Advancing health equity from the ground up
Advancing health equity from the ground up
Advancing health equity from the ground up
LIGHT
Leaders in Grassroots Health Transformation
LIGHT provides participants with an intersectional groundwork for becoming grassroots health equity advocates and leaders. Program graduates can apply for a Neighbors to Leaders Fellowship—mini-grants with continued mentorship—to support their own community resilience projects or initiatives. The goal of the program is for participants to:
- understand how the U.S. healthcare system and its associated industries came to be;
- learn strategies for achieving quality healthcare for all;
- explore the intersections of housing, climate, and health;
- develop their skills in framing the issue, public speaking, writing, and community organizing;
- understand the role of different non-profit and political bodies in local healthcare advocacy work;
identify their interests, strengths, and passions as grassroots health justice leaders.
LIGHT Learning Outcomes
Next LIGHT Cohort
NOTE: Applications will open again soon. Please subscribe to our Policy & Advocacy newsletter to be notified.
WHEN:
Fall 2022
6:00 – 8:30 PM
Every Tuesday for 9 weeks
WHERE:
Virtual
COST:
There is no fee to participate.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
- Open to adults and teens (14+). Teens can earn community service hours.
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Youth program available for kids ages 6-13 (must have a parent/guardian in LIGHT).
- Free interpretation in Spanish, Haitian Creole, and American Sign Language available upon request.
- Accessibility accommodations available upon request.
CONTACT:
Destini Smith, [email protected]
"If we don’t get committed to addressing the factors that affect your health—the socioeconomic factors, the policies, the environment, the ways you get clinical care—if we don’t address those things and meet people where they need, we’re not going to reduce these disparities.
When we use an equity lens and give people what they need to achieve that health outcome that we talk about, we benefit our entire community."
"If we don’t get committed to addressing the factors that affect your health—the socioeconomic factors, the policies, the environment, the ways you get clinical care—if we don’t address those things and meet people where they need, we’re not going to reduce these disparities. When we use an equity lens and give people what they need to achieve that health outcome that we talk about, we benefit our entire community."
- Dr. Cheryl Holder
Physician, FIU Professor, Co-Chair of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action
“In a post-Civil Rights era, racism is also defined as what happens when institutions and structures operate in a race-neutral manner that nevertheless perpetuates historical racial disadvantage and produce new forms of racial disenfranchisement.
The failure to pass Medicaid expansion is a demonstration of structural racism at its finest. There is no excuse for denying vulnerable people health care, which many countries understand as a basic human right.”
“In a post-Civil Rights era, racism is also defined as what happens when institutions and structures operate in a race-neutral manner that nevertheless perpetuates historical racial disadvantage and produce new forms of racial disenfranchisement. The failure to pass Medicaid expansion is a demonstration of structural racism at its finest. There is no excuse for denying vulnerable people health care, which many countries understand as a basic human right.”
Khiara M. Bridges, Professor at UC Berkeley School of Law
LIGHT Youth Curriculum
The Youth program is open to children between the ages of 6 and 13. The curriculum is full of fun and interactive learning opportunities that are flexible for different age groups. Activities are separated by age group (elementary school: ages 6-9; middle school: ages 10-13) and are designed to engage participants at their appropriate learning-level.
Youth participants will learn about:
- Defining health, including their own thoughts and feelings about health
- Human rights and health as a human right
- Healthy schools, healthy selves, healthy communities
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Assessing how resilient our communities and schools may be or where they need to improve
- Safety 101
- Speaking truth to power
- Media literacy
NOTE: Participants must have a parent or guardian in the LIGHT program.
Neighbors to Leaders Fellowship
Do you have an idea for a project that would make your community more resilient?
The Catalyst Miami Neighbors to Leaders Fellowship recognizes that we cannot make the change we need to see in our communities as an individual organization, or through policy alone. We recognize the many neighborhood leaders that feel called to work to improve their communities, often with no financial or technical support.
The Neighbors to Leaders Fellowship provides assistance to such leaders who have gone through our leadership programs such as HEAL and CLEAR. Through this fellowship, participants gain access to financial and other resources, one-on-one technical support, and to professional networks that advance the development of grassroots, community-based initiatives. This program allows our alumni to take the next step in implementing the training and skills gained in leadership programs to support their personal growth, strengthen our communities, and create a Miami-Dade in which we all thrive.
To apply: Email Izegbe Onyango
[email protected]
The basics:
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Some examples of fellowship projects are:
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Note: Fellowship awards are limited; selection criteria will depend on availability of funds, project feasibility, need for the project, and other factors. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.