Before starting this worksheet, it is important to choose an issue for your project. You should pick an issue about which you are passionate or curious, or an issue which directly affects your life or community. It should be urgent, specific and observable. If you are having trouble picking one, try filling out this worksheet about more than one issue. Through the process of completing the worksheet, you will develop your strategic understanding of the particular issue you have chosen and you will see the connection between the easily identifiable symptoms of the problem and the deeper underlying causes. As you begin to brainstorm your service project, reflect about your ideas. At what level do they target the problem? How can you most effectively address the problem? As you develop your service project plan, refer back to this worksheet to analyze how your project is fits into your vision of the overall problem.