Use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision. OBJECTIVES
Identify a problem that affects your community.
Research solutions to a problem.
Analyze the pros and cons of each solution.
Create a proposal to solve a community problem.
Before You Begin
Identifying and solving problems is an important life skill. Americans have worked together for over two hundred years to solve problems regarding equality, education, immigration and health care. In this project, you will be identifying a civic problem in your community and proposing a solution to that problem.

Identifying a Problem
In order to solve a problem, you first have to identify one. Think about the community in which you live. What are some of the civic challenges in your community? Civic is a social-studies term that means relating to the administration of a town. The problem you are identifying is one that will need to be addressed by civic, or community leaders.

Are there enough parks?
Are there safe places for kids to go after school?
Do people in your community recycle?
Are there a lot of stray animals?
Does your community have sports, drama, art, or music programs for students?
Can people in your community easily get around on public transportation?
Does your community have a community garden?
Does every family in your community have access to healthy food?
The problem doesn’t have to be huge. Just ask yourself: if you could change one thing in your community, what would it be? Depending on the problem you are researching, you might have to conduct an interview. For example, if you are proposing a solution to a problem of too many stray animals, you might need to contact your community’s animal-control office.

Proposing a Solution
Now that you've researched your problem, it’s time to being considering solutions. When solving a problem, there is often more than one solution. It's important to develop two or three solutions to your problem in order to determine the solution that will be most effective.

Use the template provided to propose two or three solutions to your problem. Be specific in your solutions. Consider how much each solution will cost, how many people will be involved, what equipment will be needed, permissions that need to be granted, etc. At this point, you should have at least two solutions to your identified problem. Carefully evaluate each solution, and decide which one you believe most effectively solves the problem.

Then, create a formal proposal to your community leaders persuading them to adopt your proposal. Your proposal should include the following information:

A thesis statement that summarizes the problem and states the solution
A discussion of the problem with evidence from your research to support the idea that the problem needs to be addressed
A summary of your proposed solution
An evaluation of the solution listing the pros and cons and showing city leaders why the pros outweigh the cons
An effective conclusion that summarizes your arguments
Directions
Identify a problem in your community. Using the template provided in the lesson, research the problem to develop proposed solutions. Create two or three solutions to the problem using the template provided in the lesson. Carefully evaluate each solution and choose one. Create a formal proposal to community leaders identifying a problem and proposing a solution. Your proposal should include:

A thesis statement that summarizes the problem and states the solution.
A discussion of the problem with evidence from your research to support the idea that the problem needs to be addressed.
A summary of your proposed solution.
An evaluation of the solution listing the pros and cons and showing city leaders why the pros outweigh the cons.
An effective conclusion that summarizes your arguments.
Make sure to cite your sources using the Chicago Manual of Style. Use all of the conventions of writing, including correct punctuation, spelling and grammar.

Prompt
Create an original proposal to your community leaders of at least 300 words, identifying a problem and proposing a solution. Your proposal should include:

An introduction with a thesis statement
A paragraph analyzing the problem
A paragraph summarizing the solution
A paragraph evaluating the solution
A conclusion summarizing the arguments