#paact

In the past year, the SCY/PAACT team has grown in many ways. We hope to familiarize partners with who is on the team and what they do – in the hopes of making SCY better conveners for community organizations.

1)         Hi David! Thank you for taking a moment to chat. Let’s start with you introducing yourself, and telling us a little about you and your background?

I am David Arzola, Manager, Finance and Grants for SCY.  I have worked in nonprofit accounting for over 20 years.  My first job in nonprofit was at the Make-A-Wish Foundation but have worked for health centers, foundations, and smaller NPO’s.

2)         What do you every day at SCY?

Every day is a little different but mainly work on developing and managing project budgets, oversee administrative day to day operations, coordinate HR processes.

3)         What has been your favorite training or quarterly meeting?

All of the trainings and quarterly meetings I have attended have been pretty amazing, I have learned so much from attending these meetings and have gained new perspectives on the issues discussed. It is great to hear from the panelists and representatives that attend these meetings.  The knowledge in the room at each meeting is truly amazing.

4)         What do you wish everyone knew about SCY?

I hope everyone knows what great work SCY in collaboration with community partners is doing.  It’s way too much to list here, but I highly recommend visiting the website and social media outlets to see what progress is being made.  So many people wonder what they can do to help and I think if they learn about the work SCY is doing, they will be able to find ways to help to be part of the solution.

5)         How do you keep your energy up in the typical work week?

This week’s blog is written by SCY Operations Coordinator Kirstin Grabski.

As Chicago’s heat wave continues on, alternatives to seek relief from the heat range anywhere from pools and beaches to staying indoors with Netflix. And while some options are more accessible than others -- everyone seeks the refuge that works for them. 

Also this weekend brings a lot of fun events including Pitchfork, the Silver Room Block Party, Evanston 3D Chalk event and Night Bass City. Chicago youth will be out and about having a great time. The temptation to indulge in alcoholic beverages will be looming, so today poses the perfect opportunity for parents and guardians to engage in meaningful conversations around adolescent alcohol use. If you’re not sure where to start in that conversation, check out the I Got This Chicago website for tips and follow I Got This! on social media for a wealth of resources. 

Additionally, here is information on the effects of the dangerous combination that excessive heat and drinking alcohol can have. This information can also be a part of that conversation so that youth can see that not only an alcohol free summer the healthiest choice but also the safest. 

It’s also important to remember to take extra precautions during the extreme temperatures. Here are a few resources from the City of Chicago Family and Support Services page. Stay cool!

In the past year, the SCY/PAACT team has grown in many ways. We hope to familiarize partners with who is on the team and what they do -- in the hopes of  making SCY/PAACT better conveners for community organizations.

1) Hey Mira!  Thanks for taking the time.  Let's start with you introducing yourself, and telling us a little bit about yourself and your background? 

Mira: Hi! I am a Master of Public Health student at Northwestern University. Currently, I am completing a policy and communications internship at Lurie’s Preventing Alcohol Abuse in Chicago Teens coalition. That means I help out with policy research and with the coalition’s social media outreach. I am from New Jersey and recently graduated from undergrad at Northwestern University in June 2018, where I majored in journalism and global health.

2) You're an MPH student at Northwestern University. How has that experience been? What activities do you participate in? 

Mira: It’s been a great experience! I love learning how to do research that improves people’s health in equitable ways. My professors have all done amazing community-based research work, which has helped me be able to see that in my future as well. Outside of class, I mainly participate in research activities with Northwestern professors. I’m working with Dr. Rebecca Seligman on a community-based research project at a mental health clinic in Chicago, working to improve clinical encounters with the large numbers of Mexican American youth they treat. I am also working with Dr. Sera Young to analyze how food insecurity influences adherence to antiretroviral drugs among postpartum women in western Kenya. In this project, we’re looking at how women can be supported to improve their adherence to life-saving medication and thus, improving their lives overall.

