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!!!Community!Health!Advocacy!Program!(CHAP)!Official!Handbook!

!Brown!University!

2015!–!2016!

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INTRODUCTION)!Welcome!to!the!Community!Health!Advocacy!Program,!or!CHAP!!We’re!excited!to!have!you!on!board!with!us.!This!Handbook!is!designed!to!provide!guidelines!for!the!program,!volunteers,!EEBoard,!and!anyone!who!would!like!to!learn!more!information! about! who! we! are! as! an! organization.! Please! read! through! the!following! information! provided! to! find! out! what! is! expected! from! each! role!associated!with!this!club.!!

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!What%does%it%mean%to%be%a%CHAP%volunteer?%

♥ You!offer!your!creativity,!passion,!and!dedication!to!the!community.!♥ You!make!a!oneEyear!commitment!to!the!program!and!your!site.!

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PLME)SENATE!The!Community!Health!Advocacy!Program!(CHAP)!is!sponsored!by!the!Warren!Alpert!Medical! School! of! Brown!University! as!well! as! the! Program! in! Liberal!Medical! Education! (PLME).! Because! of! these! ties,! CHAP! enjoys! and! prospers!from!a!close!collaboration!with!the!PLME!Senate!and!receives!valuable!guidance!from! the! PLME! administration—namely! Dean! Ip,! Ms.! Sweigart,! and! Ms.!McAllister.!!!

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The!Community!Health!Advocacy!Program!(CHAP)!works!cooperatively!with!various!Providence!populations!to!promote!the!physical,!mental,!and!

emotional!health!of!individuals!and!the!community!as!a!whole.!Composed!of!community!participants!and!student!volunteers,!our!teams!identify!relevant!health!issues!and!then!create!programs,!drawing!from!both!communitiesS!resources,!to!address!these!issues.!CHAP!provides!the!opportunity!for!communities!and!future!health!care!professionals!to!meet!the!health!care!

needs!of!areas!that!are!often!underserved!due!to!a!variety!of!social,!economic,!and!cultural!barriers.!

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Our!Mission!Statement!

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CHAP)E1BOARD)!♥ Role%of%CHAP%E:Board%

The! PLME! Senate! comprises! various! committees,! one! of! which! is! the!CHAP!EEBoard.!As! a! committee!within!PLME!Senate,!CHAP!must! both!coordinate! with! PLME! Senate! coEpresidents! and! work! closely! with! the!Community!Service!committee!to!hold!events!within!and!outside!of!PLME!Senate.!The!CHAP!EEBoard,!on!the!other!hand,!is!composed!of!two!older!age! group! site! leaders,! two!middle! age! group! site! leaders,! two!younger!age!group!site!leaders,!two!expansion!chairs,!a!mentor/adult!contact,!and!a! PLME! Senate! liaison.! The! EEBoard! meets! regularly! to! report! on! and!discuss!respective!individual!and!group!work!done!in!CHAP!as!well!as!to!continually! update! the! handbook.!All!CHAP!members! and! affiliates! are!welcome!at!these!general!body!meetings.!!!

♥ Site%Leaders%A!duo!each!responsible!for!one!age!group,!site! leaders!provide!guidance!to! volunteers! and! structure! to! lesson! planning! meetings.! Site! leaders!typically! have! at! least! one! semester! of! volunteering! experience! with!CHAP!and!have!demonstrated!a!keen!interest! in!both!community!health!and!the!education!of!children!in!the!Providence!community.!!

♥ Site%Expansion%Leaders%Site! Expansion! Chairs! are! responsible! for! communicating! and! forging!relationships!with!new!sites!and!working!closely!with!Ms.!McAllister! to!complete! this! objective.! After! researching! potential! partner! sites! and!obtaining!Ms.!McAllister’s!approval!for!partnering!with!them,!expansion!leaders!will!contact!these!sites!via!eEmail—with!Ms.!McAllister!“ccEed”!in!all! emails—telephone,! or! in! person.! They! then! report! to!Ms.!McAllister!and!the!CHAP!EEBoard!on!their!progress.!The!Site!Expansion!Chairs!are!responsible! for! serving! as! liaisons! between! the! EEBoard! and! the! general!body! members,! meaning! they! communicate! any! messages! and!announcements!while!also!making!sure!that!volunteers!feel!connected!to!the!EEBoard.!They!are!also! in!charge!of!maintaining! the! listserv,!and!are!responsible!for!CHAP’s!social!media!outreach.!!

