I had a great experience with this class!
What interests me about the topic "Adolescent Health Promotion"? Is it different from what you reported at the start of the class?
My opinions of adolescent health had changed, because I really got a better understanding of the social structure and norms influencers for and against health for that age group. It is a much more unique age group than most others and has it's own
How did this class impact me as a health professional?
I'm hoping that the skills and techniques I learned in this class will help me create more effective and realistic health promotion policies and programs for adults and adolescents alike.
Where do I go from here?
I may not be facilitating workshops like the one we did right away, not in the short term anyway, but I will take with me the approaches we learned both for my work and my life. With a better understanding of the learning approaches for adolescents, I think I will be a better policy analyst and a better sister.
Thank you for this great experience and fun class!
Fraser
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Lalida's Final Personal Reflection
Hi all! I had a great time learning with everyone and from what has been posted so far, it seems that everyone else feels the same. Success! Here's my final reflection:
What interests me about the topic "Adolescent Health Promotion"? Is it different from what you reported at the start of the class?
It's very interesting to me all of the different aspects of adolescent health there are and how complicated each one is. It's amazing how many different influences there are on each decision a teen makes when it comes to their health. At the beginning of class, I was completely baffled by the the thought processes behind a teen's health decisions, but after completing the class and workshop, I feel that I understand their mental processes better. I now see that there are a variety of aspects that teens consider when making their health decisions, even if they don't seem to be the most conscientious to me.
How did this class impact me as a health professional?
As a health professional, I feel that I am better able to comprehend the fact that there are many aspects to individuals' health decisions that I can not see or would not think of. This will definitely come in handy. In order to create a successful health communication program, I would need to know the factors that impact their decisions in order to have the most effect.
Where do I go from here?
From here, I hope to be able to better understand individual health decisions and to appreciate the complexities behind them. I will continue to learn about different population and health communication techniques to hopefully improve health communication programs and public health. I hope to work with adolescent populations since I've seen firsthand that they do actually care.
Good luck to everyone in your future endeavors and have a great rest of the summer! Hope to see you guys around!
What interests me about the topic "Adolescent Health Promotion"? Is it different from what you reported at the start of the class?
It's very interesting to me all of the different aspects of adolescent health there are and how complicated each one is. It's amazing how many different influences there are on each decision a teen makes when it comes to their health. At the beginning of class, I was completely baffled by the the thought processes behind a teen's health decisions, but after completing the class and workshop, I feel that I understand their mental processes better. I now see that there are a variety of aspects that teens consider when making their health decisions, even if they don't seem to be the most conscientious to me.
How did this class impact me as a health professional?
As a health professional, I feel that I am better able to comprehend the fact that there are many aspects to individuals' health decisions that I can not see or would not think of. This will definitely come in handy. In order to create a successful health communication program, I would need to know the factors that impact their decisions in order to have the most effect.
Where do I go from here?
From here, I hope to be able to better understand individual health decisions and to appreciate the complexities behind them. I will continue to learn about different population and health communication techniques to hopefully improve health communication programs and public health. I hope to work with adolescent populations since I've seen firsthand that they do actually care.
Good luck to everyone in your future endeavors and have a great rest of the summer! Hope to see you guys around!
Christina's Final Reflection
What interested me about this course? Is it different from what interested me at the start of the course?
At the start of the course, I was more focused on individual choices and their impact on personal health. But working through the ecological model for the portfolio reminded me of the additional layers we have to take into consideration – peer relationships especially with adolescents, but also policy considerations. For example, our workshop included education around emergency contraception, and we learned firsthand that the maze of differing state and local laws and regulations can be confusing and complicated for health educators/communicators and our audiences. So, it was a useful exercise to remind us that all of the personal communication and education takes place in a broader context.
How did this class impact me as a health professional?
In my initial reflection I talked about the challenge of persuading adolescents of risk and their own mortality. I had lamented that it is difficult to achieve a balance between communicating health risks while still encouraging them to take creative risks that enable them to achieve. But I found many of the teens in the workshop to be very level-headed and grounded in the reality of risks. Many of them really seemed to get the fact that their choices today can impact their quality of life down the road. So, while I am still interested in getting the right balance in risk communication, the experience reminded me to credit their survival skills and common sense.
Where do I go from here?