3) So you've been interning with PAACT.  How long is the internship in total, and how did that come about?

Mira: I actually learned about PAACT after an internship with Midwest Asian Health Association, a public health clinic serving low-income communities in Chinatown and surrounding areas. In that internship last year, I worked with the clinic’s coalition to prevent underage drinking and substance use in McKinley Park and nearby neighborhoods. I helped establish their social media presence, visited different community meetings, and helped schools sign up for the Illinois Youth Survey—which is how I met Linda, PAACT’s project coordinator and my current manager. In my MPH program, we’re encouraged to seek out public health-related internships, and I thought about PAACT immediately. I reached out to Linda, and here I am! I started at PAACT in early October, and will finish at the end of February.

4) What are some of your tasks as an intern?  Are you enjoying your internship? 

Mira: I’ve learned so much at PAACT! It’s been wonderful working with Dion and Linda on PAACT social media and communication activities. Though I have some social media experience in the past, Dion and Linda have challenged me in the ways I view social media as the voice of an organization. It can be fun (within reason) and serious at the same time—informative and interesting. We’ve done blog posts, Twitter chats, a Facebook live, and content scheduling, and it’s been really fun to learn! At the same time, I am also delving into some policy research. I’ve worked with Leslie Helmcamp to research best practices for how schools can support—instead of punish—students who are using alcohol in school. Many times, these students are struggling with other mental health issues and trauma that go unaddressed in a punitive process. I am also working with Katie Danko to research how Lurie and the state of Illinois can work to tackle the opioid epidemic. It’s such a multifaceted, complex problem that requires coordination across diverse policy, clinical, and community stakeholders, and I feel lucky to be a part of this work.

5) Working in the public health sphere is taxing work.  Who are some people that inspire you, or inspired you to want to get involved in an organization like PAACT? 

Mira: I’ve learned about the importance of community-based public health work and research through classes at Northwestern, in my undergrad and master’s programs—how oftentimes, change happens because individuals band together and take action together. Rather than specific people, I’m inspired by movements overall: HIV/AIDS activists, the women’s movement to understand and own their own bodies, and the breast cancer movement to research environmental causes of the illness that weren’t being taken seriously by researchers at the time. In Chicago, too, as I meet and learn about community action by coalitions and organizations, I’m inspired by the everyday work that people are doing to improve access to information, resources, and health services that improve people’s lives.

6) You recently wrote an excellent article on holiday drinking habits.  How'd you get the idea for that particular topic? What was the thought process behind the blog? 

Mira: With the holidays coming up, we’ve been seeing an uptick in encouragements to drink alcohol—the media is writing stories about alcoholic advent calendars, and the best holiday bars, and ads for holiday drinks are everywhere. People want to celebrate, and that celebratory feeling has become associated with overindulging in alcohol. At PAACT, we were talking a lot about how that behavior can influence youth. If teens see adults binge drinking, that works to normalize that behavior among adolescents as well—and that can be dangerous. We’re encouraging parents to talk with their kids about alcohol, early and often, to avoid underage drinking and enjoy their lives as kids.

7) Since posting on Lurie Children's Hospital's blog, it has been picked up by several newspapers.  How does that make you feel?  Did you expect that kind of reaction from the article? 

Mira: I was definitely a little shocked! Lurie has such a wide reach, and when the hospital says something, people listen. I am very proud of the work that PAACT is doing, and am so thankful for the team for helping it reach a wider audience. It’s an important message!

8) When does your internship conclude?  What are you next steps academically and professionally? 

Mira: My internship finishes at the end of February. After this, I will graduate with an MPH in June, and (hopefully) to a job in policy research. After dipping my foot in the water here at PAACT, I am really interested in doing more research to inform policy alternatives that can improve people’s lives. I would love to head to D.C. to learn more about national-level solutions.

9) Well thank you for taking the time to sit and chat with us.  Do you have any parting words for the SCY audience?