♥ Mentor/Adult%Contact%The!mentor/adult!contact!is!a!former!CHAP!site!leader!and!volunteer!who!advises! new!EEBoard!members! about!CHAP! leadership.! This! individual!

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volunteers!their!time!to!improve!CHAP!and!can!contact!members!through!several!means,!including!in!person!and!online.!!!

♥ PLME%Senate%Liaison%%The!PLME!Senate!Liaison!is!responsible!for!communicating!with!the!PLME!Senate!through!eEmails!and!for!representing!the!CHAP!EEBoard!at!PLME!Senate!general!meetings.!This!individual!must!relay!important!information!about!CHAP!to!the!PLME!coEpresidents!and!administration.!!

!♥ Member%Selection%Process%

CHAP!EEBoard!members!are!selected!through!an!election.!Volunteers!and!current!members!may!nominate!themselves!for!one!(or!multiple!positions,!if!denied!a!position)!and!are!elected!by!other!attendees!at!CHAP!general!meetings.!!

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VOLUNTEERS)!♥ Role%of%Volunteers%

CHAP!volunteers! form! the! foundation!of! the! lessons.!They!are! the!ones!who!teach!students!the!lessons!and!engage!with!them!in!a!safe,!fun,!and!learningEcentral!manner.!Bearing!this!in!mind,!CHAP!volunteers!must!be!responsible,!dedicated,!and!focused!on!providing!a!fun!lesson.!As!leaders!of!lessons,!volunteers!will!travel!to!their!assigned!sites!on!the!day!of!their!lesson.!They!will!teach!the!preEplanned!lecture!to!the!students!as!well!as!lead!in!any!associated!activities.!While!adults!supervise!at!most!sites,!it!is!usually!up! to! the!volunteers! to!keep! the! students! focused!on! the! lesson.!Volunteers! must! also! look! out! for! the! safety! of! themselves! and! the!children! when! doing! a! lesson! or! activity.! If! something! happens! that!volunteers! may! not! be! trained! to! handle! (e.g.! extremely! uncooperative!students,! accidents,! injuries,! etc.),! it! is! the! volunteer’s! responsibility! to!notify! an! adult! who! is! in! charge.! It) is) neither) the) volunteers’) role) nor)duty)to)be)involved)in)disciplining)kids.!

! !Another! important!part!of!CHAP!is!planning!the! lessons! that!volunteers!will! lead.!Site! leaders!design!meetings!to!allow!volunteer!input,!and!it! is!expected! of! volunteers! to! contribute! to! the! lesson! planning! process! to!some! degree.! Volunteers! should! attend! the! weekly! meetings! with! site!leaders!in!order!to!gain!a!clear!understanding!of!what!each!week’s!lesson!

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will! involve.! Volunteers! are! expected! to! notify! their! site! leaders! in!advance!if!they!are!not!able!to!attend!any!one!of!these!meetings.!

! !Furthermore,! CHAP! volunteers! should! attend! the! lessEfrequent! general!body! meetings,! training! sessions,! as! well! as! a! oneEtime! orientation.!Important!information!will!be!discussed!in!these!meetings,!and!volunteers!are! always! encouraged! to! reflect! upon! their! experiences! and! provide!constructive! feedback! to! the! EEBoard.! Improving! our! organization! is! an!ongoing!and!dynamic!process!!