My professional life is focused more on mass communication rather than interpersonal communication. I tend to work on big, national communication and social marketing campaigns like the launch of the Medicare prescription drug benefit. I am gearing up now for a campaign to increase enrollment in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). So, I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity to lead community-level workshops among adolescents in the near future, but I think the experience of the course has opened my eyes to what I should be looking for when we sign up partnering organizations for these big campaigns.
Personally, I enjoyed the course because it took me out of my natural habitat and comfort zone. I also enjoyed observing and admiring my colleagues in action!
At the start of the course, I was more focused on individual choices and their impact on personal health. But working through the ecological model for the portfolio reminded me of the additional layers we have to take into consideration – peer relationships especially with adolescents, but also policy considerations. For example, our workshop included education around emergency contraception, and we learned firsthand that the maze of differing state and local laws and regulations can be confusing and complicated for health educators/communicators and our audiences. So, it was a useful exercise to remind us that all of the personal communication and education takes place in a broader context.
How did this class impact me as a health professional?
In my initial reflection I talked about the challenge of persuading adolescents of risk and their own mortality. I had lamented that it is difficult to achieve a balance between communicating health risks while still encouraging them to take creative risks that enable them to achieve. But I found many of the teens in the workshop to be very level-headed and grounded in the reality of risks. Many of them really seemed to get the fact that their choices today can impact their quality of life down the road. So, while I am still interested in getting the right balance in risk communication, the experience reminded me to credit their survival skills and common sense.
Where do I go from here?
My professional life is focused more on mass communication rather than interpersonal communication. I tend to work on big, national communication and social marketing campaigns like the launch of the Medicare prescription drug benefit. I am gearing up now for a campaign to increase enrollment in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). So, I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity to lead community-level workshops among adolescents in the near future, but I think the experience of the course has opened my eyes to what I should be looking for when we sign up partnering organizations for these big campaigns.
Personally, I enjoyed the course because it took me out of my natural habitat and comfort zone. I also enjoyed observing and admiring my colleagues in action!
Kevon's Final Reflection!
WOWWW! What an experience, I really enjoyed this class. It was a breathe of fresh air after the tension of last semester! I really enjoyed learning the different techniques Alis and Sara shared with us. I feel really privileged to have worked with such an awesome group of colleagues, I especially enjoyed taking what I learned to the youth. This was my first time interacting with the teens in DC and it was great, and welcoming. Working with the youth at Metro Teen AIDS reconfirmed that I am definitely in the right profession. Seeing their enthusiasm encouraged me to bring my best to them.
What interests me about the topic “Adolescent Health Promotion”? Is it different from what you reported at the start of the class?
The youth are really relying on us to relate a clear and powerful message about HIV and AIDS. I also realized that I am not as disconnected from the youth as I thought I was. I just got to remember not to call them "children, babies, little people"! LOL! They are youth on their way to adulthood, but they are clearly not adults...BUT they do face some extremely adult situations unfortunately. :-(
How did this class impact me as a health professional? Where do I go from here?
I know I have my limitations as in what I will and will not teach, but the things that I am confident in addressing in this health issue will bring forth positive change. I am confident that the faith I posses in God will shine through with each message I present to the youth, if its about HIV/AIDS, Teen Pregnancy, Violence or whatever! So where do I go from here? I know I can do it, now I have more strategies to bring these messages across. Team Impact you ladies were awesome as well! After working with crazy groups and teams throughout my first year at GW, I honestly found it a blessing to work with you! May everyone keep the faith and be successful in all your future endeavors!
• •
God's Peace and Blessings,
Kevon
What interests me about the topic “Adolescent Health Promotion”? Is it different from what you reported at the start of the class?
The youth are really relying on us to relate a clear and powerful message about HIV and AIDS. I also realized that I am not as disconnected from the youth as I thought I was. I just got to remember not to call them "children, babies, little people"! LOL! They are youth on their way to adulthood, but they are clearly not adults...BUT they do face some extremely adult situations unfortunately. :-(
How did this class impact me as a health professional? Where do I go from here?
I know I have my limitations as in what I will and will not teach, but the things that I am confident in addressing in this health issue will bring forth positive change. I am confident that the faith I posses in God will shine through with each message I present to the youth, if its about HIV/AIDS, Teen Pregnancy, Violence or whatever! So where do I go from here? I know I can do it, now I have more strategies to bring these messages across. Team Impact you ladies were awesome as well! After working with crazy groups and teams throughout my first year at GW, I honestly found it a blessing to work with you! May everyone keep the faith and be successful in all your future endeavors!
