Big Idea Synthesis and Action Project Paper

Required Paper Components

• Statement of the issue or problem related to aging, nutrition and wellness that you are addressing: What is the issue or problem you are addressing? The issue or problem can originate from your own experiences, someone else's experience, or be inspired by something you've read. (The issue or problem can originate from any one of the levels of either the bio-psycho-social approach or the social ecological model.)
• Reason for addressing this issue or problem: What motivated or inspired you to choose this issue or problem as the focus for your project?
• Exploration of how the issue or problem operates at each level: Which level does the issue or problem originate from? How does the issue or problem manifest at the levels of the biopsychosocial or social-ecological model (individual/personal, settings, sectors, social/cultural norms & values)?
• Strategies for addressing the issue or problem at each level: This is the application part of the project. Of the practices and perspectives regarding addressing your chosen issue that we've explored, which do you think you'd want to implement at each level of the model in order to address your issue or problem? Are there other practices or perspectives you'd like to try out that we haven't explored in this course? Be sure to take advantage of any input your colleagues have provided as you developed your project idea. Your own experiential learning and the insights you gain from your classmates will support you in developing this central component of your final project.
  • As part of your final project, please include a minimum of two programs operating in your community (government, nonprofit, profit or other) that have a hand in addressing this issue. For each, describe how they attempt to address the issue, what level they operate (individual, settings, sectors, norms & values) and provide your own assessment of how well they meet the need (or not).
  • Include at least one unique approach to your issue that you would like to see in your community and demonstrate how it would address a level not currently being adequately addressed.
  • Also, please include a minimum of four additional credible, useful sources that focus on your issue.Please be sure that two of the four sources come from academic journals or books.
• Concluding thoughts: What happens next? What are your major take-aways from this project? What new questions do you have?

Paper Format

• Please submit your final project to Assignment Folder as a Word document or a PDF.
• Include your name and the title of your project on the first page of the document.
• Please use an 11 or 12 point font, 1-inch margins and double space so I can more easily read your document!
• Include citations for all sources, including programs, articles, at the end of paper. You may use either APA or MLA.

Rubric