Advocacy and Leadership Paper
Instructions
1. Identify a social justice issue that is encountered by social work professionals and/or the clients served by social work professionals. The paper will begin with an introduction to the issue. Connect this to the Capstone Focus. Concisely, explain what the issue is and why is it an issue of social justice.
Examine the role of oppression (through exploitation,marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and/or violence) and the identified issue/problem.
2. Provide basic background/context information about tnis Ssue-1e. course, onset, severity, changes, population(s) impacted, etc. Utilize data to make a case for this as an important social problem/justice issue of our time.
3. Next, you will consider how we (society) have worked- or have not worked- to solve this problem over time. what has Deen done to affect change around this problem/area?
Has change been good? If so, for whom and how? Has change had a negative impact? If so, for whom and how? (Here consider social, political, and cultural ideology related to this issue as well as political action, policymaking, etc.)
4. Relate the issue directly to social work practice. In what ways does this issue affect the lives of clients, communities, etc. Think about the micro to macro continuum here and address the issue at both levels. Be specific.
What is the social work profession’s role in positively affecting change?
What has been done/what evidence do you see of social work’s commitment to social justice in this area?
Is there ongoing advocacy in this area? Discuss. (Here you have some latitude to think about how this topic is connected to practice– through policy, research, and/or practice).
5. Design a needed advocacy effort that could help affect change related to the injustice/social problem you have discussed.
Your advocacy effort should be targeting root cause- dig deep and think about how to truly create $ystemic change. What type of advocacy is this? Case advocacy? Cause advocacy? Explain.
Ulize the six steps as outlined in the UN WOIn en Advocacy Toolkit for Women in Politics: Planning FO Advocacy Model as your guide.
1. Understand and define the issue
2. Define the target group
3. Develop a message
4. Develop an action plan 5. Partnerships & Public Support 6. Monitor & Evaluate
As you design your advocacy effort, consider how you engage stakeholders and especially how the voices of those who are vulnerable or oppressed are engaged in
the effort to affect change.
Advocacy is sometimes criticized for being enacted upon rather than with How can you ensure that your efforts for change are congruent with
the needs of those who are impacted by the change?
Speak to your ability to practice advocacy with awareness of culture, diversity, and inclusion.
How is this effort congruent with your personal and professional values, beliefs, and philosophy of social work practice ? (Part 5-cis theonly partof this paper that may be written in firstpersonvoice).
6. Reference Page in APA format with at least seven
credible sources. You may use a mix of academic journal
articles and other sources.
