Advocacy assignment
HS 317: ADVOCACY ASSIGNMENT: INSTRUCTIONS
Overview: For this assignment, you will have a health issue which is Promoting transgender rights
and learn how public health professionals can advocate for it.
Advocacy = public support for a particular cause or policy
The assignment consists of three parts:
1. First, you will find an organization that provides facts about this health issue and also advocates for ways to support this health issue.
2. Next, you will write a letter to a decision maker, urging them to take a specific action to support this health issue.
3. Lastly, you will create a plan for an advocacy event or campaign to raise awareness about this health issue, and inform people on an advocacy action they can take.
Part 1: An advocacy organization: Background information on the issue, ways to take action, & CRAAP
Find a non-profit organization that advocates for actions to be taken to address this health issue. (In other words, an organization that works to prevent the issue, treat it, improve it, lessen its impact, etc.) The website must be a “.org” not a “.com, “.gov,” or “.int.”
You will know it is a good website to select for this assignment if it: 1) provides background information on the health issue, 2) describes the actions that may be taken to advocate for the issue, 3) meets the criteria of the CRAAP test.
Part 1 will have two paragraphs and the CRAAP test:
In the first paragraph, summarize:
1a. For which health issue does the organization advocate?
1b. Why is the issue significant? (Why do public health professionals care about it? How many people experience the issue?)
1c. How does this health issue impact individuals who experience it?
In the second paragraph, summarize:
2a. What is background of the organization? What is their history, their mission, their vision, their philosophy, etc.? (Hint: read the “About us” section.”
2b. How does the organization advocate for this health issue? (What do their staff members do to advocate?)
2c. What actions can visitors to the website take to advocate for this health issue? (Hint: look for a link called “Take action” or “Get involved” on their website.)
2d. Would you want to intern or work for this organization? Why or why not?
In these two-paragraphs, be sure to include an in-text citation for the answer to each question, except for question 2d. (That is an opinion question, so no citations are needed.) IF NO IN-TEXT CITATIONS ARE PROVIDED, THIS IS A FORM OF PLAGIARISM, AND 0 PTS. WILL BE AWARDED FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.
In the third paragraph/section, assess the credibility of the organization and its website by using the CRAAP test. Write one complete sentence assessing each criterion (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose). Be sure to address the questions below:
Currency: When was the information published or posted on the website?
Relevance: Who is the intended audience (reader of the website)?
Authority: Who works at the organization, and what are their qualifications to write on this topic?
Accuracy: Is the information supported by evidence? If so, what type of evidence is included?
Purpose: What is the purpose or goal of this website? Is there any political, religious, cultural, or personal bias?
Part 2: Letter to a decision maker
You will write a letter to a decision maker, encouraging them to take a specific action that can be measured to support this health issue. (Note: writing such a letter is a form of advocacy in itself!) Decision makers could be principals or superintendents, elected officials like mayors or senators, leaders of government agencies, etc. Select a person who has the power to make a difference in regard to this particular health issue. Make the title/position and organization of the person clear to the reader in the letter.
Please see the example and instructions provided in this folder, and follow it closely. This letter should be on its own separate page in the assignment. Use “page breaks” if needed. You may need to use 10 or 11 pt. font for this letter to make it fit on one page.
Include key facts from your organization’s website in the letter to support your request for the action. Include an in-text citation. In a letter, it is appropriate for this to look something like, “According to the Guttmacher Institute, young people under the age of 25 account for 50% of all new STI infections” (2017). Do not refer to any other sources in this letter.
NOTE: IF NO IN-TEXT CITATION IS PROVIDED, THIS IS A FORM OF PLAGIARISM, AND 0 PTS. WILL BE AWARDED FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.
Part 3: Creative concept for advocacy event or campaign
Design a plan for an event or campaign which will raise awareness about this health issue, and help people understand how they can advocate for it themselves. This plan will have three paragraphs.
In your first paragraph, describe your vision for the event or campaign:
a. What will you do to advocate for this health issue? (Create a mural on building; host a poetry reading or spoken word event; create a video or PSA; hold a demonstration or rally; host a fundraiser; be creative!)
b. Where will the event or campaign be held?
c. Who would you partner with or network with to make the event or campaign possible? (Which groups or individuals?)
d. How will you inform people of the upcoming event and encourage them to attend? (How will you “get the word out”?)
In your second paragraph, describe what participants or attendees of the event will do there:
a. What will they learn at the event? (What information about the health issue will be shared at the event?)
b. What will participants do at the event?
c. Which advocacy action(s) will they be encouraged to take?
d. How will you know the event or campaign was successful? (How will you measure its impact?)
In your third paragraph, or as a separate attachment, share part of the plan. If you want to sing a song, include the lyrics. If you want to create a mural, include a sketch of it. If you want to hold a fund-raiser, include the speech or opening remarks you would give at the start of the event. In other words, give me a sense of what people will see or hear at the event.
References page: Be sure to include a reference list in correct APA style as a separate, final page to this assignment.
