How Can Our Writing Impact the Community?

“Empathy is not connecting to an experience; it’s connecting to the emotions that underpin an experience”  – Bene Brown

Writing can have a profound real-world impact on social issues, particularly within local communities. By articulating the challenges and experiences of those affected by issues such as poverty and food insecurity, writers can raise awareness and inspire action. Compelling narratives and well-researched articles can highlight the complexities of these problems, fostering empathy and understanding among readers. Additionally, writing can serve as a powerful advocacy tool, influencing public opinion and policy decisions. For instance, local stories about food deserts can draw attention to the lack of access to nutritious food, prompting community initiatives and support for policy changes. Ultimately, effective writing bridges the gap between awareness and action, driving positive change in our communities.

Why You Should Care

This project can significantly impact the community by raising awareness about food insecurity and poverty through our English 101 writing. By creating detailed, evidence-based narratives that illustrate the struggles faced by low-income families, we can educate SCC students and Scottsdale residents about the realities of food deserts and financial instability. These stories have the power to foster empathy and understanding, motivating individuals to get involved in local initiatives and support nonprofit organizations working to alleviate these issues. Moreover, our writing can serve as a valuable resource for community partners, helping them communicate the urgency of their mission and attract more support and volunteers. Ultimately, this project can inspire positive change and community action, making a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by poverty and food insecurity.

Project Overview

You will create a detailed scene for “Mary’s Story,” an essential part of the Food for Thought poverty simulation at Scottsdale Community College. Your scene will include a narrative scenario, choices Mary must make, potential outcomes, and the next step in the story.

“Mary’s Story” is an interactive Choose Your Own Adventure narrative developed collaboratively with students across multiple classes and disciplines. Participants who attend the Food for Thought exhibition will engage with Mary’s journey by scanning QR codes with their phones, allowing them to make decisions and see the outcomes in real time. As they navigate the poverty simulation exhibition Food for Thought, these digital interactions will immerse them in the challenging decisions faced by Mary, a 27-year-old single mother, highlighting the struggles of those living in low-income communities. The format ensures a dynamic and engaging educational experience, promoting empathy and understanding of food insecurity and poverty.

The goals of the Food for Thought exhibition are to:

• Engage: Capture participants’ interest through interactive and immersive experiences, fostering empathy by allowing them to walk in the shoes of those living in poverty.
• Educate: Inform visitors about the complexities of food insecurity, poverty, and social justice issues through hands-on activities and narratives like Mary’s Story.
• Empower: Provide knowledge and resources to inspire individuals to take action and advocate for positive change in their communities.

Important Notes for Your Project

Details and Resources for Mary’s Story

Creating a collaborative choose-your-own-adventure story for a public exhibition is a complex task. To support you in this process, refer to the chapter below titled “Mary’s Story: A Guidebook.” This chapter will provide an overview of the exhibit, outlining the various stations, details about Mary and Elijah, and other characters in the story. It will also explain the different outcomes, including the capabilities tracker. All this essential information will be easily accessible through this chapter, helping you understand and navigate the exhibit effectively.

Mary’s Story: A Guidebook :  Use this guidebook which provides crucial details about the exhibit, characters, and outcomes, helping you avoid contradictions with other students’ work.

Professional Quality

Your project must meet high professional standards to be included in the exhibit. Our goal is to produce high-quality content that motivates a live audience to take action. Even a single typo or incorrect fact can lead to your work being dismissed as amateurish. This is also an opportunity to showcase your skills and enhance your resume and scholarship applications. Only work that meets these professional standards will be accepted.

Language Restrictions

Avoid using terms such as “game,” “play,” or “player,” even if your project includes gamified elements. The themes of our exhibit include poverty and food insecurity, which are serious topics. Using such language could undermine the seriousness of these issues. Focus your project on educating the audience about a specific food accessibility issue.

Open Educational Resource (OER) Agreement

This project is a collaborative effort that collects content from students across multiple disciplines each semester. To be considered for inclusion, you must sign an Open Educational Resource (OER) Agreement that allows your work to be shared. Projects may be developed or revised by other students, but all contributors will receive credit in the exhibit.

