Photo credit: Madi Thomas
A longstanding university tradition that embodies AUC’s values of social accountability and engagement, Community Action Day connects students and colleagues with nonprofit organizations for a day of service each semester to focus on community priorities. During the event on March 26, 345 students and colleagues participated in more than a dozen service projects in health, education, environmental awareness, and more.
"I am very proud of our AUC students and colleagues, who shined throughout Sint Maarten in their professionalism, teamwork, energy and heart,” said Dr. Natalie Humphrey, Assistant Dean for Community Engagement. “Our community partners have expressed appreciation for our willingness to serve, connect with others and learn more about public health challenges in Sint Maarten. AUC made an IMPACT."
Photo credit: Madi Thomas
Health screening and educational activities have been a mainstay of Community Action Day since its inception. In Sint Maarten, students conducted health screenings for 120 people in collaboration with AUC faculty, Dr. Kalkidan Bekele and Dr. Shorma Houston, and the Ephesus Church in Belvedere. The event served as an opportunity for AUC to partner with the community organizations to increase access to healthcare and wellness services by assessing individuals’ cholesterol, blood glucose, body mass index (BMI), hypertension and vision, while assisting with consultations and referrals. Students also gained valuable experience in providing health education with support and oversight from faculty physicians.
“I believe this health screening was an incredible opportunity for us to integrate into the community and give back to it. As students we tend to spend most of our time studying for exams and worrying about deadlines, nevertheless, it always feels great to find ourselves doing what we love to do and using what we learned to benefit our community in Sint Maarten,” said student Abdulrahman Baghdadi. “Through the course of organizing and participating in this event, I found myself learning how to establish community partners, communicate effectively with patients, understand cultural considerations as they relate to health, improve my clinical skills, and work as a team. Personally, I consider these skills to be instrumental in my future career as a physician.”
Photo credit: Madi Thomas
Community Action Day also provided an opportunity to focus on the health of the environment—both on land and at sea. Dr. Ryan Downey led AUC participation in a “Dive Again Debris” underwater cleanup event, in which 18 students and faculty joined other divers, snorkelers, and supporters from the Nature Foundation Sint Maarten, The Scuba Shop, SXM Divers, Dive Adventures, and the SXM Coastal Cleanup Project. Four hundred pounds of debris including 138 pieces of plastic were removed from Simpson Bay, with metal sheeting and other debris from Hurricane Irma comprising the bulk of the recovered materials.
The data from the cleanup will be reported to the PADI AWARE Foundation Dive Against Debris database, a movement for divers to take a direct role in reducing marine waste and collecting data for use by marine researchers and policy makers; as well as InNoPlastic, an EU Horizon 2020 project for finding innovative approaches towards the prevention, removal and reuse of marine plastic litter. Many divers look forward to participating in similar cleanups going forward: Fifteen individuals earned their PADI Dive Against Debris Specialty rating, which allow them to continue participating in and coordinating future underwater cleanups. A donation of $300 was also made to the PADI AWARE Foundation to support ocean conservation and awareness through citizen science, public policy, and community grants.
Photo credit: Michelle Pollak
Other projects during Community Action Day focused on collecting food to support the White and Yellow Cross Food Bank, leading children in educational activities through the Body SMAART program at the Belvedere Satellite Library and at the Islamic Center, engaging Mental Health Foundation clients in arts, crafts and fitness activities, cleaning up litter from the Guana Bay Trail with Tri-Sport, and much more.
Thank you to all of our students and colleagues for your dedication toward serving the communities in which we live, study, and work!
Want to share your photos or experience at CAD? Reach out to us at aucnews@aucmed.edu.
