Choose a community with which you are familiar OR the community where most of the people you serve reside. Approach this assignment with investigative curiosity; it’s common for us to think we know a community because we’ve worked or even lived there but it’s important to remain open to what we will find beyond what we think we already know.
The paper should be written in narrative form, approximately 5-6 pages double-spaced, and in APA style. Include at least five (5) references, which should include readings related to the concepts identified in the assignment (two references can be individual chapters from Kirsh-Ashman & Hull; the other three references should be other resources such as journal articles). These should be listed on an APA-formatted reference in the back of your paper. Do not use the first person in a paper like this – it is a formal assessment of a community, not a reflection. There should be no quotes; need to paraphrase and then provided citation. Your paper should discuss AND critically analyze the following areas:
Introduction— provide a brief intro about what you’ll be discussing in this paper (0.25-0.50 page).
Assess community characteristics, include the following (1-1.5 pages):
History and demographics
Assests—Discuss strengths, resources, etc. that are found in the community.
Analyze the social processes found in the community, include the following (1-1.5 pages):
Social networks
Social controls & norms
Identify a social injustice that the community is facing. Please ensure you do the necessary research and identify references that support what you’re discussing so the reader understands how this affects the community’s functioning (include a definition even it’s a commonly known issue like health inequities or gentrification). Include references to support what you identify as an injustice; this shouldn’t be solely based on what you perceive as an injustice. It’s important to show the reader how the injustice is affecting the community through interviews, official reports, newspaper articles, activist groups, and other resources (0.75-1 page).
Propose a recommendation to address this social injustice as a macro-level social worker. Discuss how you would approach correcting the issue. Ensure the discussion includes specific actions you can take to support community-level changes to support anti-oppressive and social justice practice principles (1-1.25 pages).