GlobeMed at Northwestern’s
GlobeMed Quarterly Volume 6, Issue 2 | Winter 2012 www.globemed.org/northwestern
World Day of Social Justice Chichi Uichanco
“What are all these ribbons doing here?” This confused exclamation, among others, was overheard along the teeming sidewalk of Sheridan Road. Yellow ribbons adorned the stark winter trees, revealing epithets, facts, and figures of global justice issues to the bitter Evanston wind. In honor the World Day of Social Justice (WDSJ), which took place on February 20, 2012, GlobeMed’s campaigns committee tied bright yellow ribbons on trees lining Sheridan Road. Normally, the sidewalk receives much traffic throughout the day as it spans the university’s north and south campuses. “Lining all the trees on Sheridan was our way of symbolizing that this is a cause that connects us all,” explained one of the campaign organizers, Rachel Spann ’13. Curious passersby stopped and read between classes, and for many, it sparked a revelation. “It was obvious something important was going on,” commented Diane Mok ’12, “but I had no idea that [the WDSJ] even existed. I think it’s really cool that someone took the time to celebrate it and spread it around campus.” An additional component of the GlobeMed WDSJ campaign was a nation-wide teach-in, where university professors were asked to devote a small portion of their class to a social justice issue in their field of study. Several Northwestern professors, including Northwestern president Morty Schapiro, stepped up to participate in the teach-in throughout the week. High occupancy classes from the philosophy to the economics department were represented, offering a range of perspectives for social justice issues. “I think it was a great way to reach out to the student body,” commented teach-in organizer Svyat Nakonechny ‘14. “Raising awareness […] about this global event is one thing, but actually having students think about the ideas of social justice in a formal, academic context is something completely different.”
In Professor Mirko Weiderholt’s Introduction to Macroeconomics lecture, students were granted a break from the usual supply and demand curves. “It’s refreshing to think of economics from a more social point of view,” reflected Samantha Concepcion ‘13, a student in Weiderholt’s class. “A lot of times students are so wrapped up in the business side of things, but we forget that there’s always a humanitarian aspect. It’s good to remind ourselves that economics can be at the root of a lot of injustices.” Across the campus, students couldn’t help but become aware of the WDSJ impact. Several students decorated their laptops or dorm rooms with WDSJ stickers, declaring “The worst form of violence is poverty” and “the only real nation is humanity.” As a follow up to 2011’s successful WDSJ balloon campaign, 2012’s ribbons and academic support succeeded in reminding Northwestern students to think globally. “Social injustice is so broad, and there is so much to be done,” said Spann. “It can only be accomplished if innovative students tie their ideas together…like the awareness ribbons on all the trees.”
A banner painted by chapter members celebrates World Day of Social Justice
2011-2012 Newsletter Staff Editors Bryana Schoen Chichi Uichanco Daisy Zhu Duonan Alissa Zhu Kerianne Fullin Nicholas Wang William Chang
Contributors Bryana Schoen Chichi Uichanco Kalindi Shah Kelly Tausk Kerianne Fullin Nicholas Wang William Chang
Sponsored by Northwestern University International Program Development and the Global Health Studies Department
Global Health U Nicholas Wang
To learn more about GlobeMed’s unique integrative curriculum globalhealthU (GHU) this past quarter and how it plays a key role in weekly chapter meetings, we talked to Kalindi Shah, the co-director of the GHU committee: Describe some of the activities that the globalhealthU committee put on for the chapter this quarter, and how these activities helped everyone in the chapter participate and interact with the curriculum. This quarter, GHU made a concerted effort to engage chapter members through interactive discussions. Small group activities such as focused discussion, role-play, and reaction to case studies allowed everyone to understand the roots of poverty on a more intimate level. Different TED talks, videos, and other media throughout the quarter brought a distinct element to the GHU presentations. Veering away from pure, lecture based GHU sessions, we tried to give everyone a chance to voice his or her opinion and directly interact with the material. Instead of selling the chapter ideas, we asked the chapter to develop and discern their own. How did all of the committee members get to participate? Can you describe how the committee came up with the ideas for group and interactive activities? What were some of your inspirations? Did you receive input or suggestions from the national office or was at a more independent venture?
