Local Action Project

Citizenship and Social Justice Domain

Goal: To identify a social/political issue that interests you, write out a multi-step
action plan and proposal that will effect change in the community, and take steps to
implement that plan.

Process: You will identify community needs and change agents, choose a
community organization, investigate possible needs and establish goals, create and
prepare for objectives to meet those goals, take action, reflect on the process, and
evaluate the effectiveness of the project through survey, and goal tracking.

Product: As you will see in each project checklist, you will demonstrate awareness
of the organization and challenges they face, plan and take action that directly
impacts the organization, and provide an assessment of the process using others
perspectives and information.

Name: kelbie__________________________ Date: ____________________

Local Action Project Checklist and Activity Sheets

Directions: Use this planning checklist to help guide you through the process of finding
community issues of interest to you, planning, community action, reflection, and
evaluation.

Step 1: Define the problem

Step 2: Identify local change agents

Step 3: goal planning & execution

 Step 1: Define the problem & local organization to support

ACTIVITY A:

In this activity you will choose one issue that is important to you, define it, and research how it
impacts the local community.

Example: if you choose ‘homelessness’ as an issue, you will define the problem by
understanding what homelessness is in general but also how it specifically affects your local
community - ex: how many people are homeless in Chittenden County?

Issue 1: Transitional Housing and Support to help integrate former prisoners into society

What is this issue? What does it mean? What does it involve?

Helping ex-cons get into the community again. Helping them be successful and stay out of
trouble.
Source(s): https://dismasofvt.org/

How does this issue impact your local community?

Ex-cons lose a lot of rights once they are out of jail and finding a job becomes harder for
them.

Source(s): https://dismasofvt.org/

Why is this issue important to you?

It helps me get a project done.

What are your initial ideas about how to make a positive impact around this issue in your local
community?

nothing.

Step 2: Identify Change Agents

ACTIVITY B: In this activity you will explore the issue in step 1 and identify who or what in the
community is making change around this issue.
Issue I am choosing to explore further: _____Transitional Housing for Ex-prisoners

Who or what are the change agents in my community around this issue? Think about: who are
the people speaking up about this issue? Where and how? What are the organizations in my
community addressing this issue?

Name of Organization, Person, Group

Contact information for general information and for volunteer coordinator/outreach
cord.

Mission (What is their goal?) Please explain in your own words.

Help ex-cons get back into the community.
Source: https://dismasofvt.org/about/mission/

List at least two things this person/organization/group is doing to enact their mission
I made two pies.
Cord made dinner for them every month.

State specifically what they provide to community members

Dismas house provides housing.

Step 3: Goal Planning & Execution

(Need more description here, example: written reflection, tracking log, etc)ch
When cord takes the food and leaves. Cord going down the stairs. Cord turning his car
on and leaving.

When do you want to have accomplished your goal? How much time is needed in hours,
days, weeks?
I will need about __48____ hours a day for ___2______ days for __1_____ weeks (date, time
it takes to plan and cook meal) ch

Other considerations about time:

Do you need volunteers to reach your goal? If so, how many and what would their job
duties be?
Cord went to the store, delivered the groceries to my house and picked it up.
Other Resources or Support Needed
Grocery store and cords driving

Do you foresee any challenges in making this project happen? How will you work
through those challenges?
Coordinating with teachers to purchase and deliver food. The pandemic made it harder to
accomplish goals.

How will you track work completed and progress towards goal?
WBL tracker located in Life Career>WBL project

How will you know and reflect on how the project went? (evaluation, surveys, reviews,
etc)
Write a short reflection on experience.

Final Reflection:
Please describe in detail what you did to support Dismas House. Please include the
following:

What you chose to make?

The date and time you completed the meal?
The process (Collaboration with staff, how did you come up with recipe, gather ingredients, etc)
What is Dismas House?
Why did you choose to support them?
How might you support them in the future?
Please explain why this was important to you.

I made a pumpkin pie and cheesecake.

The time was 2;30 the date was 5/5/20.
Cord brought the ingredients. I found the recipes in a book.
Dismas house is a stepping stone to help get ex-cons back to the community.
Cord introduced me to Dismas house to help me get my project done.
I don’t plan on volunteering again.
It helped me get a project done to help me graduate.