by Emily Dowdell
With November comes cold and flu season, and with the coming
of cold and flu season, we as students should never be more grateful for one
particular student organization on campus, an organization that calls itself
Project Health. Project Heath, according to the organization’s website,
projectheath.ua.edu, is an organization that “strives to promote health and
wellness throughout the UA campus and surrounding community.” Project Health’s
president, Amanda Walker, says its members attempt to provide peer support,
education, and awareness on health issues that are specifically relevant to
college students.
A
common misconception about Project Health is that a student must be a nursing,
nutrition, or health-related major to join the organization. But according to
Walker, “anyone who is passionate about health is always welcome,” she says.
“We have bi-weekly meetings, there are no dues, and the organization is based
completely on how involved the members are. We have all majors that
participate.” All members are trained to educate the campus, so no experience
is necessary.
Project
Health participates in a variety of different events and activities in which
members can get involved and prospective members can learn about the
organization. Events like Komen on the Go, a breast cancer walk held in
October, and the Student Health Fair, an event that has previously been held in
the fall, but this year will be held in the spring. Additionally, according to
Walker, “anything that the Student Health Center puts on, we’re there to answer
questions as well.” One of those Student Health Center sponsored promotions is
the Health Hut, a tent that changes locations every so often, highlights a
different health topic every week, and gives out things like fliers, buttons,
magnets, and chapstick in order to promote a particular health topic for the
week. The Health Hut is a branch of the Student Health Center that works
together with Project Health on events. Walker says eventually Project Health
plans to officially partner with the Health Hut, a partnership that would make
all Health Hut workers Project Health members.
Walker’s
favorite Project Health event is more of a program that is called Beautiful
Health. In this program, Project Health partners with Tuscaloosa One Place and
goes to middle schools to mentor students about issues like self esteem and
peer pressure. The program lasts the entire spring semester, and focuses on
being confident in oneself in the tough middle school years.
Sound
interesting? To join, go to Project Health’s website, projecthealth.ua.edu, and
download the application, then email it to projecthealth@ua.edu.
