Write a Policy Brief That Could Change Your Town
Maps to: Lawyer · Policy Analyst · Civic Tech · Government · Political Journalist · Urban Planner
Argue for one change to a town rule.
You leave with a page asking your town to change one rule. It shows you can give reasons for a change and answer people who disagree.
A policy brief is a short paper that argues for one specific change. Ms. Okafor's old town is arguing about whether its skate park stays open after dark, and you write the brief that argues for a change. The skill is building an opinion that the evidence actually supports, instead of just having one.
How this shows up on a resume or college app
I wrote a policy brief proposing change to a town's park rule, checked every source against the original (and caught one an AI made up), and answered the strongest argument against it at full strength. I learned that civic work starts with reading the actual rule, which most people never do.
When you finish you have the thing itself, plus a Common App activity description Sidequest drafts from what you actually built.
Not sure yet? Play 5 minutes as a lawyer first and see how the work feels.
See what this career pays and what it takes to get in.
The plan
- 1
Step 1
Read the rule the town is arguing about, then pick what you would change
Ms. Okafor sat on a town council for years. Her old town votes soon on whether its skate park stays open after dark, and the rule in the way says every park closes at dark. You read the rule's actual words, mark the part you would argue about, and write down the change you want. Reading the rule first is the part most people skip.
- 2
Steps 2-3
Check what the sources really say
An AI hands you four facts about the town's rule, and one of them is made up. You check each one against the original, then sort every source by whether it backs your change or argues against it.
- 3
Step 4
Decide the change the evidence backs, then argue AGAINST your own idea as hard as you can
The judgment, and the whole point: decide the SPECIFIC change the sources actually back, then build the strongest argument AGAINST your own idea, as honestly as you can, before you try to answer it. That's the opposite of arguing against a weak version of your own idea, which is easy and proves nothing. An idea that ignores its best objection is one-sided; one that answers it is worth reading.
Go further
What counts: You wrote it up with a numbered note on every fact, and wrote the email that asks the councilmember for one thing.
- 4
Steps 5-7
Write the whole thing, show where every fact came from, and write to the councilmember
Write the whole thing on one page, with a numbered note on every fact so a stranger can check you. Then write the short email that goes with it, to Councilmember Ruiz.
