Assignment:

Putting Social Advocacy Skills into Action

Writing a proposal that functions as a focus of change is a significant part of being a social worker/policy advocate. This is your opportunity to use your advocacy skills to change and improve the lives of others.

In this Assignment, you write a proposal for some form of social advocacy that will seek to change a social, organizational, or legislative policy. The proposal may also involve advocacy for the amelioration of a social problem. The purpose of this assignment is to thoughtfully and thoroughly plan how you will advocate changing a social problem or policy that is of interest to you.

The policy practice/advocacy can take whatever form you wish and can be on any level: agency, community, state, or federal. You will submit a prospectus (3–4 pages) that describes the problem that is being addressed and the expected advocacy activities.

Submit your assignment.

Be specific when describing the social problem or policy you would like to change and address the following:

• If you selected a policy, when was the policy enacted, by whom, and for what reason?

• How are you going to work to change the policy/problem (i.e., plan for social advocacy)?

• How will your efforts address the policy/social problem described?

• Is continued policy practice/advocacy needed to make a long-term impact? Why or why not?

The prospectus will need to be well researched and written using APA guidelines. Data should come from at least five sources.

Make sure that your assertions are supported by appropriate research and reputable resources.

References (use 5 or more)

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.

• Chapter 11, “Developing Political Strategy and Putting It into Action in the Policy-Enacting Task” (pp. 372-419)

McNutt, J. (2011). Is social work advocacy worth the cost? Issues and barriers to an economic analysis of social work political practice. Research on Social Work Practice, 21(4), 397–403. doi:10.1177/1049731510386624.

Sherraden, M. S., Slosar, B., & Sherraden, M. (2002). Innovation in social policy: Collaborative policy advocacy. Social Work, 47(3), 209–221

Assignment: Case Study #3

Overview

It can be hard to know how to handle a problem with a coworker or friend. That’s why the psychological concepts you’re learning in this course are so important. Understanding how the human brain works will help you master your problem solving and self and social awareness skills in your personal and professional life.

And whether at work or home, you’re learning how to read the social cues of others and recommend strategies based on psychological concepts and principles.

This week you’ll use your problem solving and self and social awareness skills to look beyond the opinions of others and figure out a problem’s cause so you can help a coworker make informed decisions. Review the scenario below to get started.

Case Study and Questions

Reggie works with Gloria and Lakeisha. He is a friendly older man who often talks about his plans for retirement in five years. He likes to make people laugh but often jokes about his struggles to learn new programs and technology.

The company recently informed the team that there will be a compliance test on new safety policies, which employees will need to pass in order to keep their jobs. The company has provided materials to study as well as optional practice exams. Gloria, Lakeisha, and Reggie are having lunch in the break room, and Gloria and Lakeisha mention that they have already signed up to take the first practice test. Reggie comments about how hard it is for him to learn a different way of doing the jobs that he has already been doing for years, joking that “you can’t teach an old man new tricks.” However, later in the day, he stops by Gloria’s desk to find out how she is preparing for the test and asks for advice. Given that they have a month until the compliance test, Gloria is confident that she can help Reggie prepare. Using your problem solving and self and social awareness skills and the information that you learned in Chapter 7 of the webtext about brain plasticity and mindset, answer the questions below:

1. What kind of mindset does Reggie need to embrace to be successful?

2. How does Reggie’s mindset affect his brain?

3. In Chapter 4, you learned about memory and how to effectively study. Using Chapter 4 in the webtext, what specific strategies should Gloria suggest to Reggie so that he will be prepared for the compliance test, and why?

4. If Reggie was your coworker, what important aspects of the situation would you want to keep in mind when offering advice and strategies to him? Why do you think this is important?

Instructions

Use the Case Study #3 Assignment Template to record your responses. For each question, you should write a paragraph-length response (5-7 sentences) to receive credit for this assignment. You may use your Soomo webtext as a resource. Once you have completed your work, save the file and upload it to the assignment submission area.

Strayer University Writing Standards Note: Review the Strayer University Writing Standards. These are provided as a brief set of user-friendly guidelines that make it easier for you to learn the behaviors of appropriate writing (i.e., clear, professional, and ethical writing). This is meant to support the use of the template provided.