The Force for Health Teams program is a versatile program that provides individuals with online content for personal and community health advancement. As a part of the program, individuals will form a Force for Health team to implement self-driven service learning projects that encourage critical thinking and becoming more involved in the community.
- 1TEAM Members learn how to make healthy decisions that are relevant to themselves, their families, and their communities through health assessments, TEAM meetings and discussions, and online courses.
- 2TEAM Members live healthy lifestyles by setting and achieving goals to better themselves and the important people in their lives.
- 3TEAM Members share their talents, experiences, and knowledge to implement projects that have a tangible impact on their communities. They create and implement IDEAS that are projects that help their family, friends, or communities.
Program Objectives
- Assist individuals looking to identify personal and community health concerns
- Provide resources for increased health literacy and advocacy
- Recruit undergraduates students who are willing to facilitate Force for Health service learning projects
- Prepare the individuals to engage in meaningful service and provide support when questions arise
- Encourage interdisciplinary learning by allowing individuals to integrate and apply what they have learned to benefit the community
- To be proud to be able to make a real difference for others.
Program Benefits
- Individuals
- Schools
- WorkPlaces
- Organizations
- Make your community a better place to live in
- Gain valuable leadership experience
- Acquire volunteer and service experience
- Learn useful skills in event-planning and community outreach
- Pipeline to professional exposure to career opportunities in healthcare
- On-campus student leadership roles
- Service based learning experience with the community
- Promotion of the health and well-being of students
- Give back to the community through team-based service
- Increase camaraderie within the work place by working together to address the needs of the community
- Enhance your existing community engagement
- Utilize your group’s talents and experience to provide direct support to those in need
- Increase your own health literacy and advocacy
Getting Started
- Do you have a TEAM but don’t know where to get started?
- Do you wish to design an IDEAS project for your community?
- Students in spring of 2019 used the document below to apply for up to $500 in grant money to help support your IDEAS project in Huntingdon PA. In October 2019, the next wave of grant opportunities will be added.
2019 Huntingdon County TEAMS Grant Application Flyer
SUCCESS STORIES
The TEAMS approach used by the Force for Health Program has been highly influenced by the success of the Health Professions Affinity Community(HPAC) approach used in Ohio. For the past few years, this pipeline to professional, service learning program, has allowed high school students, supervised by AmeriCorps staff under the direction of Dr. Gina Weisblat, to demonstrate IDEAS in over 30 counties in Ohio. Dr. Weisblat is currently on staff at University Hospital in Cleveland and continues to inspire, sustain, and improve the program with her research activities and associates at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine where she is on the faculty.
For more information about HPAC, visit https://www.myhealthycitizen.com/health-professionals-affinity-community-hpac/.
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