Community Advocacy Project

Community Needs

The purpose of advocacy is to educate and improve the lives of others. In support of their cause or issue, advocates work to campaign and make their voices heard. For the Course Project, you become an advocate for a cause and work to improve a local health issue in your community. This week, you select your community health issue. Through your completion of this project, you address the issue, the solution, and the advocacy for the solution. Before you select your issue, you need to examine the scope of the Course Project. Your success in the project is dependent on being aware of all the steps and expectations of the Course Project prior to selecting your community public health issue.

To prepare for this section of the Course Project:

· Review the Course Project Guidelines in the Learning Resources.

· Reflect on the Brownson et al. and Day articles that you read in preparation for this week’s Discussion. Again, consider how public health issues have been addressed through the use of policy.

· Review the “Healthy People 2020” and the “National Prevention Strategy” articles. Note that the U.S. government has some specific ideas about objectives for improving the health of the population. For those of you who reside outside the United States, review the United Nation’s “Millennium Development Goals” and/or the health blueprints for your country.

· Consider public health issues in your community, and select an issue you would like to address (e.g., obesity, intentional violence, alcohol abuse, tobacco use, etc.).

· Think about any questions that you might have about your Course Project.

The Project:

To complete this section of your Course Project, write 2–3 sentences that include the following:

· A description of public health issues in your community

· An explanation of an issue you would like to address (e.g., intentional violence, use, etc.)

This will be the focus of your Community Advocacy Project. Include any questions you may have about your Course Project here, and your Instructor will answer your questions.

Support your Project with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course.