! !In!order!to!promote!a!safe!and!trustworthy!environment!for!learning!in!all!of! our! sites,! CHAP! requires! that! every! volunteer! obtain! a! background!check,! formally! known! as! a! Bureau! of! Criminal! Identification! (BCI).!Background! checks! can! be! obtained! at! the! Attorney! General’s! office! in!downtown! Providence! at! 150! South! Main! Street! (this! is! right! down!College! Hill).! To! get! a! BCI,! bring! a! $5! check! or! money! order! to! the!Attorney!General’s!office!with!a!valid!ID.!The!window!to!obtain!a!BCI!is!immediately! to! the! right! as! you! walk! in! the! building,! and! the! entire!process!takes!only!a!few!minutes.!!

!♥ Recruiting%Volunteers%

Recruitment!of!volunteers!begins!with! the!Student!Activities!Fair,!where!CHAP!meets!and!speaks!with!students!interested!in!learning!more!about!our! group.! We! obtain! contact! information! from! students! interested! in!joining!our!mailing!list!(listserv).!These!students!then!receive!eEmails!with!more! details! about! our! organization! and! regarding! our! information!sessions,!where!we!present! to! potential! applicants! on! volunteering!with!CHAP! and! answer! any! questions.! We! promote! CHAP! information!sessions! via!Morning!Mail,! table! slips! in! dining! halls,! tabling,! Facebook!events,!and!posters!distributed! throughout!campus.!Another!major! form!of! promotion! is! having! willing! professors! (e.g.! in! large! intro! courses)!briefly!display!our!advertisement!before!class.!!

!♥ Selecting%Volunteers%

Volunteers! must! apply! to! be! accepted! into! the! program.! Interested!students!should!fill!out!an!application!and!include!short!responses!to!the!application! questions.! CHAP! requires! volunteer! dedication! to! the!organization.!When! selecting!new!volunteers,!we! look! for! students!who!have! a! love! for! teaching! children! and! a! passion! for! community! health.!Ideal! volunteers! should! be! excellent! with! children,! enthusiastic,! and!

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willing!to!lead!the!lessons.!CHAP!asks!that!volunteers!lead!lessons!at!the!site!as!well!as!attend!weekly!site! leader!meetings,! leading!to!a!total! time!commitment! of! about! 3! hours! per! week.! It! is! usually! expected! that!volunteers! regularly! attend! the! lessons! and! meetings! (see! Attendance!Policy! for! exceptions).! Regrettably,! some! volunteers! realize! that! the!program! is! more! of! a! commitment! than! they! had! imagined! and! leave!before!the!end!of!the!semester.!Prospective%volunteers%should%be%realistic%about% their% availability% in% light% of% other% extracurricular/academic%obligations% throughout% the% semester.% Please% be% mindful% of% the% expected%time%commitment%of%CHAP%prior%to%joining.!!

!♥ Orientation%

New!CHAP!volunteers!must! attend! a!mandatory! orientation! session,! in!which!CHAP! site! leaders!will! go! over! expectations! and! requirements! of!volunteers! as!members! of! the! organization.! Volunteer! training!will! also!take!place!during!this!time!to!prepare!new!volunteers!on!how!to!properly!lead!lessons.!There!will!be!two!available!orientation!sessions!so!that!every!new!member!may!attend!a!session.!!!!

VOLUNTEERING)POLICIES)!♥ Session%Attendance%

One1strike) policy.! Volunteers! may! miss! one! volunteering! session! per!semester! with! a! valid! excuse! evaluated! on! a! caseEbyEcase! basis.!Notification!must!be!given! to! the!site! leaders!and!group!members!about!potential! absences! at! the! earliest! possible! convenience.! If! a! volunteer!misses!more!than!one!session,!he!or!she!will!be!required!to!meet!with!his!or!her!site!leaders!to!discuss!volunteer!responsibility!and!future!volunteer!status.!!Attendance) spreadsheet.! Volunteering! groups! are! asked! to! keep! a!spreadsheet! depicting! weekly! lesson! attendance.! A) MINIMUM) OF) 3)VOLUNTEERS) MUST) BE) PRESENT) FOR) EACH) LESSON.! CHAP!members!are!not!only!volunteers!but!also!leaders!and!mentors.!Kids!in!this!program!look!up!to!and!depend!on!the!CHAP!volunteers!to!provide!fun!and!educational!activities!each!week.!KIDS!NOTICE!when!volunteers!are!absent.!Failure!to!have!an!adequate!number!of!volunteers!present!at!each!session! can! often! lead! to! a! disarray! that! reflects! poorly! on! individual!CHAP! volunteers,! the! CHAP! organization,! and! Brown! University! as! a!

