Featured Community Projects
Comprehensive Wellness in Chicago
Partnering with Blue Lotus Yoga and C4Chicago, the UAID Chapter at University of Chicago recently completed its Community Project centered on comprehensive wellness with a focus on physical activity and mental health. Their impressive work included yoga workshops, IL mental health system training, de-escalation training, as well as mental health first response and art for mental health workshops. See their presentation here for more details on every step of the project!
Food Insecurity in Boston
The UAID Chapter at Northeastern University discovered significant inequities related to food insecurity in Boston. More specifically, students found that many community fridges in Boston are being shut down. To tackle this issue, they partnered with Vital CxNs to research the role and impact of community fridges in two ways: 1) collecting and organizing data on the status and condition of Boston community fridges, and 2) interviewing community fridge visitors, donors, hosts, and other stakeholders or volunteers. They are currently collected data and plan to evalute their project in collaboration with the Northeastern Public Evaluation Lab.
Education and Health Inequities in West Baltimore
By conducting a a comprehensive community health needs assessment, the UAID Chapter at University of Maryland uncovered the intersection of education and health disparities in West Baltimore. To address this inequity, students created a mentorship program that provides both academic and wellness support in partnership with UMB CURE to middle and high school students from educationally disadvantaged areas in West Baltimore. The chapter will assess its impact through four surveys conducted three times during the year.
Food Insecurity in NE Connecticut
After identifying food insecurity as a major health inequity in Northeast Connecticut, the UAID Chapter of University of Connecticut forged a partnership with Windham Community Food Network to conduct its Community Project. Interviews of community members indicated that despite a strong need, most people were not familiar with local food resources. To address this challenge, the chapter transformed a 32-page resource guide into a visually appealing, easy-to-read, single-page brochure that has been distributed widely. In addition, the chapter has rescued over 200 pounds of food by rerouting excess food supplies that would have been previously discarded from public schools to community partners.
Sexual Health in Nashville
The UAID Chapter at Vanderbilt sought to address sexual health inequities with a special focus on women’s health in the metro-Nashville community. They designed and executed a study that aimed to understand local community members’ ability to understand and demonstrate health agency with regard to sexual health. The study consisted of a literature review; numerous interviews of physicians, professors, and researchers; and comparative analysis using research from the previous year’s project. The findings from this study will inform the chapter’s efforts to develop interventions with community partners and work with lawmakers and public health professionals to address the identified inequities.
Health Literacy in Cleveland
The UAID Chapter at Case Western Reserve University is one of our newest, joining the organization in 2023. Their community project, which partners with Read Out & Read, Kids’ Book Bank, and The Literacy Cooperative, is focused on analyzing children’s health literacy on health outcomes. They are currently conducting preliminary research and creating a survey to assess how confident participants are in making decisions that impact their health.