articles you found using standard APA format.

To read Chapter 13:

https://online.vitalsource.com/#/user/signin?userCheckReturnTo=/reader/books/9781337514330/pageid/67

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