By following these guidelines, you will ensure your project meets the standards necessary for public display and contributes meaningfully to our Food for Thought exhibition.

Project Steps

Overview

Your assignment (a CYOA scene) must include a Narrative Scenario, Choices, Outcomes, and a Next Stop. You will also be integrating new evidence (that did not appear in your Issues in Context research essay). Please read each step carefully for what’s required in each part of this project.

Step 1: Evaluate the Rhetorical Situation

Take some time to evaluate the rhetorical situation, including purpose, audience, circumstances, and topic. You will find it useful to review previous assignments that led up to this project.

Purpose

Our rhetorical purpose is to help food-related nonprofit organizations. To achieve this purpose, we will be creating content for a poverty simulation that “tells the story” of how some Arizona communities struggle to access food. We need to ensure that our audience understands why these issues happen and motivate them to get involved.

Audience 

For this project, your audience will be SCC students and Scottsdale residents. Remember that the types of evidence, organization, rhetorical appeals, and how the text is written should demonstrate how this audience influenced your choices.

Circumstances 

Hundreds of thousands of Arizonans experience food insecurity and don’t know where their next meal will come from. Our community partners have stated that many Scottsdale residents are unaware of the poverty in our city, which impacts their ability to fulfill their mission.

Topic 

Our topic is food accessibility in Arizona. What factors cause this issue? Who is impacted? What content will educate the audience and motivate them to get involved?

Step 2: Review Content from Your Research Essay (the Civic Action Project: Issue in Context Paper)

Before writing your narrative scenario, review your Issue in Context research essay thoroughly. This review is crucial because the information and evidence gathered in your essay will provide a strong foundation for your story. By integrating factual details and real-life statistics into your narrative, you can create a more authentic and impactful scenario.

Drawing from your research will also help you develop realistic choices and outcomes, ensuring that the narrative aligns with actual challenges and consequences faced by those living in poverty. This approach not only enhances the credibility of your story but also deepens the reader’s understanding and empathy for the subject.

Since many participants will be reading your Issue in Context paper after your Narrative Scenario, you want to have a strong relationship between the two. Check to make sure information isn’t redundant (appearing twice in both places). Ideally, the two projects should enhance and inform one another.

Step 3: Format a Google Doc Using MLA Guidelines

Use a Google document to write the text. MLA format requires the following:

Font & Spacing

All text must be Times New Roman, 12 point font, and double-spaced (including the Works Cited page). Indent the first sentence of every body paragraph using the Tab key.

Page Numbers

Your last name and page number in the upper right corner of every page. (Example: Smith 2) If you don’t know how to do this, see this tutorial for Google docs.

Header

Place the header in the upper left corner of page 1 (your full name, professor names, course, and date).

Title

Center a title below the header. Your title should grab the reader’s attention and preview your topic. Check out these great tips from “How to Title an Essay”

Works Cited Page 

Include a Works Cited with at least two credible sources at the end of your project. Don’t forget to alphabetize your sources.

Step 4: Understand How to Write in Second Person POV Using Present Tense

When writing your scene for “Mary’s Story,” it is essential to use the present tense and second person point of view. These narrative choices are appropriate for a choose-your-own-adventure format because they create a sense of immediacy and personal involvement, making the experience more engaging for participants.

Present Tense

Using present tense makes the action feel immediate and ongoing, helping participants feel as though they are actively involved in the story.

Present tense describes actions as they are happening right now. Here are some examples:

• • Incorrect (Past Tense): Mary walked to the bus stop.
  • Correct (Present Tense): Mary walks to the bus stop.

Second Person Point of View

Writing in second person directly addresses the participant, making them feel like they are the main character in the story, which enhances their emotional connection to the narrative. Second person point of view directly addresses the reader using “you.” Here are some examples:

• • Incorrect (First Person): I walk to the store.
  • Incorrect (Third Person): Mary walks to the store.
  • Correct (Second Person): You walk to the store.

For second person point of view, use verbs that indicate current action (e.g., “is,” “walks,” “says”) and avoid verbs that indicate past actions (e.g., “was,” “walked,” “said”).

