Health Leaders Outreach

From January to March, I volunteered with a collaboration between Northwestern and Chicago Public Schools to design an initiative for high school students called the Health Leaders Program. It included a series of workshops where students discussed public health issues that affected their community, learned design thinking skills, and brainstormed viable solutions to those problems. I was hired by Dr. Ruchi Gupta of Northwestern’s Center for Allergy and Asthma Research’s team to design a workbook that included the journal prompts, activities, and learning objectives that would be covered in the workshops.

I also led a group of students who were interested in tackling the topic of obesity and physical health. Pictured here is the second workshop of the series, where students worked hard to brainstorm and outline Public Service Announcement videos they would be creating throughout the following weeks. I worked with seven amazing students on the community health topic of obesity, nutrition, and physical activity. Since this was a PSA for their peers, we thought about what information was applicable for their audience, what problems they faced, and what actionable solutions they could be presented with that could make an impact in their lives. Together, we brainstormed, storyboarded, and scripted a minute and a half PSA that involved stop motion, acting, voiceovers, and most importantly, a really important message.

In the third workshop, the students filmed, whiteboarded, and created voiceovers for the public service announcement that they brainstormed. The group had big ideas, but worked hard throughout the day to achieve their goals, and they ended up filming for a 3-minute video in just one day! The organizers of the Health Leaders Program had big plans for the fourth workshop, including a showcase of PSAs, prizes, and a celebration of the students’ hard work. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, the final workshop was cancelled. But I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with these high school students who wake up early on Saturdays to engage in community health, and to work with the amazing program organizers Madeleine Kanaley, Dr. Ruchi Gupta, and the CFAAR team at Northwestern University.