When entering an environment with significant disadvantages, it is necessary to determine the potential positive impact the person can have on the community. When influencing public policy, one must be careful to determine one’s capabilities and the resources available to change the situation. One 8-steps plan proposed by the Program and Training Consultation Center can be used for successful realization of changes in the community.
At each stage of the plan, the facilitator is tasked with asking himself/herself questions. The answers are the key to thinking about the change and the potential impact on the public policy. The first step is to assess the situation and the magnitude of the problem, then look for any background (‘Action planning tool’, n.d.). After gathering all the information, the goal-setting phase is important to undertake. It determines the result the coordinator will achieve, so the formulation of the objectives should be clear and consistent: for example, “use the SMART tool”. For each goal, the plan is developed, which considers the people, groups, and organizations’ partners for change.
In the following stages, attention must be paid to building relationships in the environment and gaining support. The coordinator needs to include the community in the change process and demonstrating why the proposed project should be realized. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to educating the community itself: to test the media tools and find channels of communication with people (“Action planning tool”, n.d.). The handover phase is executive and essential for the coordinator since it depends entirely on the cooperation previously built. Finally, in the evaluation phase, the coordinator verifies the goals achieved and evaluates the effectiveness of the project being implemented. This stage is critical for subsequent projects because without it, it is impossible to take into account past mistakes and improve subsequent activities.
Thus, the implementation of change involves complex stages such as defining the problem, finding the background, and setting goals. The coordinator needs to pay attention to developing plans and making connections, without which the project realization will not be possible. Handing the plans to the community is a big responsibility, so the community needs to be carefully analyzed. An evaluation at the end allows for identifying shortcomings and using this experience for future projects.
Reference
Action planning tool for influencing public policy. (n.d.).