For this assignment, students are required to consider the various populations social workers may work with, and all intersecting identities within these populations (class, age, race, ability, gender, sexual orientation, and belief system).
For example, some populations include:
The Aged
People experiencing substance abuse/dependence
Children who have been neglected or abused
People experiencing poverty, unemployment, homelessness, or hunger
Veterans or people in the military
People with mental illness or other disabilities
Immigrants
Survivors of human trafficking, sexual assault, domestic violence, or child abuse
People experiencing grief, loss, or trauma
Communities with pervasive social problems (i.e. racism, violence, poverty, unemployment, etc.)
People experiencing lack of access to technology, education, or clean water, air, or food
For example, if you select the Aged population the Intersecting identities would include:
the aged and class differences
the aged and racial differences
the aged and ability differences
the aged and gender differences
the aged and sexual orientation differences
the aged and belief system differences
Students are to select one population and consider barriers to social justice that the selected population, and the population’s intersections, may be experiencing to design a plan for advocacy to advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice for the population. Students will write an 8-10-page paper (not counting the title and references pages) using APA 7th edition guidelines *An abstract should not be included in this paper.
Students will write a paper outlining the human rights advocacy plan and addressing each of the following topics using the headings as outlined below:
Provide an introductory paragraph (10 points) describing what the paper will be addressing, including:
The population targeted for advocacy
The barriers to human rights and/or social, racial, economic, or environmental justice experienced by the population; including all intersectional identities related to this population (age, race, class, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender). The reason(s) why the issue should be of concern to social workers (support this using a citation from the NASW Code of Ethics or an NASW policy statement)
Population (K) (20 points)
Provide a demographic description of the population, including statistical data from credible sources (.gov, .org., .edu website, or scholarly articles), describing the following if known:
Size of the chosen population (How many people are affected by this or how many people are included in the group?)
Age
Gender
Race/ethnicity
Socioeconomic status
Education level
Occupation
Geographic locale
Barriers Experienced (K) (20 points)
Provide a description of the barriers to human rights and/or social, racial, economic, or environmental justice experienced by the population, including data from credible sources (.gov, .org., .edu website, or scholarly articles) that includes all of the following:
Students will identify the primary barrier(s) faced by the chosen population (i.e., racism, homophobia, sexism, poverty, geographic access, etc.), and how these barriers vary based on intersectional identities within the population (age, race, class, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender).
Students will describe how these primary barrier(s) limit the population’s access to human rights and/or social, racial, economic, or environmental justice.
Students will identify at least two theorized causes of the identified barrier(s) using credible sources (.gov, .org., .edu website, or scholarly articles) to support their assertions.
Advocacy Efforts (K) (20 points)
Students will identify at least one current major law, proposed legislation, and/or advocacy movement aimed at overcoming the barriers and interpret what the goals, objectives, and anticipated outcomes of these efforts might be.
Name and describe a minimum of three organizations that are currently working to improve the population’s access to human rights or social, economic, and environmental justice; including organizations that addresses intersectional identities related to the population (Be sure to include at minimum three sentences for each organization summarizing who they are, when their efforts began, and what the organization is doing to advance the rights and justice of the population, and include correctly formatted in-text citations)
For each organization, determine how one could become involved in the effort and describe the process of becoming involved, if it is possible (again, remember to cite where this information was found).
Based on what was learned about existing efforts, provide a statement about any gaps noticed or ideas for alternative or additional advocacy efforts that might be taken for the population and the intersectional identities related to this population.
Plan for Advocacy (S) (60 points)
As an emerging social worker, develop a plan to participate in advocacy on behalf of the population identified which includes each of the following:
Restatement of the population and barriers, as well as all intersectional barriers, faced
Explanation of why the barrier(s) limit(s) human rights or social, racial, economic, or environmental justice
A description of how you could become involved in advocacy efforts already underway
The identification of an alternative plan to advocate for the population’s access to human rights or social, racial, economic, or environmental justice which may include any of the following suggested advocacy activities (students are not limited to these activities and may be as creative as desired in designing their advocacy plan including activities that address intersectional challenges faced by subgroups of this population):
Helping individuals directly
Policy advocacy
Creating public awareness
Working with organizations or communities
Increasing public support
Advocating with groups, organizations, or communities to remove barriers
A description of how, step by step, the plan would be implemented.
Reflection (C/A) (30 points)
In the final section, reflect on your learning from this assignment regarding the population and their experiences (including all intersections of the population), about the efforts already in place, and about the process of developing your own advocacy plan.
Discuss personal feelings related to the importance of advocacy on behalf of the population and whether you plan to be involved in advocacy on behalf of the population given what you now know.
