Almost any topic can lend itself to a do-it-yourself fieldwork experience. You do not have to volunteer with an organization. Instead, you can create a self-directed hands-on project that brings your topic to life.
Examples include educating the general public or a specific audience about your topic. You can create a website, movie, play, brochure, guidebook, workshop, exhibit, manual, or podcast about your topic. Be creative! And make sure you can document your wider audience -- make sure that some group outside your school has actually visited your website, seen your play, attended your workshop, listened to your podcast, etc. A poster that no one looks at doesn't educate anyone about anything.
Abortion:
Create a discussion guide for pro-life and pro-choice groups to talk about abortion with each other in a civil way.
Child Abuse:
Read this story about what 9th graders at a school in Indianapolis did to teach 6th graders about child abuse.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/413.html
Eating disorders:
Create a workshop, brochure, website, etc. to help people learn to recognize eating disorders in their friends and family and what to do about it.
Environment:
Create a campaign to encourage recycling, composting, conservation, etc in your neighborhood.
Global Issues:
Most Americans know very little about issues happening around the world. Create a presentation, website, workshop, etc. about your research topic to help educate people in your community. Put together an exhibit to be displayed at a community center about your topic.
Literacy/Illiteracy:
Design guidebooks or lessons for children or adults who are struggling with reading.
Racism in the Criminal Justice system:
Create a workshop,
brochure, guidebook or manual for young people of color. What are
their rights as citizens? What should they do if they get arrested?
-- Volunteer with Books Through Bars
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