Step 5: Write the Narrative Scenario

Your Narrative Scenario is the first part of the scene and establishes Mary’s situation. This part should be 5-10 sentences in length and include / integrate the following:

Conflict

Write a scenario for Mary that dramatizes a difficult situation that low-income people face. What is the conflict she must deal with? What is her objective? What choice must she make? Base your scenario off the topic from your Issue in Context paper.

Narrative Techniques

Use narrative techniques (vivid description, sensory details, and characterization) to make the scenario feel real, immediate, and tense. Use descriptions that appeal to the senses, such as sights, sounds, smells, etc. You can take some creative license in your profile as long as you don’t misrepresent the subject. That is, if the source doesn’t mention the weather, you could add details about the heat. This technique helps the audience feel present in the moment. For example, Mary covered her eyes against the blazing July sun. The busy street smelled of exhaust fumes and grease from the Jack in the Box.

Evidence

Integrate at least one piece of original, cited evidence that does not appear in your Issue in Context paper.

Step 6: Write the Choices, Outcomes, and Next Stop

The purpose of the choices, outcomes, and next stop in the poverty simulation Choose Your Own Adventure scene is to engage participants in making realistic decisions that reflect the challenges faced by low-income individuals. By exploring the consequences of these decisions, participants gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of poverty and the impact of these choices on various aspects of life.

Choices

Provide 2-3 Choices that Mary must make in this scenario. Choices should be based on realistic options a low-income individual would face based on their personality and resources.

Outcomes & Capabilities Tracker (CT)

In your scene, the outcomes of the choices participants make are linked to the capabilities tracker, which measures the impact on Mary’s finances, family well-being, physical health, emotional health, and mobility. As you develop your scene, decide which of the capabilities tracker meters should be affected by the outcomes based on the realistic consequences of each choice. This will help create a detailed and authentic portrayal of the challenges faced by individuals living in poverty. For instance, if Mary chooses to spend more on nutritious food, this might decrease her finances but improve her physical health.

There are five meters in the Capability Tracker (CT) that determine Mary’s overall freedom to thrive in her environment:

Capability Tracker Values

A value refers to a numerical amount. When writing your Outcomes, include a value for each CT meter. The CT meter might go up, down, or remain the same. Adjust this meter in increments of 5, 10, 15, or 20. If you want to raise or lower a CT meter beyond 20, please talk to your instructor first.

For example, if Mary loses her job, her Emotional Health meter might do down by 20 points.

Capability Tracker Evidence & Explanation

For each CT meter score that changes, include 2-6 complete sentences explaining why it has changed and include at least one piece of cited evidence from credible sources. For example:

Family Well-Being: -10. Elijah’s health worsens due to being forced to go to school while sick, illustrating the health risks children face when their parents cannot afford to take time off work (American Academy of Pediatrics).

You can re-use evidence in multiple Outcomes if necessary. For example, Mary’s Physical Health does not change whether she sends Elijah to school or takes him to the doctor, so the CT text for her Physical Health remains the same. However, remember that you need at least 2 distinct pieces of evidence that appear in the various CT meters.

Next Stop

Write 1-2 complete sentences that inform the participant where Mary should go next. Base your Next Stop on the logical sequence for the story (as well as any plotting the class did this semester). For example, if Mary has no money and must pay for groceries, her Next Stop would be a Cash Loan Store. Depending on your choices, Mary might have the same Next Stop for all her Outcomes, or three different Next Stops.

The Next Stop options are based on stations that will be available in the Poverty Simulation:

• • Home
  • Employment
  • Healthcare
  • Education
  • Community Resources

See Mary’s Story: A Guidebook for more details on the available Next Stop locations.

Step 7: Proofread the Text for Global Issues

Global issues are the elements that are most important in good communication. Proofread your text to make sure each global issue is effectively used.

Rhetorical Appeals

Does the writing include facts, statistics, and expert testimony (logos)? Do you create an emotional connection between the topic and intended audience (pathos)? Is the writing well-researched, error-free, and demonstrates your interest in the topic (ethos)?

