The Walden Mission Is A Key Component Of The Walden Experience And Th
The Walden mission is a key component of the Walden experience, and throughout your program of study you will be asked to consider how you might apply what you have learned toward the "greater good" of your community. The Application Assignment for this week is intended to focus on the Walden mission and to encourage you to consider personal or community action you could take in order to affect meaningful change in the health of individuals in your community. To prepare for this Application Assignment, locate at least four organizations that contribute to the health of your own community. For each, consider how you might participate in any of their activities—how you could make a difference personally.
Examples of ways that you could personally foster a change in your community include: Buying locally grown produce, donating food to community organizations, building homes for the underprivileged, volunteering at an after-school program. To complete this Application Assignment, write a 1- to 2-page paper that includes the following: A list of the four organizations you located. Describe the mission or purpose of each. (Some examples or organizations and non-profits are listed in the website area). Select one of the organizations for which you might like to volunteer or make some kind of contribution. Then describe the type(s) of personal actions you could take, with the support of the organization, to contribute to your community.
Explain why you chose these particular actions and how this involvement aligns with Walden’s mission. If you are already involved in community service activities, name and describe the organization with which you work. Also, explain how you contribute to the organization’s activities. Note: The purpose of this Application is to encourage you to begin thinking about what you might do to contribute to your community. You are not required to volunteer or take part in any activities.
The objective is to begin thinking about ways you could apply the Walden mission. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week's Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources as appropriate. Refer to the Essential Guide to APA Style for Walden Students to ensure that your in-text citations and reference list are correct.
Paper For Above instruction
The mission of Walden University emphasizes social responsibility and contributing positively to the community, aligning with the core principles of health promotion and social justice. In the context of
community health, identifying organizations and engaging in meaningful actions can significantly improve individual and collective well-being. This paper explores four local organizations dedicated to health enhancement, selects one for personal involvement, and discusses how this engagement aligns with Walden’s mission.
Firstly, the four organizations identified include the local Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, the Community Health Clinic, and the Youth Sports Program. The Food Bank’s mission is to provide nutritious food to underserved populations, addressing food insecurity—a social determinant of health (Feeding America, 2020). Habitat for Humanity focuses on affordable housing, which directly impacts health by providing stable living environments, reducing exposure to environmental hazards (Habitat for Humanity, 2021). The Community Health Clinic aims to offer accessible healthcare services to uninsured and underinsured individuals, promoting equity in health access (American Public Health Association, 2019). Lastly, the Youth Sports Program promotes physical activity and healthy lifestyles among children and teenagers, fostering lifelong health habits (Juneau et al., 2011).
Of these organizations, I am particularly interested in volunteering at the Community Health Clinic. I could contribute by assisting with patient intake, providing health education on chronic disease management, and supporting administrative tasks. These actions could help enhance the efficiency of services, improve patient outcomes, and foster community trust in healthcare providers. I chose this organization because health disparities are a persistent barrier to equitable health outcomes, especially for vulnerable populations (Blendon et al., 2007). Supporting the clinic aligns with Walden’s mission of social responsibility by actively reducing health disparities and promoting social justice.
This voluntary involvement reflects my commitment to addressing social determinants of health such as economic stability, education, healthcare access, and environmental factors echoing the findings of Dilworth-Anderson et al. (2012) on the importance of social justice in healthcare. Engaging in health promotion activities within the community also fulfills Walden’s emphasis on applying scholarly knowledge to real-world problems, thereby fostering change and promoting health equity. I believe that through education and community involvement, tangible improvements in health disparities can be achieved, fulfilling Walden's core values of service and social change (Hill et al., 2010).
In conclusion, actively participating in community health initiatives exemplifies the practical application of Walden’s mission to serve the greater good. By choosing to support organizations like the Community
Health Clinic, I can contribute to health promotion efforts that reduce disparities and advance social justice. Such actions underscore the importance of community engagement and personal responsibility in creating healthier, more equitable communities. This process also enriches my understanding of public health challenges and empowers me to be a proactive agent of change.
References
American Public Health Association. (2019). Health equity and social justice.
American Journal of Public Health, 109(S2) , S1–S2.
Blendon, R., Buhr, T., Cassidy, E., Perez, D., Hunt, K., Fleischfresser, C., et al. (2007). Disparities in health: Perspectives of a multi-ethnic, multi-racial America.
Health Affairs, 26(5) , 1437–1447.
Feeding America. (2020).
Food insecurity in America.
Retrieved from https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america Habitat for Humanity. (2021).
Our mission
. Retrieved from https://www.habitat.org/our-story/mission
Hill, E. K., Alpi, K. M., & Auerbach, M. (2010). Evidence-Based Practice in Health Education and Promotion: A Review and Introduction to Resources.
Health Promotion Practice, 11 , 133-140.
Juneau, C. E., Jones, C. M., McQueen, D. V., & Potvin, L. (2011). Evidence-based health promotion: an emerging field.
Global Health Promotion, 18(1)
, 79–89.
Institute of Medicine. (2003).
Who will keep the public healthy? Educating public health professionals for the 21st Century . National Academies Press.
Dilworth-Anderson, P., Pierre, G., & Hilliard, T. S. (2012). Social Justice, Health Disparities, and Culture in the Care of the Elderly.
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 40(1) , 26–32.
World Health Organization. (2020).
Social determinants of health . Retrieved from https://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/
National Public Health Week. (2022). Building healthier communities through community engagement.
American Journal of Public Health, 112(2) , 200–204.