The political action project is designed to be student driven, and to provide an opportunity for the students to learn about a current public policy issue and practice the leadership skills that they learn throughout the program.
Goals of the Political Action Project
• learn about a current public policy issue
• learn about different ways to affect policy
• practice public speaking skills
• enhance communication skills
• practice working in a group
• learn how to develop a strategy and message
Implementing the Action Project
Four concerns of paramount importance when implementing the action project assignment are; scheduling, group dynamics, resources and outcome.
Scheduling: Skills building workshops are scheduled in such a way as to maximize their usefulness for the action project and make the most out of the limited schedule.
Student groups: We divide the students into groups of approximately 5-6 students each. We try to ensure that each group is diverse in race, ethnicity and educational background.
Resources: Since the student will have little time to conduct their own research, we provide resource material for each of the assigned positions which identify useful articles and web sites. We also include a panel of individuals with expertise in the policy area, so that students have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of various policy proposals.
Outcome: Each political action project culminates in a presentation by each student group. This can be in the form of a press conference accompanied by a press release or a presentation before a legislative committee hearing testimony on a particular issue or bill.
More information about the 2007 NEW Leadership New Jersey Action Project
on global warming available here.
