The Student Health Coalition was always a work in progress. At the end of each summer, those who served in the SHC were encouraged to reflect on what had worked well, and what had not. Their suggestions for improvement precipitated changes that were constantly being made in how the SHC was organized, who was recruited, and which communities were visited from one summer to the next. Many years later, this process of self-criticism has continued, as former members of the SHC reflect on how their work might have been done differently – and better.
On the role of institutional support in community-driven change
Bob Hartmann and Irwin Venick respond to Gillian’s question about how they would approach or encourage others to approach similar student and/or community-led projects today. Bob provides insight into what the Coalition did right and what it could have done… Continued
Dick Burr on Coalition successes and mistakes
Dick Burr reflects on how the SHC succeeded in its approach to community organizing and posits, in retrospect, how the student-led coalition fell short. He focuses primarily on the value of a more intersectional approach to the needs of poor… Continued
What the SHC did (and didn’t do) well
Tom John and Rick Davidson share their retrospective thoughts on how the Student Health Coalition succeeded, as well as how, in certain respects, the SHC could have operated differently. These critical reflections offer insight to community organizing efforts today, particularly… Continued