Bonner Education Curriculum Researching Your Issue Know Your

Bonner Education Curriculum Researching Your Issue Know Your Issue Modules (Part 1)

"Know Your Issue" Modules Purpose: • Provide you with the opportunity to critically understand the issue area where you are dedicating your service. Skills: • Interview • Collaborative Research & Writing • Presentation

"Know Your Issue" Modules Outcomes: • Research and share an issue brief on your topic with other Bonners locally • Publish your issue brief nationally via the Policy. Options Wiki • Present your issue brief at a national Bonner Conference or webinar (possibility for some)

Agenda: 1) Introduction to Theme 2) Choosing and Narrowing Your Issue Area 3) Sharing Your Chosen Issue Brief Topic 4) What is an Issue Brief? 5) Starting Your Research: Key Organizations 6) Expectations & Goals

Choosing and Narrowing Your Issue

What social justice issue(s) motivate you to take action and find solutions?

Break into Groups! Groups should be 2 -3 individuals Similar service sites Similar interests in issue areas you serve under

Choosing & Narrowing Your Issue Goal Statements/ Issue-Brief Topics: • Must be created to frame and give purpose to your research. • Establish goals as a response to the overall issue and solution-oriented. What is my group’s overall issue area? Starting Issue:

Choosing & Narrowing Your Issue Discuss Your Issue Brief Topic: Is my topic real? Does my topic matter to someone? Who? Will it be useful to do research and collect data on this topic? Why? Does this topic allow for community members to provide feedback?

Choosing & Narrowing Your Issue Example Topics: • Career Development Programs for Youth • Increasing Child Care Subsidies for Neighborhood Residents • Preventative Health Services for Low-Income Residents

Choosing & Narrowing Your Issue Example: What is my overall issue area? Rights of Undocumented Workers Poverty status of immigrant youth Starting Issue: Immigration College Access for Immigrant youth Psychological effects of immigration Path to citizenship DACA Awareness & Bipartisan Immigration Reform

Choosing & Narrowing Your Issue Example: What is my overall issue area? Education Opportunities Housing Security Starting Issue: Poverty / The Working Poor Neighborhood Crime Reduction Transportation Access & Availability Healthcare Access “Developing Transportation for The Working Poor”

Choosing & Narrowing Your Issue Example: What is my overall issue area? Starting Issue: Environmental Media Environmental Topics Recycling/Trash Urban Sprawl Water Quality Industrial/ Consumer Influence Fracking Environmental Movement “Regulating Fracking in NWGA”

Sharing Your Issue Brief Topic

Issue Introduction Presentations Each group will (3 minutes) present their chosen topic including a goal statement that focuses it. Everyone will provide feedback. (2 minutes) How did you finalize your topic?

What is an Issue Brief?

What is an Issue-Brief? Focuses on a specific and local, community issue and answers the following: Structure Goal Statement What is the nature and extent of the issue? Scope of the Problem What has been tried in the past to address it? Past Policy Milestones What is currently being done to address it? Current Policy & Programs What are the different ways organizations are addressing the issue? Model Programs & Policies Key Organizations Bibliography

The Issue Brief Template Navigation Header Issue - Overview Goal Policy Options & Model Programs

Locations. . . USA (National) New Jersey (State) Trenton, NJ (Local) Glossary of Terms

Topic - Location Scope of the Problem Past Policy Milestones

Current Policy & Programs Key Organizations

Starting Your Research

Researching an Issue Brief Recommended order for researching issue brief: 1) Goal Statement 2) Key Organizations: local, state, national 3) Scope of the Problem: local (state, national optional) 4) Current Policy & Programs: local (state, national optional) 5) Policy Options & Model Programs: (no geographical focus, look everywhere)

Homework: First Step in Research Process Start shared Google Doc for your topic and begin adding: 1) Goal Statement 2) Key Organizations: mission, address, and contact information for local, state, national organizations sub-divided by these categories: • Government • Non-Profit - Service Providing • Non-Profit - Advocacy/Membership/Network • Foundation 3) Map it! • Add link to a Google Map you create to share location of local organizations • Create network map (using any graphics software you can find) to show links between service-providers and their funders, government agencies, and membership groups or networks they have joined.

Sample Mercer County, NJ - Hunger Organizations

Sample Princeton, NJ - Anti-Hunger Service-Providers

Sample Trenton, NJ - Food System Network Map

Sample Princeton, NJ - Map of Anti-Hunger Groups

Setting Expectations & Goals

Technology & Data-Sharing Expectations Stay on Topic: online pages should all be related to topics being discussed No emails, social media, homework, etc. Share all of the Data: Maintain group-determined data -sharing protocols Utilize Google Docs, Shared Pages, etc.

Technology & Data-Sharing Expectations Stay on Topic: online pages should all be related to topics being discussed Share all of the Data: Maintain group-determined data -sharing protocols What other expectations will you set For your group? Discuss any other technology guidelines to set Discuss and decide data-sharing methods

What should students expect? The production and presentation of a localized issue brief. Example: Chronic Homelessness

Homework: First Step in Research Process Start shared Google Doc for your topic and begin adding: 1) Goal Statement 2) Key Organizations: mission, address, and contact information for local, state, national organizations sub-divided by these categories: • Government • Non-Profit - Service Providing • Non-Profit - Advocacy/Membership/Network • Foundation 3) Map it! • Add link to a Google Map you create to share location of local organizations • Create network map (using any graphics software you can find) to show links between service-providers and their funders, government agencies, and membership groups or networks they have joined.

Next Up: Know Your Issue Part 2 - Researching Local, State & National Information