In the first two written assignments, you selected one vulnerable population in need of a new program or service in your community.  In this project, you will finalize the research that allows you to understand elements that go into designing and launching a community service.  The Final Project will be written using a persuasive tone, such that you would be able to present it in order to gain community and organizational support for your program.  The Final Project must demonstrate an understanding of the reading assignments, class discussions, as well as your research and application of new knowledge.  Your project must contain the following elements:

• A description of the vulnerable population and why they need assistance in your community.
• A description of the health service needs of the vulnerable population you have chosen to serve with your program.
• In order to support the need for the service you propose, cite statistical data obtained from your county health department, state health department, and organizations or agencies who serve the vulnerable population.
• A description of your proposed community service or program; include the specific service(s) provided and one continuum of care level (prevention, treatment, or long-term care). Explain how the selected service(s) and the continuum of care will impact the chosen population.
• Discuss the social and cultural norms of your vulnerable population and how these play a role in the need for the services offered by your program. Describe how the vulnerable population experiences the health care system.  Analyze methods your program can use to overcome social and cultural differences.
• Identify two or more community organizations or agencies with which you can partner in order to implement your program. Explain how these organizations can help you implement the services you offer and the continuum of care offered by the potential partnering agencies. Explain which services these organizations will provide to your clientele that are not covered by your program.  
• Analyze at least four potential funding sources for your program, one of which must be from a state funded agency, one of which must be from a federally funded agency and the remaining two can be not-for-profit or for-profit business sources. Explain what factors must be met in order to receive funding from your sources.

Your final project will demonstrate quantitative literacy, which shows your ability to identify and solve problems.  Additionally, you must demonstrate integrative learning, which means you combine your earlier learning from this and other courses, analyze data from multiple perspectives, explore issues to their full extent as is required in the assignment, as well as incorporate your own personal and professional experiences. Be detailed and convincing in describing the above elements.  For your presentation, you may choose between the following formats:

• An APA formatted Final Paper
• A PowerPoint Presentation

The Final Paper:

• Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
• Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
• Must use at least six scholarly sources, not including the textbook.
• Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

The PowerPoint Presentation:

• Must be at least 18 slides in length (not including title and reference slides).
• Must include a title slide with the following:
  • Title of presentation
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must use at least six scholarly sources, not including the textbook.
• Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate reference slide, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include detailed speaker notes for each slide.
• Must be creative, using images and charts. Remember to cite all images taken from an online resource. Creative Commons and Flickr are great websites for open source images. 

For tips on creating an excellent presentation, read the following overview.

Ashford 6: – Week 5 – Final Paper

Letter of Advice

For this assignment, you will write a letter of advice to either a newly engaged couple or a group of coworkers. Imagine that either the engaged couple or coworkers hear that you are taking a course in interpersonal communication and want advice regarding how to communicate in their personal or professional relationships. Based on what you have learned in this course, your personal experience, and the five learning objectives we have covered, what advice would you give them regarding how to communicate effectively? How can you use what you have learned in this class to offer a couple or group of co-workers advice to have more positive relationships? Write your paper in the form of a letter. Please review the Sample Final Paper.

InstructionsUse the list of learning outcomes to write your letter. The course learning outcomes you will need to cover are listed below:

• Explain the principles of and barriers to effective interpersonal communications.
• Analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.
• Differentiate appropriate levels of self-disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships.
• Describe strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts.
• Analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications.

For each of the five learning outcomes, create a separate heading that states the learning outcome that you are addressing. Then, address the following for each segment:

• Explain the principles of and barriers to effective interpersonal communications. Why do the principles matter? How can your couple or group of co-workers overcome the barriers you have listed?
• Analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem. Begin by defining each term and then explain how these three notions of the self potentially impact the relationships of your couple or group of co-workers. What advice can you offer to help them develop a positive self-concept or build each other’s self-esteem?
• Illustrate the importance of self-disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships. What role does self-disclosure play in the relationships of your couple or co-workers? How can their relationships be improved by them becoming more emotionally intelligent? What connections can be made between emotional intelligence and self-disclosure?
• Evaluate strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts. Explain one or two potential conflicts and then present at least two strategies for addressing the dispute(s).
• Analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications. First, define these two key terms. Then, explain the importance of gender and culture in relationships generally and for your couple or group of co-workers specifically. What advice can you give to become a better communicator based on the information you have presented?

Content RequirementsYou must address all five of the learning outcomes and the questions listed with those objectives. For each objective, be sure to define key terms and relate those ideas directly to advice for your couple or co-workers. The point here is for you to demonstrate how these ideas can be utilized to help people in their relationships. Try to offer specific advice they can integrate into their lives.

Begin your paper with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement and that previews what you plan to cover in your paper. End with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis and restates your key points.

You must use at least five scholarly sources to help you make your points. At least three of these should be course readings and two should be academic articles you have found yourself by doing research in the Ashford University Library. If you need help doing research, visit the Ashford University Library, which can be accessed through the Library tab in the left-navigation menu, in your online course.You must also draw on personal experience to offer advice or to illustrate points. It is acceptable to use hypothetical examples and/or your personal experiences for either your couple or group of co-workers. We simply want to see that you can apply what you have learned to some potential “real world” experience.

The Final Paper

• Must be 8 to 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style. For assistance, visit the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Essay Checklist for Students.
• Must include a title page with the following: (For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, please refer to the Formatting Instructions for MS Word 2013)
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper. For assistance on writing Introductions and Conclusions as well as Thesis Statements, please refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
• Must use each learning objectives as a header dividing each section of the paper.
• Must use the textbook as a source. The Integrating Research tutorial will offer further assistance on including supporting information and reasoning.
• Must use two additional course articles/videos and two academic articles the student has found independently. A total of five sources must be used in the paper and be on the reference list.
• Must document any information from a source in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s In-Text Citation Guide.
• Must include a separate APA References List that is formatted according to APA style.

Before you submit your written assignment, you are encouraged to review The Grammarly Guide: How to Set Up & Use Grammarly tutorial, set up a Grammarly account (if you have not already done so), and use Grammarly to review a rough draft of your assignment. Then carefully review all issues identified by Grammarly and revise your work as needed.

Final NotesThis is a formal paper and should utilize proper grammar, complete sentences, and paragraph transitions. However, you will write this paper in the format of a letter to the newly-engaged couple or group of co-workers. Feel free to address the people you select directly throughout the paper.

After you have written the paper, please review the grading rubric to ensure you have met all of the requirements.

Need more help?In this class, you have three tutoring services available: Paper Review, Live Chat, and Tutor E-mail. Click on the Writing Center & Library tab in the left-navigation menu, in your online course, to learn more about these tutoring options and how to get help with your writing.

Late Policy: Written assignments (essays, journals, presentations) are due on the specified days in the course. Written assignments will be subject to a late penalty of up to 10% per day up to three days late. If written assignments are submitted after 72 hours past the due date, instructors can give a penalty up to and including a grade of zero for the assignment.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.