As of today, the global health community has secured seven co-sponsors for the Global HEALTH Act: Reps. John Conyers (MI), Lynn Woolsey (CA), Raul Grijalva (AZ), Keith Ellison (MN), John Garamendi (CA), Fortney Pete Stark (CA) and Diane Watson (CA).
PHR wants to double this number — and double it again. To gain more support for the GHA, PHR is organizing a Global HEALTH Act National Call-in Day on May 12th, International Nurses Day.
So far, more than 15 organizations have pledged to participate. We’d love more. If your organization/school/workplace is interested in taking part, contact us at ghacallinday[at]phrusa[dot]org.
And checkout the Call-in Day toolkit (doc), which contains all the information you’ll need to organize a great call-in day.
GHA National Call-in Day Toolkit (122.5 KiB, 4 hits)
UPDATE, May 11: The Global HEALTH Act has garnered two new co-sponsors: Reps. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC).
UPDATE, May 17: Four more co-sponsors have been added: Sam Farr (CA), Maxine Waters (CA), Bobby Rush (IL), and James McGovern (MA).
Posted in: Events, GHA, Global HEALTH Act, Health, Health Rights Advocate, international nurses day, national call in day, phrstudents, Take Action, toolkit
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This week the theme of the PHR Student Blog is student leadership and strengthening your PHR Chapter.
Fundraising — now, over the summer, or early into the next school year — can help your PHR Chapter get off to a strong start next fall. Some students have told us that being short on funds interfered with hosting events. If you’d like to raise some money, PHR is here to help.
Some of the most popular methods are listed in the Fundraising section of the Chapter Toolkit:
- Grants: Research tools include Foundation Search or searching for “[your city]” or “[your state]” and the word “foundation.” Grants may be available on your campus. Follow the directions carefully, and if the grant offers TA (technical assistance), go ahead and call to ask for help.
- Ticketed events: You could host a gala, a dessert tasting, or a talk by an esteemed professor.
- Almost famous: Local celebrities can attract considerable attention. Consider a cocktail reception, a speech, a dunking booth, or a car wash.
- Sponsorship: Remember grade school bowl-a-thons? Ask supporters to sponsor something new: a stair climb in the tallest building on campus, a bike- or walk-a-thon, or a penny for every mile you’re traveling this summer to practice your clinical skills.
- Raffles or silent auctions: Put together a couple of big-ticket items and some fun theme packages and gift certificates.
The Toolkit reveals one of the big secrets to raising money: Don’t be afraid to ask. Try to remember that friends and family like to be involved in the causes that you support, and this is a good way for them to contribute. Local businesses like to be associated with student activities. Build relationships over time so that you feel relaxed about asking and the donor enjoys the chance to help and will want to give again.
Still nervous about asking? Tell yourself, “They won’t give unless I ask.”
What has your Chapter done to raise money? Share your ideas in the comments section below. And email me at hobrien[at]phrusa[dot]org for more ideas and support.
Stay tuned! Tomorrow I’ll outline opportunities for student leadership in your region and announce the new Student Advisory Board.
Posted in: chapter, chapter development, chapters, foundation, fundraising, grants, Official PHR Posts, Student Blog, toolkit
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We’re about 3 weeks away from the 2010 Global Health Week of Action (GHWA). To help you plan a great week, PHR has posted some resources about the health workforce crisis, including a video spotlight of four Kenyan health workers and details about the Global HEALTH Act, which would provide $2 billion dollars for developing countries in Africa to build their health workforce capacity..
Still not sure what to do for your chapter’s Week of Action? Consider setting up an in-district meeting with your Congressperson’s local office to advocate for the Global HEALTH Act or any other key health and human rights issue your chapter is passionate about. That is what I am doing. In April, I will meet with staff from Congressman Michael Capuano’s office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to talk about the health workforce crisis in Africa, and to encourage him to co-sponsor the Global HEALTH Act. If you are in Boston, join me for the meeting! Email me at hobrien[at]phrusa[dot]org and we can go together.
