Thank you for writing to us with your question. The Community Tool Box does contain many resources that may be helpful in addressing the issues you are dealing with. One of them, as you mention, is Toolkit #7, and this is a reasonable place to start.
There are other options too. For example, you mention the project management cycle, and the Tool Box resource that comes closest to that is found in Chapter 2, Section 13, on Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships. But we think you might also benefit from reviewing Chapter 17, Section 3, on Defining and Analyzing the Problem, as well as Chapter 24, Section 7, on Developing and Increasing Access to Health and Community Services, which may speak more specifically to your particular concern. You can find links to these and other sections in the Community Tool Box table of contents. We encourage you to take a look and focus on that material that speaks most directly to you.
The basic procedure for addressing issues such as yours is not difficult to state. At its bare-bones essence, you want to describe the situation as it is now (A), describe your desired outcome (B), identify the available options for getting from A to B, and choose that option (or options) with the greatest likelihood of success. Of course, those who are most affected by the issue (in your case, the immigrants you mention) must be closely involved in this process throughout.
Easy enough to say. The difficulty often arises because advocates (such as yourself) don’t take sufficient time to problem-solve in a logical and systematic way. Taking the time to think, to sketch out ideas, to share them with colleagues, and to revise and refine before acting is usually time well spent. We recommend you follow this procedure, over and above any sources you might read, including our own.
Which is not to say we don’t also recommend our own Tool Box materials! We hope you find these thoughts to be useful, and wish you every success as your work continues.
