Advocacy is an action that you take to support and change an issue that is impacting a group or population. In human services, advocacy is an important part of what we do. As a human service worker, you will assist individuals and communities in meeting their needs and function as effectively as possible. We advocate for our clients, for the needs of populations, and for our profession. For your final assignment, you will choose one cultural group (e.g., a specific racial,ethnic, spirituality, generational, disability, LGBTQIA+, socioeconomic group) different from the one you belong to and develop an advocacy project. Your final paper will have three parts: an introduction that examines the background of your chosen cultural group, your advocacy project that provide details of an advocacy effort for your chosen cultural group, and a reflection on what you have learned from completing this project.
Prior to beginning work on this assignment,
Read Chapter 1, Advocacy’s Place Within Social Work Practice, within Advocacy and Social Work PracticeLinks to an external site..
Read The Importance of Advocacy and Advocacy Competencies in the Human Service Professions https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=chs_pubs
Research your chosen cultural group. This includes the following:
Finding information about pertinent historical, political, social, economic, and cultural factors related to your chosen cultural group;
Finding an area for which you can create an advocacy project;
Finding facts, statistics, and stories that show the need for your advocacy project;
Identifying people and organizations that can aid in your advocacy project;
Identifying ethical codes and considerations; and
Finding a law pertaining to your chosen cultural group.
Consider downloading and using the Week 5: Advocacy and Social Justice Project Download Week 5: Advocacy and Social Justice Projecttemplate to complete your assignment.
In your paper,
Part 1: Introduction
Identify a cultural group that is different from one to which you belong.
Summarize the pertinent historical, political, social, economic, and cultural factors related to your chosen cultural group.
Identify at least one relevant law that has impacted your chosen cultural group, either in a positive or negative way.
Part 2: Advocacy Project
Create an advocacy project for your chosen cultural group or population, which includes the following:
Identify what area you want to advocate for with respect to the cultural group you have identified.
Analyze why this area is important for advocacy; include facts, statistics, and stories that show the need for this work.
Create your action plan for advocacy (i.e., what you could do). Be sure to include at least two goals, at least three steps you will take to accomplish the goals, and organizations and people that could help you meet the goal.
Explain how your plan for advocacy will improve the area you identified.
Identify any ethical considerations you need to understand when taking on your advocacy project (use an appropriate code of ethics).
Part 3: Reflection
Discuss at least two insights you have gained from doing this project.
The Advocacy and Social Justice Project final paper
Must be eight to 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft WordLinks to an external site. resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of page in bold font
Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
Student’s name
Name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Due date
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic VoiceLinks to an external site. resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. and Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site., refer to the Writing Center resources.
Must use at least six credible sources in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view Quick and Easy Library ResearchLinks to an external site. tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your PaperLinks to an external site. guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References ListLinks to an external site. resource in the Writing Center for specifications.
Carefully review the Grading RubricLinks to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.