• •
God's Peace and Blessings,
Kevon
Erin's Final Reflection
Now that the class is said and done, I dont think that my interest in AHP is any different than it was in the beginning of the class. As a health professional, this class has allowed me to have the opportunity to see how AHP works in a community setting and explore the things that I like, and dont like, about delivering health programs in such a setting. I do wish that I participated in the MetroTeenAIDS presentation, only because I feel that the school presentation was EXACTLY what I do on a daily basis with my students - not different from the norm - something that I had not thought about when signing up. But I at least got the opportunity to observe, which was great! From here I continue my career in adolescent health programs. Although I would like to venture outside of the school system, I am unsure if that will happen at this time. But I will definitely be working with adolescents wherever I go!
Kafui's FInal Personal Reflection
Taking this course gave me the opportunity to apply the lessons that I not only learned in class but my overall education with the university. As I came into the course I wanted to have the opportunity to work with fellow classmates and also learn information about adolescents that I did not have the chance to learn before taking this course. I must say that was achieved, not only did I have the opportunity to work with my classmates in creating a lesson plan and actually conducting it, I was able to see other facilitator styles from my peers and instructors. Being able to see and apply those skills in a “real” world situation was a favorable component in the course. The outcome of each workshop conducted was worth experiencing in an educational setting. In addition, I felt the assignments and classroom activities were very appropriate. It gave us the opportunity to practice what was immediately taught and also gave us the opportunity to experience the activities that we were planning to disseminate to our intended audiences. Some of the topics discussed and learned in class will assist me in both the planning and dissemination stage of creating youth programs in my public health career. Overall, I enjoyed the course and will apply some of the skills learned to my interaction with the youth population.
Edelmira's Final Reflection
I really enjoy working with adolescents and discussing issues of health with them. It’s strange though, because I always get this weird mix of intrigue and utter freight just before speaking with them. As I said in the beginning, adolescence is a time period that fascinates me because it is so often the most difficult time in a young person’s life. I recall personally feeling as though no one understood me. So now it is my mission in life to work to understand adolescents (or at least to make them feel like someone does), so that I can help them successfully, and healthily transition into adulthood.
Yet, it is amazing how different this experience can be as an outsider (non-adolescent). I feel that this course has helped me gain a ton of information about the ecological context of adolescent life that will aid me as a public health professional to adapt to their varying worlds. I hope to work with adolescents’ in the future in ways that can positively impact them throughout each of the interwoven levels of the ecological context.
Yet, it is amazing how different this experience can be as an outsider (non-adolescent). I feel that this course has helped me gain a ton of information about the ecological context of adolescent life that will aid me as a public health professional to adapt to their varying worlds. I hope to work with adolescents’ in the future in ways that can positively impact them throughout each of the interwoven levels of the ecological context.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Dana's Personal Reflection
I actually have a lot more interest in Adolescent Health Promotion now after I have completed this course. Now I feel like its a lot easier to impact adolescents than I initially thought at the start of he class. I have truly enjoyed the experience of designing, planning, and implementing the workshop. This class is truly different from other MPH classes I've taken as it focuses on feasible short term workshops rather than long-term interventions. I would recommend this class for all MPH students in the health promotion track.
I am hoping to take what I learned in this class and conduct health promotion workshops for adolescents this summer in Bahrain. My older brother actually works in the Youth Division of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and generally conducts photography, painting, and science workshops all summer long. I've already been talking to him about the potential to engage these youths in health promotion... looking forward to seeing what happens.
I am hoping to take what I learned in this class and conduct health promotion workshops for adolescents this summer in Bahrain. My older brother actually works in the Youth Division of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and generally conducts photography, painting, and science workshops all summer long. I've already been talking to him about the potential to engage these youths in health promotion... looking forward to seeing what happens.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Brooke's Final Personal Reflection
My interests in adolescent health promotion remain constant. The principles of workshop design learned in this class will further enable me to interact and guide youth in the relevant psychosocial context. Typically, I interact with youth in a one-on-one setting, but this class has helped me understand how to move my skills into the group realm, with particular focus on how to let youth play off each other and act as peer educators. This has become my finishing class on facilitation. Next steps...I'm taking my skills on the road, either to an academic adolescent medicine program at a hospital in Philly or Fairfax (to be determined).
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
