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Chapter 32. Providing Encouragement and Education >
Section 2. Developing a Proposal for Change >
Developing a Proposal for Change |
Tools & Checklists | Contributed by Phil Rabinowitz Edited by Bill Berkowitz |
Checklist
Here you will find a checklist summarizing the important points of the section.
What do we mean by developing a proposal for change?
__ A proposal for change is a plan (or sometimes just a group of suggestions) for addressing a situation, an issue, or a condition of importance to the community.
A proposal for change might take the form of:
__ An intervention or series of interventions.
__ Legislative language or legislation.
__ Funding or other resources to expand existing services.
__ A long-range strategic plan.
Why develop a proposal for change?
__ You're more credible and in a stronger position if you can offer solutions to a problem, rather than merely pointing out what's wrong.
__ You almost undoubtedly know more about the issue, the field, and the community than policy makers do.
__ You can draw on local people and resources that policy makers wouldn't think to consult or use.
__ You establish your group as the authority on the issue.
__ You have an investment in the community that policy makers don't have.
__ If you develop the proposal yourself, you know it will include everything you believe is necessary to meet the needs of the community.
__ Presenting your own proposal helps to educate the public to appropriate avenues for change, and can enlist them as advocates.
__ If the proposal is generated locally, especially if it's developed through a participatory process, it gives the community ownership of it.
__ Your proposal defines the issue and frames the debate about it.
Who should develop a proposal for change?
__ All stakeholders.
__ Community activists.
__ Local officials.
__ Community members and groups who'll be indirectly affected.
__ Researchers and experts in the field.
__ Policy makers.
When should you develop a proposal for change?
__ At the beginning of an advocacy campaign.
__ At the start of a legislative campaign.
__ When there's an obvious problem, but no obvious solution.
__ When policy makers or funders have indicated that they're about to address an issue or a particular area.
__ When potentially bad solutions are being proposed.
__ During, or leading up to, an election.
__ When the public, or a segment of the public, wants a problem solved or an issue attended to.
How do you develop a proposal for change?
__ Assemble a team to develop it
__ Do your research
__ Analyze the issue
__ Develop your proposal
__ Create a plan for maintaining change
__ Present and advocate for the proposal