In order to effect lasting social change, it is important to engage in careful forethought and planning. For the Final Project in this course, you will create a community needs assessment plan to address a social problem in your community. Your plan will include an in-depth analysis of the problem, a proposed team of stakeholders with whom you could consult about the problem, and concrete strategies that you would implement to address the problem and prevent its recurrence.
For this Discussion, you will select a social problem to focus on for the Final Project. You will also use people-first, strength-based language and metaphors to effectively frame the problem. This will help you complete the first section of your community needs assessment plan.
To Prepare
- Review the Learning Resources on the Final Project. Pay particular attention to the definition of a community needs assessment, the importance of planning for one, and how to select an appropriate social problem for your community needs assessment plan.
- Identify a social problem to focus on for the Final Project. The problem should align with the human services profession, your human services specialization, and your individual aims, morals, and values. The problem should also affect your local community and exist on a global level.
- Reflect on how the problem you identified has been framed in the past with legacy language that might be off-putting to the affected population(s).
- Review the Learning Resources on using people-first, strength-based language to frame social problems. Consider how you would use people-first, strength-based language and at least one metaphor to effectively frame the social problem you selected.
Post a brief description of the social problem that you would like to focus on for your Final Project. The problem must align with the human services profession. Explain why you became concerned about this problem and whether you have experience with it as an advanced human services professional practitioner. Then, explain how this problem has been framed in the past with legacy language that might be off-putting to the affected population(s). In a paragraph or less, reframe the problem using strength-based and people-first language as well as a metaphor. Refer to steps 1 through 3 in Tapping Into the Power of Metaphors as a guide.
Community Needs Assessment link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-uEZSzCM9Y
