HSL 4850: Human Services Programs: Community, Culture and Intersectionality

Final Professional Development Plan Part III

The goal of the Professional Development Plan is to 1) analyze aspects of professional ethical

conduct, 2) articulate a specific area & areas of activism, and 3) Develop a professional plan for

your career in this area. Part III will allow you to focus specifically on your area of interest and

explore agencies in your geographic area.

You have a choice here. You can either:

? Analyze human services available in your geographic location (i.e., town/city) OR

? Analyze human services available in your geographic region (i.e., Central Illinois) that address a particular problem or issue of your choice (e.g., food insecurity,

families, child welfare)

*Clearly identify which option you are selecting at the beginning of this assignment.

Develop a resource list of at least 15 programs that meet your criteria (either in your

geographic area OR address a specific topic and are within a geographic region). For each

agency, write a brief summary that includes name, population served/services offered, website or

contact information, & a 1-3 sentence description of each (could be taken from their website).

After you have completed the resource list, select one agency at which you might like to work

and discuss it in more detail. For example, you could discuss the history of the organization, the

clientele, the size of the organization and number of employees, or what a human services

employee might do at the agency. This should be about a page and include discussion of at least

2-3 different areas (those listed or other areas of your choice).

Lastly, describe your dream job in 10 sentences or less. Talk about what it is, why it’s your

dream job, and how your education at EIU is preparing you for this role.

The student clearly stated which option they are completing (all human services in their town or

human services focused on a particular topic in their region).

Resource List of 15 Agencies

At least 15 agencies are identified and described in this section including name, population

served/services offered, website or contact information, & a 1-3 sentence description of each.

Selected Agency

This section is included and clearly discusses one agency at which the student might like to

work. Additional information is provided on the agency (above and beyond what is provided in

the list of agencies). This section is about one page and discusses 2-3 different aspects of the

agency (history, clientele, size, employees).

Dream Job

This section is included and clearly identifies the area of human service practice in which the

students is most interested in working. The student’s dream job is explained and how their EIU education is preparing them for this role.