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whole;! therefore,! it! is! crucial! for!CHAP!volunteers! to!be!present! at! each!session.!!!!

♥ Lesson%Planning%Participation%and%Attendance%Take)pride.!Take!pride!in!your!advocacy!efforts.!CHAP!involvement!has!far! reaching! influences! and! each! group! of! kids! has! different! needs;!therefore,! it! is! imperative! for! CHAP! volunteers! to! use! their! judgments!when!teaching!children.!Volunteers!are!required!to!participate!in!a!weekly!lesson! planning! session! guided! by! their! site! leaders! wherein! they! will!collaborate! to! craft! the! weekly! lesson! plan! and! thereby! understand! the!materials!and!activities!employed!in!each!lesson.!!!

♥ Community%Building%%Because!of!the!nature!of!CHAP,!volunteers!are!divided!into!teams!based!on! site! locations! and! age! groups.! Thus,! members! of! the! program! as! a!whole! may! not! have! as! many! opportunities! to! interact! with! other!volunteers.!With!this! in!mind,!CHAP!leaders!plan!to!organize!fun,!semiEregular! communityEbuilding! events! in! order! to! facilitate! interaction! and!familiarity! among! volunteers.! Every! volunteer! is! encouraged! to! attend!these!communityEbuilding!events!to!get!to!know!other!members!of!CHAP.!These! events! will! be! announced! as! the! year! goes! on! and! may! include!Secret!Santa!as!well!as!movie!and!game!nights.!!

♥ Uniform%Policy%All!volunteers!must!wear! their!official!CHAP! tEshirt!while!volunteering.!The! shirts! can! be! bought! from! Terry!McAllister! in! the! PLME!Office,! 91!Waterman!Street,!Room!222.!!

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LESSON)PLANNING)!♥ Lesson%Planning%Objectives%

Lesson!plans!should!emphasize!1E2!major!points!while!accommodating!a!variety!of!short!activities!and!games.!For!instance,!volunteers!may!elect!to!read!a!short!book!or!perform!a!brief!demonstration!in!order!to!introduce!that!week’s!lesson!plan.!!!!When!creating!the!lesson!plans,!volunteers!should!be!mindful!of!the!target!age!group’s!ability!to!participate!in!and!understand!the!lessons.!Activities!should! not! be! too! difficult! to! understand,! and! any!materials! and! props!

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should!not!be!too!tedious!to!handle.!In!other!words,! lesson!plans!should!be!ageEappropriate.!!!

♥ Lesson%Planning%Process%All!volunteers!are!encouraged! to!partake! in! the! lesson!planning!process.!These! meetings! will! be! a! valuable! opportunity! for! everyone! to! reflect!upon!and!revise!our!curriculum!to!ensure!that!our!lesson!plans!are!as!fun,!interactive,!and!meaningful!for!the!kids!as!possible.!After!all,!our!goal!is!to!plan! lessons! that!will! be! tailored! to! the! interests! and! needs! of! each! age!group,!all!while!keeping!things!fun!!!

♥ Weekly%Lesson:Planning%Meetings%Site! leaders! will! reach! out! to! volunteers! every! week! with! meeting!locations! and! times.!These!meetings! should!not! take!more! than! an!hour!per!week.!!

♥ Examples%of%Previous%Curricula%and%Lesson%Plans%Our! curriculum! for! the! Younger! Age! Group! in! the! past! has! included!lessons! focusing! on! exercise,! nutrition,!winter! safety,! “stranger! danger,”!and! emotions.! These! lessons! have! included! such! diverse! activities! as!interactive!reading,!coloring,!singing,!and!roleEplaying.!Typically,!a!lesson!plan! involves!one!“large!group”!activity! to! introduce! the! theme! for! that!week,! as!well! as! 3E4! smaller! activities! that! the!kids! complete! in! separate!groups.!When!wrapping!up! the! lesson,!volunteers!may!bring!everybody!back!together!with!a!final!activity!to!reinforce!the!important!lessons!of!the!day.!

