Advocacy Project: Day 2 - Being The Change

I'm sitting at the airport right now, and I can't figure out what I'm more excited about: 
1) My pending flight to Hawaii
2) That our students are starting to grasp the concept of health disparities and upstream causes
3) All the above

At both Canyon Springs and Valley View High Schools, we had stimulating discussions on everything ranging from obesity in relation to poverty and education, the prevalence of unintended teenage pregnancies, and the rising tide of prescription drug abuse.  The students seemed a bit more comfortable with me this time around, and our conversations were notably more personal: we discussed students' perceptions of their own health issues and that of their schools. 

Interestingly enough, the students at both schools I attended today felt they were in worse health status than the other. I could've spent hours delving into their perspectives and learning more about how the students see themselves in the world around them; but I did have that plane to catch! A week of vacation, and then back at it again in November.

Until next time, aloha!

MB

Advocacy Project: Day 1 - Baby Steps!

Our first class period with the students is in the books!

Vista Del Lago High School

After several weeks of planning and meeting, we finally put our plan into action. We met with 130 students over four class periods at three different high schools: Valley View, Vista Del Lago, and Canyon Springs. I split my time between Valley View in the morning and Canyon Springs after, while two other residents took command over at Vista Del Lago. 

Today's class period mostly covered definitions: advocacy, health disparity, community outreach. We went over case studies from our adapted curriculum and gave the students tangible goals for next class period. The students' perception of what makes an individual and a community healthy or unhealthy were truly eye-opening.

Can't wait for October!