Community Advocacy Speech - Problem/Solution Brainstorming Activity

Instructions:

For the upcoming Community Advocacy Speech, you will select a community you are
a part of, identify an issue affecting members of that community, and propose a feasible
solution to solve the problem. To begin the process of choosing your topic, complete
the prompts below:

① Start by selecting which community to focus on:

For the speech, you will focus on a specific community that you are a part of. The
communities you can select are UNLV, Las Vegas, or your hometown. Not
everyone has a single hometown, so pick any city you have spent a significant
amount of time in.

What community are you selecting (UNLV, Las Vegas, or your hometown)?

My hometown (Hanoi, Vietnam) since I have been living here for more than 20 years.

② Identify groups of people who are a part of that community:

All communities are made up of smaller groups. For example, at UNLV, there are
undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff. In Las Vegas or your
hometown, there are children enrolled in school, homeless individuals, retirees,
nursing home residents, single-parent families, drivers, and minimum wage workers,
to name a few.

In your selected community, identify 5 groups that might have various issues they are
affected by:

1. Young people/college students aged 18 – 22 years old

2. Young adults/fresh out of college & are in their early career 23 – 30 years old
3. High school students aged 16 – 18 years old
4. Secondary school students aged 12 – 15 years old
5. Disadvantaged youths who do not have access to quality (career) education

③ Narrow down the groups you might focus on:

 From the 5 groups listed above, narrow down the list to the 2 groups that might be in
most need of assistance or who have the more dire issues facing them:

1. High school students aged 16 – 18 years old

2. Young people/college students aged 18 – 22 years old

④ Research possible issues you could focus on for both groups:

Do some preliminary research to better understand issues facing both groups.

Consider checking out the local news station, researching non-profits in the areas, or
asking members of the community for ideas. Of course, you can also draw from your
own personal experience.

Remember, any particular group is likely affected by a variety of issues. For example,
students enrolled at the high school in your hometown might have issues related to
the school dress code, standardized testing and college entrance exams, food
insecurity, or gun safety.

Based on your research and personal experience, identify 2 issues that each group is
likely facing.

Group 1:

Issue 1: Lack of career orientation (do not know which major should they pick)
Issue 2: Lack of career readiness training (resume writing, interview skills, etc.)

Group 2:

Issue 1: Face peer pressure (compare themselves with peers who have lots of
achievements and are going to study abroad)
Issue 2: Facing failure (have unhealthy self-esteem if a goal is not achieved)

⑤ Brainstorm possible solutions for each issue:

For your speech, you will need to propose a single solution (not multiple solutions)
for the issue you select. This solution will need to be something that is actually
feasible (i.e., possible to enact).

For each of the potential issues, brainstorm a possible, feasible solution that
could solve the problem.

Group 1:
 Solution for issue 1: Promote mentoring networks and opportunities via youth
camps
Solution for issue 2: Open career office in each school

Group 2:

Solution for issue 1: Organize talk shows and invite speakers to share about
peer pressure
Solution for issue 2: Write journals and self-reflection for a higher self-esteem

⑥ Think about who would be able to enact each solution.

For this speech, your “audience” is the person or the group of people who could
hypothetically enact the solution you are proposing. For example, if you are proposing
that a new homeless shelter be built in your city, perhaps the City Council or a local
non-profit would be your audience. Or, if you are proposing that a new mental health
office should be opened on campus, maybe your audience is UNLV’s President.

For each of the potential solutions, identify the person or group of people who
could hypothetically enact it:

Group 1:

Who could enact the solution for issue 1: School officials & Ministry of
Education.
Who could enact the solution for issue 2: . Recruitment consultants in human
resources companies.

Group 2:

Who could enact the solution for issue 1: Youth organizations

Who could enact the solution for issue 2: Young adults who graduated and are
in their early career.

Submit this completed worksheet to Canvas. Then, use this brainstorming when you
officially select your topic on the Community Advocacy Speech - Topic Selection
discussion board.