Organization

Organizing your writing means placing ideas in an order that makes sense to your audience. For example, when you return from the grocery store, you organize items in a logical fashion. Food is placed in the kitchen, toothpaste is stored in the bathroom. You should similarly organize your writing to help your reader understand your ideas and how they relate to one another.

Unity

Unity is closely related to organization. A unified paragraph means that everything is relevant to the main point and nothing is off-topic. If you found a refrigerator in a bathroom, you’d (hopefully) agree that it doesn’t belong there. Make sure your writing doesn’t drift off-topic, and that every sentence supports the claim in the topic sentence. Unity can also be created by using transitional words and phrases to help show how ideas connect to one another.

Development

Development means that you have thoroughly explored a topic or idea (and not intentionally or accidentally left something out of your writing). Imagine eating a salad that only has lettuce–that salad needs to be developed with additional elements (tomatoes, croutons, dressing, etc.) to be satisfying. If your paragraphs or essay do not feel sufficiently developed, ask yourself if you need to conduct further research or if you need to analyze the evidence in greater depth.

Evidence

Is your evidence relevant and specific to the claims? Does the evidence sufficiently support your arguments? Do you have the right amount of evidence (not too much, not too little)?

Explanation

Are you using explanation techniques both before and after each piece of evidence?

Coherence / Clarity

How clearly are your ideas communicated for the intended audience? Are you using a diction (word choice) that is appropriate and engaging? Is your writing clear? Can you simplify sentences and clarify connections between ideas?

Step 8: Check Your Work

Before submitting your text, evaluate it using the following checklist:

Check Your Work in Grammarly

Copy and paste your text into Grammarly. Either accept or decline each suggestion. Please note that AI will provide some useful tips and suggestions, but not every comment will be correct. You will need to use your judgment to determine whether to apply the advice. You can also ask your instructor for input and clarification.

Cite All Your Sources

Make sure all evidence includes in-text citations. Grammarly can also help you format your work using MLA.

Format the Works Cited Page

Make sure the Works Cited page is double-spaced and uses Times New Roman font. Citations must be alphabetized.

Read Your Work Aloud

It may feel silly, but reading your work aloud will greatly improve your writing. Your ear will catch problems your eyes miss, such as awkward phrasing, clunky transitions, confusing sentences, and grammatical errors.

Work with The Writing Center or the Embedded Tutor

SCC offers free and convenient tutoring services. You can visit in-person, submit online, or schedule a live online session. Just use the links below under Essential Resources.

Step 9: Submit Your Draft to Canvas

Upload your text to Canvas as a Word or Google document.

Example Civic Action Project (Part 2): Poverty Simulation

Read the example Civic Action Project (Part 2): Poverty Simulation and use it as a guide for formatting and structuring your own project. Pay close attention to how each section is labeled and the way titles are used for clear organization. Notice how evidence is integrated throughout the project to support the narrative.

What a Successful Project Looks Like

A successful Choose Your Own Adventure scene will engage your intended audience (Scottsdale residents) and motivate them to get involved in the issue. To accomplish this, your work should be of professional-grade quality, featuring accurate information, no typos, and a consistent, clear design. The information you include should be well-organized and directly relevant to the topic of food insecurity and poverty. Additionally, your narrative should effectively convey the mood and context of the scene, using vivid descriptions and appropriate word choices. By carefully crafting each element, you will create a compelling and informative experience that resonates with your audience and encourages them to take action.

Helpful Resources

These resources will improve your understanding of the project and/or skills necessary to complete it.

• The Writing Center – Use the Writing Center to improve your work, even if you are a talented writer. The best way to improve your writing is by getting feedback.
• Embedded Librarian – Contact Nancy Deegan at nancy.deegan@scottsdalecc.edu for researching resources and strategies.
• Embedded Tutor – Contact Lorraine Howland at lorraine.howland@scottsdalecc.edu for personal feedback on your work. 

Bonus for Superior Work

If your first draft earns a grade above 90%, you do not need to submit a final revision of the project at the end of the semester and will receive full credit.

Rubric

The rubric is available on Canvas. The most successful students read the rubric before beginning your project, and use it as a checklist throughout the writing process.