This quarter was especially exciting because it was the first time committee members had the opportunity to lead discussions. At the beginning of the quarter, a master list of all GHU topics for Tracks 2 and 3 was sent out to the committee members. Each member had the opportunity to sign up with a co-facilitator based on his or her interest in the topic. The topics ranged from ‘Voices of the Poor’ to ‘The Poverty Cycle’ to ‘Economic Views of Development and Poverty’. Through the curriculum, National Office offered several ideas for activities and other resources to bring a deeper insight to our conversations. Most committee members, however, successfully took the ideas provided by National and adapted them to the particular likes and delights of the chapter. I know each committee member strove to make the material more relevant to GlobeMed at Northwestern University, either by connecting the material to our own experience at Northwestern or to the work done by the HOPE Center in Ghana. How does the GHU curriculum fit into a normal chapter meeting? What do you think the emphasis on GHU in each chapter meeting says about GlobeMed’s organizational model? GHU curriculum fits seamlessly into the normal chapter meeting. GHU is meant to whet the palette of chapter members. We hope that from GHU chapter members will be motivated to go beyond the
normal hour long meeting and further explore these pertinent global health issues on their own. We are trying to build a movement with GlobeMed, not conduct a weekly class. By making the material more exciting and relevant to our own chapter, we believe that this can happen. Many of the chapter members have expressed positive feedback about the GHU curriculum this past quarter. What do you hope they will take away from their experiences with GHU and the weekly chapter meetings? How will GHU continue to look for innovative and interactive ways to keep members informed in the future? Through media! Chapter members as well as donors are always keenly interested in the day-to-day activities at the HOPE Center. Unfortunately, in the past, we haven’t developed enough media or materials to bring Ghana closer to home. This summer, on the GROW Trip, one of our interns is planning on developing a documentary of the GROW experience to bring back to Evanston. We hope, next year, to incorporate this media as well as other information from the HOPE Center into our presentation. If the information is relevant, then the presentation is more accessible. If the presentation is more accessible, then it is more engaging. If the presentation is more engaging, then it is a greater motivator for action.
Thank you to Individual Donors William Chang
In the last edition of the GlobeMed Quarterly, we told you about our Individual Giving Campaign that took place over the winter break. Our chapter formed 12 groups that competed to see who could raise the most money during the campaign. We want to recognize the winning team of Teresa Caya, Mindy Chua, Tadelech Mengesha, Samantha Reznik, and Mariah Wood. Their team raised almost $1,200! This fundraising effort was certainly not possible without the donations and support of our readers. When we asked for help from friends of GlobeMed, many of you answered. Thanks to donations from friends and family, the teams raised a total of $3,398 during the winter break. But this is not where it ended. Donations made to our GlobalGiving website pushed the grand total to $12,822! Some of these donations were made by anonymous donors and we also want to thank them for their willingness to help our cause. All of the money raised during the campaign will be used to fund the Child Nutrition and Sexual and Reproductive Health Education programs at our partner clinic, the HOPE Center in Ghana. While we are excited and grateful for this successful campaign, we aim to raise even more funds in order to support new developments in our programs at the HOPE Center. And although our winter Individual Giving Campaign ended, please remember that any time is a great time to give. Any donation, large or small, makes a difference and, over time, will add up. Please join us as we continue to support the HOPE Center.
Volunteering at Connections Kerianne Fullin
This quarter GlobeMed sought to reach out to the Evanston community by volunteering at a local homeless shelter, Connections for the Homeless. Located in a church basement, the shelter offers accommodations as well as a variety of services such as primary medical care and counseling for job seekers. It also strives to prevent evictions and foreclosures by working with clients on a case-by-case basis to educate them about financial management and their rights and responsibilities as a tenant. As one of the workers, Kate Siberine, showed us around the facilities, she explained many of the challenges in addressing homelessness. “A lot of people think that homelessness and poverty is not a problem of the North Shore, that it’s a Chicago issue. That simply isn’t true.” Indeed it is estimated that some 28% of Evanston households earn below the livable wage. This is
attributable both to the unavailability of affordable housing and job opportunities. Despite the realities, obtaining support for programs is often an uphill political battle because of damaging concerns that they will provide incentives for homeless Chicagoans to travel north. Still, much of the community is dedicated to supporting Connections. Each month some 200 volunteers contribute about 1000 hours worth of work. During our time at the shelter, we reorganized the shoe collection and library. In addition to workshops about how to construct a resume, impress at a job interview, and find affordable housing, numerous recreational workshops are available too. “Even some of the men have really taken to knitting,” noted Kate. The shelter accepts clothing, toiletry and food donations, which they distribute free of charge.
