Overview: Living in a democratic society is a privilege that should not be taken for granted. Understanding the structure of United States government is foundational to getting involved in your community and deciding how you can make an impact. In this path, you will explore the functions of the United States government, get involved in issues of local and national importance, and identify ways to be a leader in your everyday life.

Overview: Living in a democratic society is a privilege that should not be taken for granted. Understanding the structure of United States government is foundational to getting involved in your community and deciding how you can make an impact. In this path, you will explore the functions of the United States government, get involved in issues of local and national importance, and identify ways to be a leader in your everyday life.

Directions: Now that you have examined issues of broad importance, it is time to focus on the needs of your own community. With so many significant issues affecting local communities, it can be hard to identify which causes are the most important. Think about the issues that your community is facing; what are the needs of local schools, non-profits or environmental organizations? Focus on those areas about which you feel most passionate. These might be: education, social support services, the economy or something else.

*Part 1: Using the “Identify Important Issues Framework” document (in the Resources section), identify two significant issues in your own community. Write a brief explanation of each issue, its impact on the community and your personal connection to the issue. Provide evidence to support the importance of each issue. This can include references to local newspaper articles, news reports or local government websites and statistics (for example, census information). Each explanation will include a summary of findings from your research or optional site visits, be approximately 250 words in length and cite your sources by including a Reference list in APA format.

*Part 2: Of the two issues identified in part 1, select one to explore further. Based on your findings from part 1, create an action plan that maps out a set of projects (at least two) that will collectively help address the issue in your community. Your action plan will be 1,000 words (minimum) and sources should be appropriately cited using APA format including a Reference list. Include the following sections in your action plan:
Introduction
-Identify the need and explain the issue.
-Describe groups of people in the community who are impacted by the issue.
-Identify partner organizations (if any) who are involved.

For each project
-Describe the project including goals.
-Identify the tasks involved.
-Explain resources necessary (human, material, financial).
-Identify the timeframe (how long will this take to complete?).
-Describe indicators of success (what indicators or measurements will show that the project was successful?).

Conclusion
– Explain the impact you hope these projects will have on the issue.