Community Treasure Hunt - Final Paper Template
This is the Paper Template that accompanies the Community Treasure Hunt Final Paper assignment. It is a supplement to the assignment requirements for the Community Treasure Hunt and delineates the format and interview questions that you will need to complete the assignment.
Directions:
Use this template to guide you as you write your 10-page Treasure Hunt paper. Complete Parts 1-5 of your paper described below. Plan your time wisely and take notes and pictures as you explore your community to be sure that you have gathered all information needed to complete this assignment. You may use this template to write your paper, but you are not required to use it as long as your paper includes all required components of the assignment.
Your paper should consist of five parts:
• Part 1 (approximately 3 pages in length)
• Part 2 (approximately 1 page in length)
• Part 3 (approximately 2 pages in length)
• Part 4 (approximately 4 pages in length)
• Reference page
• Part 5: Appendix (includes images and supporting documents)
Notes:
• Please notice that you must follow the guidelines regarding how you complete your work.
• Remember to save your word document(s) using the following naming convention: CourseNumber_TreasureHunt_YourName.docx. For example: SOWK6325_TreasureHunt_JaneDoe.docx
Part 1: Introduction, Demographic Information, and Community Immersion (suggested length: 3 pages)
You experienced the community by walking around several core blocks of the neighborhoods.
As you walked around the neighborhood, you recorded your observations of the physical, social, cultural, and economic environments you encountered.
For your paper you should write a 2-3 page introduction to the neighborhood, including the name, location and the general demographic make-up of the community. Include a brief discussion of relevant demographic information (for example, racial/ethnic breakdown, average cost of housing, average income).
Consider the following questions as you prepare your introduction:
• What are the riches found in this community? (Every community, like every client, has strengths and resiliency.)
• Describe what you see, hear, smell, and feel.
• Where do people live and work? Where do they seem to socialize? Where do they seem to shop? Are there differences in who lives, works, shops, in various neighborhoods?
• What improvements could be made?
• What things catch your attention?
• What have you discovered about the community? Did you discover any unique buildings? If so, was there someone who could tell you how they played a role in forming this community?
Include images of the community in the Appendix of your paper. Label the images for clarity and context. You can also include a table with demographic information if you wish.
Part 2: Resident Interview(s) (suggested length: 1 page)
Survey at least one member of the community and document the feedback about the benefits and challenges in that community.
• Ask a long-time resident to describe the greatest or best things about this community y as well as the greatest problems or needs of the community.
• Present the same question to a community provider.
• Compare and contrast their responses.
• Based on your knowledge (newfound or existing) of the community, explain greatest or best things about this community as well as the greatest problems or needs of the community.
Remember to be respectful of community residents, as they may not feel overly comfortable speaking to you.
Write a 1-page summary of what you learned.
Part 3: Agency Exploration (suggested length: 2 pages)
In person, identify and visit five social service agencies in the community. You are to enter the agency without an appointment.
Your task is to discover the following:
• What is the purpose of the agency?
• What services are offered?
• What kinds of clients are served?
• How much do services cost?
• How available are services to the client?
• What requirements of the client must be met for services?
• Are there any rules, policies, regulations in place that directly affect the client?
• How is the agency interconnected with other organizations and institutions in the community from a systems-perspective? (Refer to the readings in Week 3.)
• How welcoming does the agency seem? If you were a client accessing services, how would you feel visiting this agency?
For Part 3, simply list each agency by name and address and answer the questions in full sentences. In other words, this information should be incorporated in your paper in paragraph format, though you may use subheadings for each agency.
Part 4: Executive or Program Director Interview (suggested length: 4 pages) Choose one of the five agencies and complete an in-depth follow-up interview with the program director or agency director (not a direct practice social worker).
To complete Part 5, you will need to make an appointment with the director well in advance of the interview. Ask the person you interview the questions below, as well as any other information you think is relevant to your community treasure hunt assignment. Be respectful and use this as a learning experience; do not make this person feel that she/he is in the "hot seat" regarding services provided (or not) to low income and Latino clients.
For this section:
• Provide the name, title, and contact information of your interview subject in your introduction to this section and describe briefly why you chose to interview this person.
• Complete an analysis of the information you received during your interview. This should not be in a verbatim Q and A format. Write your interview summary as part of your paper, though you should use a heading to separate this from the rest of your paper.
Make sure you explore the following in your discussion:
• What is the leadership style of the director? (Obtain a specific and concrete description, not just a named style.)
• What specific skills of leadership does the director rely on in promoting sustainab le change in service delivery?
• How does the director view the agency's role in the community?
• Who/what does the director identify as assets in the community?
• How does the director network with other agency leaders and key communit y stakeholders to advocate for the agency and its clients?
• What experiences has the director had in teamwork and collaboration in developing, sustaining, and promoting agency programs?
• What is a typical day of the director like?
• What is a great day like?
• What is a challenging day like?
• What did the director do to prepare for the position?
• What are the greatest challenges of being the director?
• What are the greatest rewards of being the director?
• What advice does the director have for you as a future agency administrator?
Conclusion:
Include a brief concluding paragraph synthesizing the most important points gained from your community study.
Be sure you include a reference page (you won't need to use extensive references, though be sure you reference sources for your demographic data) and photos and other relevant information in an Appendix section.