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Students will acquire an advanced understanding of the issues impacting individual and community public health in urban and rural Honduras. The heart of the Program focuses on facilitating small team engagement in hands-on collaboration with local community leaders and organizations through virtual meetings to develop a Community Public Health Action Plan. Students begin by collaborating with community members to map community assets. Based on the asset mapping results, teams will collaborate with community members to:
- plan and develop a detailed Community Public Health Action Plan that builds on the communities’ assets and addresses the public health needs as identified by the community,
- research and develop solutions, an infrastructure budget, and an implementation timeline, and
- Develop deliverables for the community, including a written Community Public Health Action Plan, and present details of the plan to the community leaders.
The NGO, Global Brigades, will then work with the community to implement the Community Public Health Action Plan developed in the Program.
The Public Health Program aligns with three of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: #3 Good Health and Wellbeing, #6 Clean Water and Sanitation, and #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.
This virtual Public Health Program enables students to collaborate with community members to achieve real impact, gain significant experience, and develop transferable community development skills and intercultural competencies, while limiting time away from school and their carbon travel footprint, by using virtual meetings.
Public Health Program Learning Objectives
Students that successfully complete the Public Health Program will be able to:
- Learn how to develop a Community Public Health Action Plan with guidelines for implementation within a real-world context.
- Collect and analyze real qualitative community data.
- Learn how to collect and analyze quantitative public health community data.
- Identify community public health challenges, understand root causes and consequences, and research and identify solutions.
- Work collaboratively with community leaders and colleagues emphasizing participation and buy-in.
Resources provided in support of the virtual sessions and Modules
- A bilingual, on-the-ground session facilitator will coordinate each virtual session with students.
- A translator is provided in each virtual session in which students engage with community members.
- Full-time local teams that work year-round to execute programs alongside communities.
- Electronic support materials are provided to all students.
- Session scheduling that coordinates all class meetings and meetings with community members.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
There are eleven Modules in the Public Health Program. Each Module is scheduled for two hours. The Modules can be variously assembled to build programs of the appropriate length and focus. Additional Modules can be developed to address specific campus needs.
Module 1 Presession – Self-paced activities (to be completed before the Module 1 class meeting)
- Watch the Reflection and Action videos.
- Watch the Global Brigades Foundations video.
- Prepare assignments in Canvas, including your Public Narrative.
- Note any questions that arise in anticipation of the Module 1 meeting and discussion.
Module 1 – Overview of the NGO and the Public Health Program; Reflection and Action (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Review of the Holistic Model and the community development approach and activities of our NGO, Global Brigades. Discussion of the details of the Public Health Program and how these sessions will work. Discussion of principles to bring about change, and relational and community meetings. Discussion of students’ Public Narratives, based on Module 1 Presession Self-paced Activities.
Module 1 – Self-paced activities:
- Watch the Introduction to Honduras video.
- Watch the Introduction to the Honduran Healthcare System video.
- Prepare assignments in Canvas.
Module 2: Public Health, Public Health Challenges, and Common Public Health Interventions in Honduras; Community Health Action Plan (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
What is public health? A discussion of public health challenges and common public health interventions used in Honduras that follow the UN Healthy Schools and Households Methodology. Discuss how social determinants influence community health. An introduction to the Community Health Action Plan.
Module 2 – Self-paced activities:
- Review the UN Healthy Schools and Households manual.
- Watch the community selection video.
- Prepare assignments in Canvas.
Module 3: Community Context and Selection Process; Data Tools (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
The class will be introduced to the partner community. Review existing community data, such as the community’s profile, rapid needs assessment, and past medical patient trends. An introduction to data collection methods and KoboToolbox software and a discussion of the community selection process.
Module 3 – Self-paced activities:
- Continue to review, analyze, and identify challenges facing the community.
- Complete the shared Challenges Template as a group.
- Review and practice, in Spanish, key public health terms.
- Prepare assignments in Canvas.
Module 4: Quantitative Household Data Analysis (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Data collected from the community’s household surveys will be analyzed. Questions are formulated based on the data for the meeting with the Basic Sanitation Committee in the next session. Begin drafting the written Community Public Health Action Plan, including a market analysis of public health infrastructure needs.
Module 4 – Self-paced activities:
- Write and practice your self-introduction in Spanish for the Basic Sanitation Committee meeting in the next session.
- Continue to revise questions for the Basic Sanitation Committee.
Module 5: Interview with the Basic Sanitation Committee (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Interview and discussion with members of the Basic Sanitation Committee on community health and infrastructure challenges.
Module 5 – Self-paced activities:
- Analyze and write your conclusions on the qualitative interview data with members of the Basic Sanitation Committee.
Module 6: Working Session 1 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Continue to analyze the data on the main public health challenges facing the community in a group working session focused on using a problem tree to identify key issues, and begin to develop solutions for the Community Public Health Action Plan taking into account the meeting with the Basic Sanitation Committee.
Module 6 – Self-paced activities:
- Continue to identify problems and draft possible solutions for the community in the Community Public Health Action Plan.
Module 7: Working Session 2 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Continue to develop solutions, timeline, and budget for the Community Public Health Action Plan in a second group working session.
Module 7 – Self-paced activities:
- Complete the Community Public Health Action Plan.
Module 8: Working session 3 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Based on the Community Public Health Action Plan, a group working session focuses on developing the presentation for members of the Basic Sanitation Committee (Module 9).
Module 8 – Self-paced activities:
- Continue to develop the presentation, based on the Community Public Health Action Plan.
Module 9: Presentation Rehearsal and Feedback (Contact time: 1.5 hours est.)
Group presents the Community Public Health Action Plan to the Facilitator for feedback and comments.
Module 9 – Self-paced activities:
- Based on the Facilitator’s feedback, final revisions are made to the Community Public Health Action Plan and presentation.
Module 10: Community Public Health Action Plan presentation to the Basic Sanitation Committee (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Presentation of the Community Public Health Action Plan to members of the Basic Sanitation Committee for additional feedback and comments.
Module 10 – Self-paced activities:
- Final revisions of the written Community Public Health Action Plan and presentation, based upon comments from members of the Basic Sanitation Committee.
- Watch the Monitoring and Evaluation video and prepare questions for the discussion in Module 11.
- Prepare assignments in Canvas.
Module 11: Post Project Follow-Up, Data Impact Reporting & Networking (Contact time: 1.5 hours est.)
Discussion of the Monitoring and Evaluation process and its tools. The class reflects on the overall experience in the Program, and how their new international public health knowledge and skills can be used in their careers.
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