Action Plan

Perhaps the most important part of this course is the action plan.  What can you do to change the world?  Perhaps your little piece seems like nothing...

...but in fact, each piece that you contribute adds to the millions of other pieces that people around the world are contributing.

SOCIAL JUSTICE 12

ACTION PLAN

1. Identify the issue, challenge, or problem to be addressed

The purpose of an action plan is to organize and develop solutions to address a specific issue, challenge or problem.   For this assignment to have meaning to you, it should concern an issue about which you feel passionate.  Possible general topics could include:

• Globalization
• Genocide
• LGBT issues
• Child and youth issues
• Women’s rights
• Poverty
• Aboriginal issues
• Rights for the alternatively abled
• Sizism
• Ageism
• Animal rights, etc.

Keep in mind that these are general topics and you will have to decide on a specific problem within the general topic to be addressed, i.e. Animal Rights – there is no off-leash park for dogs to run free in your community.

Jot down a few challenges or issues you are aware of either that exist either at school, in your community or in the world around you.

2. Evaluate the issue

Now, examine the list of challenges again and choose one that you feel most committed and confident about addressing through a plan of action. Once you’ve done this, the next step is to evaluate the challenge more objectively and thoroughly. Evaluate the challenge in relation to five primary areas:  background, need, constraints, resources available, and resources needed.

1. Background refers to the history of the issue/challenge, including the cause and other individuals and programs that have tried to address it. If you are not familiar with the issue, this may take a little research on your part. However, based upon what you understand now, what is the history of this issue in the given context?
2. Need has to do more with solutions to the issue or challenge. Essentially ask yourself: “What needs to happen to effectively address this issue?”  Brainstorm a list of actions that could help solve this problem.
3. Constraints are those factors that are keeping you from addressing the challenge.  They might include lack of time, money, education about the issue, volunteers, etc.  Brainstorm a list of possible restrictions that you are aware of:
4. Resources Available are those resources that are easily and readily available and accessible right now to address the issue. So, what are your available resources?
5. Resources Needed are those resources that are not easily and readily available and accessible right now to address the challenge.  So, what resources do you need?

3. Develop a Mission Statement

Now that you have developed a more thorough understanding of the issue/challenge, you can now work to refine the purpose of the action plan and the project it will initiate.  The Mission (or Vision) Statement aims to be a broad and concise description of your purpose for creating an action plan to address the problem. It does not establish specific tasks that the organization will accomplish, but rather what the problem is and generally how it will be addressed.

An example Mission Statement from an action plan to address the effects of poverty in a high school might state:

“Recognizing that some students on campus are coming to school without breakfast or without coats in cold weather, I am committed to changing the situation for them by providing food and coats for free.”

As you see, the Mission addresses the context and states a related purpose. You don’t have to do it in that way, but it may be helpful.

Create a possible Mission Statement for your action plan.

4. Create Goals

Goals function as a kind of thesis statement or purpose for the action plan. They explain exactly what the intended tasks will be in order to fulfill the mission. Keep in mind that effective goals are action oriented, clear (who, what, where, by when), and are related directly to the problem.

You may want to tailor your goals to meet the criteria of being SMART:

S - specific

M - measurable

A - achievable

R - realistic

T - time-bound

Example goals from the school poverty action plan might be:

By the end of the year, I will:

• Find a community sponsor to provide fruit, bread and peanut butter for students once a week.

• Sponsor a winter coat drive/swap in the autumn.

• Facilitate at least one workshop in the spring for students to learn how to write resumes, take interviews, and find jobs.

Now brainstorm 1-3 goals for your action plan:

1)

2)

3)

5. Construct Action Steps

Now you’ve arrived to the most crucial part of the action plan: the action steps. Essentially, the action steps are a realistic list of solutions and activities that will address the challenge, thus fulfilling the goals and working to achieve the mission.  But to develop the action steps, you must first brainstorm a list of possible solutions using your background evaluation earlier developed. Especially keep in mind your Need, Constraints, Resources Available, and Resources Needed assessment.

For example, the Need part of the school poverty project would require initial approval from the principal.  An action derived from this would be:

“Present initial ideas for dealing with the effects of poverty at school to the principal.”

If this is your primary action step, determine (using your evaluation) if there are any constraints and if there are resources to conduct a presentation to the principal. (Make sure to do this for all of your primary action steps.)

Next decide 3 more things:

• If you will be enlisting volunteers to help you, who will be responsible for coordinating or carrying out the action?

• A time by which that action might occur.

• The intended outcome of the action.

Example action step chart for the school poverty plan:

What	By Whom?	By When?	Expected Outcome
Meet with the principal.	All of the volunteers and me.	By the end of September.	We will get approval for the project.
Contact local grocery stores and food banks.	Josh and Carrie	By mid-October.	We will get regular donations for a breakfast program once a week.
Advertise the coat drive/swap with posters and on the announcements.	Me and Carrie	By the end of October.	Students will bring used and outgrown coats to the English portable.

Create an action chart on poster paper for your action plan.

6) Format your action plan

Now arrange the plan into a formal document that you can easily refer to or distribute to any volunteers or anyone just interested in knowing your plans (like me!).

Suggested action plan format:

Title

1) Mission Statement

2) Goals

3) Issue and Background

4) Action Steps (including the chart)

7) Execute and evaluate your action plan

Now that your action plan is ready to go, execute your plan.  As you go, you may find that you may need to change some of your goals and plans.  Be flexible but make notes of all the changes so you can report them to me by the end of the semester.

Once your plan is executed, go back and evaluate your success.  Answer these questions:

1. Did you accomplish each goal?  If not, why not?
2. Did your action steps actually lead you to accomplishing your goals?
3. Did you have to make changes to your plans?  Why was this necessary?  What did you learn from this?
4. Give yourself a letter grade for your over-all project.

8) Present your action plan for teacher evaluation

Your evaluation and grade for your action plan, which is 20% of your total mark, will be based on your presentation.  For your presentation you should include:

• The document of your action plan (this needs to be detailed).  30%
• The chart with your action steps.  5%
•  Photographic or video evidence of the execution of your plan.   30%
• A reference letter from someone who witnessed or benefited from your action plan.  5%
• Your verbal explanation of your action plan.  This should include a brief summary of your document, an explanation of your experiences, anecdotal successes or failures, an explanation of your beliefs that led to this project, a self assessment of how you have changed or grown from the beginning of the course to the end, your understanding of the systemic nature of change and how that is reflected in your project, and a possible future application of your action plan. 30%

 The presentations of your action plan will take place during the final exam week.  This will take the place of a final exam. 

These steps were adapted from the Bonner Foundation Action Planning Curriculum.