No matter where you live, holding a meeting with your Represenative’s office is easy, fun, empowering, and effective. PHR can help. Email Barbara at bcastro[at]phrusa[dot]org and she will help you set up a meeting and provide talking points so you will feel confident going in and have the tools to come away from the meeting with a new Global HEALTH Act co-sponsor.
Want to do something different during GHWA? Check out the GHWA Toolkit for more ideas and resources to help you plan.
Posted in: africa, congress, GHWA, Global HEALTH Act, global health week of action, Health, Official PHR Posts, Student Blog, toolkit
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Every year, PHR’s National Student Program works with chapters across the country to organize and lead a Global Health Week of Action (GHWA). The GHWA is an opportunity to educate your campus about global health and encourage your colleagues to act on their new knowledge to make a difference.
Check out the new GHWA Toolkit for more information.
This year we’re encouraging chapters to focus their GHWA on the global health workforce crisis and the 2010 Global HEALTH Act, which will be introduced soon in the House of Representatives. You can raise awareness about the need for more health workers and better health systems in developing countries, and then take steps to address that need.
The first step: set your Global Health Week of Action date. Because April 7, 2010, is World Health Day, April 4-10 is the official week of action date. If you need to move the date because of spring break or campus calendars, go for it – just try to stay within 2-3 weeks of this date.
Please refer to the GHWA Toolkit to find resources for planning a successful week of events! The Toolkit includes an Issue and Action Guide, ideas for great events, suggestions on how to fundraise and publicize, and resources to share with your community.
We hope these resources – along with your creativity, energy, and education and advocacy skills – will help ensure that your GHWA has real impact.
Want more support? That’s what we’re here for. Email Hope O’Brien anytime at hobrien[at]phrusa[dot]org.
Posted in: chapters, Events, GHWA, Global HEALTH Act, global health week of action, Health, health and human rights education, hhr ed, Official PHR Posts, right to health, strengthening health systems, Student Blog, toolkit, us congresss, workforce
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Even after months of preparation, I wasn’t ready for the incredible energy at Saturday’s 2010 PHR National Conference, Health & Human Rights Education in 2010!
Each of us, over 120 students and faculty from 43 US and International PHR Chapters, brought our own reasons for pursuing health and human rights education, and we all returned to different situations at our schools. We came together for one day to inspire others with our successes, share solutions to our challenges, and generate the energy that will sustain our work to advance Health and Human Rights Education (HHRE).
The day was designed to provide inspiration, resources, and skill-building. It began with PHR Board Chair Dr. Robert Lawrence’s compelling opening keynote, which offered participants an historical context, challenged them to approach obstacles from more than one angle, and inspired them with a sense of what might be possible. Panels and strategy sessions with HHRE pioneers and student-led workshops followed. Students inspired one another in the Education in Action Expo. The closing session, a Town Hall meeting with Rep. Jim McGovern, co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, sustained the day’s momentum with his straightforward take on promoting and protecting human rights.
I hope that you all left the Conference with concrete plans for introducing or improving HHRE at your schools. I was so impressed by the plans you shared at the end of the day.
How can PHR support your plans? Take a look at the HHRE Toolkit – either online or in the CD in your Conference Packet. Your Chapter will be contacted twice in the next couple of months by the Student Advisory Board to help you can take advantage of PHR’s network of support as you advance HHRE at your school.
We’ll also work with you to create tools for your Chapter (like the Regional Hubs) to gather useful information and share it with other Chapters. And we will soon share resources for April’s Global Health Week of Action to help engage people in your Chapter’s vision of HHRE!
Posted in: 2010 national conference, health and human rights education, hhr ed, HHRE, human rights, Jim McGovern, national conference, Official PHR Posts, robert lawrence, Student Blog, toolkit
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