Interested in combating homelessness in the Evanston community? Please visit http://www.cfthinc.org/home. Whether it’s through donations, starting a collection drive, or throwing a “roof-raiser” celebration there are many ways to raise awareness and show your support. Whether your skills lie in cooking, teaching an art class or clerical work, new volunteers are always welcome. “A lot of people think that homelessness and poverty is not a problem of the North Shore, that it’s a Chicago issue.
That simply isn’t true.”
Study Abroad Kelly Tausk This fall, I was fortunate enough to spend four months studying abroad in Denmark at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad. I concentrated in Public Health in Northern Europe, which allowed me to explore the Scandinavian model of health care. With my main class, I traveled around Denmark, Finland and Latvia to visit health organizations and governmental institutions. While in Finland, we visited a public health organization and learned about the Karelia project. In the 1960s, Finland, and more specifically the Karelia region, had extremely high rates of heart disease. Some public health professionals took notice and started working with the World Health Organization to create a program to fix the situation. The graphs showed it all - each year, fewer and fewer people were dying from heart disease, and more and more people were changing behaviors such as their reliance on butter to cook things and their smoking habits. 95 percent of the Finns claimed to use butter on their bread in the mid-1970s, and only about 10 percent do so now. The Karelia
project was incredibly interesting to learn about because it’s a huge success story - the local leaders were truly able to attain their desired solutions. In Denmark, health care is covered by taxes, so almost everything is “free.” They also use the gate-keeping system for primary care, so in order to see a specialist, a patient must first obtain a general practitioner’s referral. Typically “GPs” are like family doctors in the United States and work with a wide range of issues. While in Denmark, I did a research project on direct access in physical therapy. Currently patients can go to a physical therapist without a referral; however, this costs more. I researched the barriers to equal funding and found that the GP union holds an immense amount of power and thus controls the way most of the system works. In terms of my general study abroad experience, I lived with a host family in a suburb and commuted to Copenhagen for classes. I took five classes: Health Beyond Borders, Public Health
in Northern Europe, Health Economics, Copenhagen History, and Danish Language. I had two host brothers who became my good friends - I highly recommend a homestay for anyone planning to study abroad! I also got to travel to the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden.
A junior in Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy, Kelly Tausk spent fall quarter in Copenhagen, Denmark exploring accessibility to physical therapy.
GlobeMed Snapshots Here are some photos of chapter activities from the past quarter.
Future GROW interns prepare for their summer trips to partner organization by reflecting on those who inspire.
At a chapter meeting this quarter, members create posters about different aspects of poverty.
GlobeMed at Northwestern tied ribbons around trees on campus in an effort to raise global health awareness on World Day of Social Justice.
Building a generation of global health leaders Since our chapter’s founding, hundreds of students have become members of GlobeMed at Northwestern. These members, along with other students from universities all over the country, have participated in GlobeMed’s high-impact programming. In addition to providing students with the knowledge and skills to address issues of global health, these events have mobilized participants to join in the movement for global health equity.
How to donate With support from GlobeMed at Northwestern, the HOPE Center in Ho, Ghana is excited to embark on phase V of their nutrition project, which aims to reduce the amount of malnutrition among children in the surrounding areas, especially children under the age of five. However, we need your help! Our projects would not be possible without help from you, our family and friends! Donate Online Visit our global giving page online to make a donation: http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/pr/2100/proj2071a.html Donate By Mail Please make checks payable to “GlobeMed at Northwestern” and send to: GlobeMed National Office 620 Library Place Evanston, IL 60208 GlobeMed is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
ABOVE Former co-president Tiffany Wong walks with children from Ho, Ghana across a soccer field to where future crops of soybeans will grow.