Proposal for Change – US English Proficiency Required – Need within 7 hours

 

Proposal for Social Change Assignment    (See Calendar for Draft Due Dates)

“Writing for Social Change is based on the longstanding tradition in Western culture of using 

literature as a tool for social critique, as a means of calling for social change and justice, and as a 

tool for social transformation” (hecua.org). We have already read examples of calls for large 

scale change (The Declaration of Independence).

The goal of this research-based persuasive proposal is to help you identify one specific, concrete 

area of personal interest (and narrow a topic), develop your skills as a writer and encourage you 

to share your voice and participate in a democratic society by examining the role of literature and 

literary production in creating social transformation.

Objective: Write a 4-5 page proposal for social change using MLA documentation. 

Narrow the topic (propose a specific change in your neighborhood, community, school and/or 

workplace). Be specific in your problem statement (thesis). Write as much as you can from your 

own knowledge and experience. Then, use research to support your ideas. Include a personal 

interview and a local news article.  You will need to paraphrase from outside sources which 

support your own ideas. Quote any exact phrases or sentences you utilize in your paper. Make 

sure to add in-text citations after any ideas you have brought into your paper from outside 

sources. Read the section on plagiarism in the syllabus. This will emphasize the importance of 

documenting information.

Format:  Fit your proposal in this outline, so you can visually see how the components fit 

together and help you “trim” your paper. Break your paper into the following sections:

Background

Problem Statement (thesis)

What is Being Done

What Needs to Be Done

Implications for the Future

http://http/virginialynne.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Write-a-Propose-a-Solution-Essay

Thesis and Topic:   

Businesses located within the Houston Medical Center should cover the cost of parking for their employees because employees lose part of their salary when paying for parking and some employees struggle with being able to afford rising parking costs. 

* Example paper attached 

Last Name and Page Number

Your Name

English 1302 – section number

Date

Stranded Fruit Rescue Program (S.F.R.P) Proposal

Problem Statement

Houston, Texas is home to thousands of healthy fruit tree varieties, such as, oranges, grapefruits, kumquats, and papayas. These trees give birth to thousands of healthy fruit each year. Considering all the hungry people in Houston, there is no valid reason for any of these fresh fruit to ultimately go uneaten. Unfortunately, this is a problem people experience too often in our own backyards. This proposal entails a simple and efficient formula that could be utilized by volunteers to reach out to neighbors, collect unwanted fruit and drop off the collected fruits at designated sites. Anyone can join this cause free-of-charge in order to contribute to the rescue efforts.

Background to the Problem

It is difficult to ignore the abundance of colorful fruits hanging off of our neighbor’s trees, especially when the fruit eventually shrivels to its death. Often times, a single tree will produce hundreds of edible fruit, which is too much for one household to consume before expiration. Some people freeze their fruits for later consumption, but others simply ignore them. The problem is food distribution. According to Coalition for the Homeless, in 2014 Houston had 5351 homeless persons living in the city (“How many homeless Houston”). The goal of this effort is to save those fruits that go un-eaten and to feed the people who are in need of food.

What is Being Done

Some efforts have been made in other state, such as Oregon and Vermont (insert examples and research here). Currently, Houston does not have this kind of volunteer-led produce donation program. According to the Houston Food Bank, the Houston Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association hosts a yearly event to collect produce and feed the hungry (“Gift of Produce”). Fruits and vegetables vary in seasons and edible time frames, so it would be beneficial to advocate a year-round volunteer-led program such as the one outlined in this proposal to save some of these fruits.

What Needs to Be Done

The goal is to develop and launch a simple website that would assist volunteers in becoming successful contributors to this program. The website will include material and information volunteers need to become self-sufficient leaders. Everyone who logs on will have access to our mission statement, manuals, flyers, cheap tree picking device how-to, designated donation sites, and a forum for ideas and community feedback. By giving people access to this free website two goals are accomplished: the process becomes clearer and volunteers have an easy way to start. According to Malcolm Moore, community organizer in Houston food bank, “This proposal to utilize fresh home-grown produce will connect our community on multiple levels. This can be an on-going effort to helping others” (Personal Interview).

The process is simple and straight forward. Contributors/Volunteers will access our website for the resources, print out flyers to pass around in the community, schedule with donors for picking/pickup dates, and drop the picked goods at the Houston Food Bank for distribution. Flyers on the website will be in a fill-in-the-blank format. More specifically, they will include the organization’s basic information and a blank for the volunteer to fill in his or her name and contact information. Simplifying and expediting the process will encourage more people to join. (Add more supporting details in this paragraph. This is the central focus and the lengthiest section of this proposal)..

Implications for the Future

Providing a program to assist volunteers in outreach, collection, and donation efforts will decrease the amount of residential grown produce waste and increase the amount of hungry Houstonians being fed. Harvesting fruit that would otherwise spoil is a simple, inexpensive, and creative way to give back to the community. Once the proverbial ball starts rolling, it will naturally accelerate and encourage others to reach out.

Works Cited

“How Many People are Homeless in the Houston area?” Coalition for the Homeless. n.d. Web. Feb 20. 2015.

“Gift of Produce.” Houston Food Bank. Houston Food Bank. n.d. Web. Feb 20. 2015.

Moore, Malcolm. Personal Interview. February 17, 2015.