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LESSON)MATERIALS)&)PROPS)!♥ Examples%of%Previous%Materials%

CHAP!is!responsible!for!bringing!all!materials,!props,!and!tools!that!will!be! used! during! the! lessons.! !Some! sites! do! have! items! such! as!whiteboards,!markers/pencils,!paper!and!PE!equipment! that!we!can!use,!but! in! general,! expect! to! bring! everything! that! you! will! need! for! the!lesson.!!Each!group!can!ask!their!site!contact!about!the!available!materials!at!the!first!lesson!and!adjust!needed!materials!accordingly.!!!We!have!found!that!the!best! lessons!are!those!that!make!use!of!props!or!visual!aids.!!In!addition!to!keeping!the!kids!engaged,!props!allow!the!kids!to! test! out! tools! that! we! have! talked! about! while! visual! aids! can!make!

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lessons! easier! to! understand.! !Since! most! of! the! kids! are! quite! young,!giving! them! props! that! they! can! play! with! and! examine! can! turn! an!otherwise! abstract! talk! into! a! great! learning! experience.! !In! the! past,!we!have!had!success!with!bringing!oversized!teeth!for!a!dental!unit!and!a!first!aid!kit!for!a!general!safety!lesson,!among!others.! !Props!and!demos!are!a!great!way!to!ensure!a!more!exciting!lesson!!!

♥ Suggestions%for%New%Materials%We!do!have!a!budget!for!new!props,!so!definitely!bring!any!ideas!that!you!have!to!your!site! leader!so!we!can!use!them!in!lessons!! !Obviously,!keep!the!props! age! appropriate! and!preferably! large,! so! that! several! kids! can!look!at!them!at!once.!!!!

♥ Shopping%for%Materials%Each! week,! students! can! trade! off! purchasing! simple! materials! for! the!lessons! (i.e.!paper,! blindfolds,!posters,! etc.).! !Bigger!purchases! should!be!approved!by!site!leaders.!!!!

♥ Drop:off%&%Pick:up%Locations%Since!there!are!multiple!groups!for!most!age!groups,!lesson!materials!will!have!to!be!handed!off!from!group!to!group.!!There!is!a!closet!in!the!PLME!office! (Arnold! Lab! Room! #222)! that! can! be! used! for! this! purpose.! !A!person!from!the!first!group!can!place!the!materials!there!after!the!lesson!is!completed!and!another!person!from!the!second!group!can!pick! it!up!the!next!day.!!We!have!found!that!this!system!works!better!than!a!personEtoEperson!handoff,!which!often!results!in!forgotten!materials!and!one!group!left!without!the!right!materials!for!the!lessons.!!!

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VOLUNTEER)SITES)) !♥ Younger%Age%Group%%

The!younger!age!group!comprises!children!between!the!ages!of!three!and!five,! i.e.! preEschool.!Current) sites:)East! Site/Mt.!Hope!YMCA,!West! End!Community!Center.!!

!♥ Middle%Age%Group%

The!middle! age! group! consists! of! children! between! the! ages! of! six! and!twelve,! i.e.! elementary! school.! Current) sites:) West! End! Community!Center,!Cavalry!Baptist!Church.!

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!♥ Older%Age%Group%

The!older!age!group!comprises! children!between! the!ages!of! eleven!and!fourteen,!i.e.!middle!school.!Current)site:)Girl!Scouts.!

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MEDIA!!!To!find!out!even!more!about!what!CHAP!has!to!offer,!prospective!volunteers!are!encouraged!to!visit:!!

♥ Brown!CHAP!Website:!http://brownchap.com/!♥ “Community!Health!Advocacy!Program”!Facebook!Page!♥ http://www.brown.edu/academics/medical/plme/senate/chap!♥ http://students.brown.edu/CHAP/!

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