create an advocacy letter and reflect on advocacy in the aging networks and the role that advocacy plays in your personal and

CHE 329 Module Six Advocacy Letter Guidelines and Rubric

Overview: For this assignment, due in Module Six, you will create an advocacy letter and reflect on advocacy in the aging networks and the role that advocacy plays in your personal and/or professional life. You will also consider the role of advocacy with respect to the aging-related policy issue you are exploring for your final project.

Prompt: First, review Chapter 7 in The Aging Networks: A Guide to Programs and Services and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) websites Advocacy Toolkit and Public Policy & Action. Conduct a very brief, basic internet search to locate additional background on popular advocacy formats and examples of advocacy correspondence. (Keep in mind that “letter” is a title used loosely to describe advocacy; you may find that an email campaign best fits the preferred format and structure. Further, if you are advocating to Congress, you will likely use a different format or structure than you would if you were advocating to your local area agency on aging.) Identify any aging-related topic of interest, which may—but does not have to—be the topic of your final project.

Next, using the tools provided by the NCOA, write a one-page advocacy letter. The letter should address the following:

● Audience: Determine who the letter is advocating to. ● Format and Structure: Determine the best format and structure for the advocacy letter based on the audience. ● Purpose: What are you hoping to accomplish by writing the advocacy letter?

Lastly, as an appendix to your advocacy letter, reflect on and address the following in no more than 1 to 2 paragraphs:

● Strengths and Weaknesses: Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of advocacy letters as related to the aging networks and policy in general. Explain your thinking and reasoning.

● Personal/Professional: What role does advocacy play in your personal and/or professional life? ● Advocacy and Final Project: What is the role of advocacy with respect to your chosen policy issue for your final project? Explain your thinking using

examples.

In this assignment, be sure to consider the role of advocacy in aging networks, as well as public policy in general.

Rubric Guidelines for Submission: The advocacy letter should follow these formatting guidelines: 1 page in length in MS Word format, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and citations in APA style.

Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Audience Determines who the letter is advocating to

Does not determine who the letter is advocating to

15

Format and Structure Determines the best format and structure for the advocacy letter based on the audience

Determines a format and structure for the advocacy letter but format and structure are not the best based on the audience

Does not determine the best format and structure for the advocacy letter based on the audience

15

Purpose Describes what is to be accomplished by writing the advocacy letter

Describes what is to be accomplished by writing the advocacy letter but description is cursory or lacking in detail

Does not describe what is to be accomplished by writing the advocacy letter

15

Strengths and Weaknesses

Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of advocacy letters as related to the aging networks and policy in general, explaining thinking and reasoning

Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of advocacy letters as related to the aging networks and policy in general but discussion is cursory, lacking in detail, or does not explain thinking and reasoning

Does not discuss the strengths and weaknesses of advocacy letters as related to the aging networks and policy in general

15

Personal/Professional Discusses the role that advocacy plays in personal and/or professional life

Discusses the role that advocacy plays in personal and/or professional life but discussion is cursory or lacking in detail

Does not discuss the role that advocacy plays in personal and/or professional life

15

Advocacy and Final Project

Discusses the role of advocacy with respect to chosen policy issue for final project, providing examples

Discusses the role of advocacy with respect to chosen policy issue for final project but discussion is cursory or lacking in detail or does not provide examples

Does not discuss the role of advocacy with respect to chosen policy issue for final project

15

Articulation of Response Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Total 100%