Hidden Lessons from the Advocacy Pizza Brigade

Just a couple of hours ago, I was on the phone with Dr. David Lewis, a professor in Brown's Program of Public Health and the host of the next Pizza Brigade, when he made the following remark about past advocacy pizza gatherings:

"It's all well and good for faculty to keep on talking and spinning their wheels about their own advocacy work, but I don't feel like I've gotten the chance to hear about what students are up to. We need to do a better job shifting the focus back on students."

Sure, it's a fair enough comment--one that made me think back to all the reasons why it's tough for student advocates to talk about what they do or why they're interested in certain issues. For one thing, health advocacy is such a broad field, encompassing everything from problems in the clinic to challenges at an economic, social, or political level. In addition, it seems like there's always something to learn or some action to take, and with so much going on, things can easily get overwhelming. And of course, there's always the dampening effect that exams and class projects have on anything unrelated to schoolwork. With all the responsibilites that come along with being a student, who has time to reflect on the systemic changes that need to be made to help the uninsured patient at the free clinic or to get more people to stop smoking?

Yet, such reflection, whether you write it down or keep it in your head, is crucial. At the very least, it can help you figure out more precisely what you're interested in--much less how to talk about it. Learning how to tell people about abstract ideas and half-baked projects can be tough to do, but it is certainly a useful skill that will make you a better advocate for whatever cause you choose.

As students, we're introduced to health advocacy-related issues everywhere--in the classroom, the clinic, and even in our day-to-day interactions with other people. Be aware when some issue catches your attention, and remember to ask yourself why you're so interested in it. This will not only help you talk about your ideas, but also open the door for students and faculty to identify ways to help you with your work.

So after this long-winded post, I want to leave everyone (particularly other students) with two points:

1) Come to the Advocacy Pizza Brigade (see my earlier post). You get free food and a chance to practice talking about your ideas with other student and faculty health advocates.

2) Take a minute to reflect on personal experiences that have shaped your interests and the course you'd like to take as a health advocate. Feel free to share these thoughts with others.

That's all for now. Hope to see some of you on April 12!

- Margret