Community Need Assignment
Your goal is to use existing sources of information to create a profile of a community need. This
assignment will ask you to:
a) examine several different kinds of sources that showcase several different kinds of
community need in the Burlington region – these are your readings for the week;
b) find similar sources of information related to the issue area you are pursuing as an SL-TA
or independently;
c) write a “needs statement” for your issue area; and
d) present your findings to the class.
Part A: Using available information (5 points)
You will begin by examining the documents below. For each of these sources, please write a short
paragraph (3-4 sentences) on how it illustrates community need(s).
- Seven Days newspaper article profiling Dr. Fred Holmes, a St. Albans pediatrician who works with
addicted youth
o http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/bitter-pills/Content?oid=2143274
-
2014 Annual Report of the ECOS Plan, a cooperative regional planning effort that works toward a
“healthy, inclusive and prosperous Chittenden County.” Pay particular attention to the sections
labeled “Trends and Issues” and “High Priority Actions”. Also, look at the ECOS Scorecard section)
that apply to your interest areas.
o http://www.ecosproject.com/sites/default/files/images/2014_ECOS_Annual_Report.pdf
o https://app.resultsscorecard.com/Scorecard/Embed/8502
-
Website of the non-profit Organization COTS (Committee on Temporary Shelter), especially the
“Becoming Homeless” page.
o http://cotsonline.org/take-action/becoming-homeless/
-
Chittenden County U.S. Census data (you can also look just at Burlington and other cities/towns,
as well as the State of Vermont)
o http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/50/50007.html
Part B: Information gathering (5 points)
For your particular service-learning area of interest, please aggregate at least four sources of information
(in various media) that help tell the story of community need. You may use the media types above (print
journalism, organizational website, government/census data, city/regional planning documents), or
include others that help illustrate community need in your particular issue. You may need to look beyond
online sources, so leave time to do so!
Part C: Needs statement (10 points)
Write a ~500 word statement of community need that draws from, includes and analyzes the sources you
identified. What narrative can be created from these data and pieces of information? What’s missing?
(Sources you couldn’t find, for example, or the types of data you would want access to.)
Part D: Presentation (5 points)
Present your findings to the rest of the class in 5 minutes or less. Your presentation should meet the
following criteria:
- Explains the community need as illustrated in your chosen sources
- Explains why these sources were chosen (and why others were left out)
- Is visually appealing
The mode of presentation is up to you, whether that means a powerpoint or prezi, a poster, or something
else that you feel best explains your community need to the rest of us.