Community Treasure Hunt – Final Paper

Prompt:

Throughout the semester, you are to have been studying a community (or a specific section of a community if it is part of a large urban area, i.e., New York City or San Antonio, Texas) and the services available to children and families in need. After gathering demographic data about the community and immersing yourself in the community by walking through neighborhoods and visiting social services agencies and other relevant community facilities (i.e., local church, recreation center), you are to complete a ten page paper describing your findings.

Summary of Your Assignment Tasks:

Please note: The following information is a shortened summary of the full assignment requirements. The full requirements can are located in the ‘Assignments’ folder in the ‘Getting Started’ area of the course. You must download that file and adhere to all the requirements noted in the file in order to properly complete the Community Treasure Hunt effort and final paper.

First, define your community:

A community is comprised of a shared identity by a population. The shared identity is usually comprised of ethnicity, race, nationality, or religious affiliation. It can also be defined by geographic location or proximity to a prominent land mark (i.e. “near downtown”). You must identify and describe the community (for example, its name and geographic location) and explain how the community fits into the above definition.

Second, follow the guidelines:

• Use public transportation, not your own vehicle.
• You are not to use resources that leverage your abilities above those a typical low-income client might have.
• Spend time in the community and gain a “street level” perspective. Start experiencing the community by walking around several core blocks of the neighborhoods. As you walk around the neighborhood, record your observations of the physical, social, cultural, and economic environments you encounter. Snap photos to document as you go or make a quick sketch of the businesses, places of worship, parks, institutions, residences, and parks.

Lastly, your paper:

You must write a 10-page paper answering the specific questions listed in the Community Treasure Hunt – Suggested Paper Template. (This file is located in the ‘Assignments’ folder within the ‘Getting Started’ area of the course.) Your paper should include headings that focus on each required section of your paper, including:

1. an introduction describing your community briefly including its location;
2. an overview of your community with demographic information and the information you have gained during your exploration of the community;
3. the results of brief interviews conducted with at least one resident and a service provider comparing their perspectives with your own about the strengths and challenges of the community;
4. summaries of five social service agencies that you visited, the services they provide, and your perspectives on each of them, including all information in the questions delineated in the Template;
5. an analysis of an interview you conducted with an administrator at one of the five agencies you visited; and
6. a conclusion summarizing the results of your community study.

Be sure to include a reference page. You also can include an Appendix with photographs and additional relevant information if you wish.

Be sure you check the Assignment Guidelines, Paper Template, and Rubric before you submit your paper to ensure that you have included all required components of this assignment.