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CHAP Handbook (Final)
- 2. ! 1!
INTRODUCTION)
!
Welcome!to!the!Community!Health!Advocacy!Program,!or!CHAP!!We’re!excited!
to!have!you!on!board!with!us.!This!Handbook!is!designed!to!provide!guidelines!
for!the!program,!volunteers,!EEBoard,!and!anyone!who!would!like!to!learn!more!
information! about! who! we! are! as! an! organization.! Please! read! through! the!
following! information! provided! to! find! out! what! is! expected! from! each! role!
associated!with!this!club.!
!
!
!
What%does%it%mean%to%be%a%CHAP%volunteer?%
♥ You!offer!your!creativity,!passion,!and!dedication!to!the!community.!
♥ You!make!a!oneEyear!commitment!to!the!program!and!your!site.!
!
PLME)SENATE!
The!Community!Health!Advocacy!Program!(CHAP)!is!sponsored!by!the!Warren!
Alpert! Medical! School! of! Brown! University! as! well! as! the! Program! in! Liberal!
Medical! Education! (PLME).! Because! of! these! ties,! CHAP! enjoys! and! prospers!
from!a!close!collaboration!with!the!PLME!Senate!and!receives!valuable!guidance!
from! the! PLME! administration—namely! Dean! Ip,! Ms.! Sweigart,! and! Ms.!
McAllister.!!
!
)
)
)
The!Community!Health!Advocacy!Program!(CHAP)!works!cooperatively!
with!various!Providence!populations!to!promote!the!physical,!mental,!and!
emotional!health!of!individuals!and!the!community!as!a!whole.!Composed!of!
community!participants!and!student!volunteers,!our!teams!identify!relevant!
health!issues!and!then!create!programs,!drawing!from!both!communitiesS!
resources,!to!address!these!issues.!CHAP!provides!the!opportunity!for!
communities!and!future!health!care!professionals!to!meet!the!health!care!
needs!of!areas!that!are!often!underserved!due!to!a!variety!of!social,!economic,!
and!cultural!barriers.!
!
Our!Mission!Statement!
- 3. ! 2!
CHAP)E1BOARD)
!
♥ Role%of%CHAP%E:Board%
The! PLME! Senate! comprises! various! committees,! one! of! which! is! the!
CHAP!EEBoard.!As!a!committee!within!PLME!Senate,!CHAP!must!both!
coordinate! with! PLME! Senate! coEpresidents! and! work! closely! with! the!
Community!Service!committee!to!hold!events!within!and!outside!of!PLME!
Senate.!The!CHAP!EEBoard,!on!the!other!hand,!is!composed!of!two!older!
age!group!site!leaders,!two!middle!age!group!site!leaders,!two!younger!
age!group!site!leaders,!two!expansion!chairs,!a!mentor/adult!contact,!and!
a! PLME! Senate! liaison.! The! EEBoard! meets! regularly! to! report! on! and!
discuss!respective!individual!and!group!work!done!in!CHAP!as!well!as!to!
continually!update!the!handbook.!All!CHAP!members!and!affiliates!are!
welcome!at!these!general!body!meetings.!!
!
♥ Site%Leaders%
A!duo!each!responsible!for!one!age!group,!site!leaders!provide!guidance!
to! volunteers! and! structure! to! lesson! planning! meetings.! Site! leaders!
typically! have! at! least! one! semester! of! volunteering! experience! with!
CHAP!and!have!demonstrated!a!keen!interest!in!both!community!health!
and!the!education!of!children!in!the!Providence!community.!
!
♥ Site%Expansion%Leaders%
Site! Expansion! Chairs! are! responsible! for! communicating! and! forging!
relationships!with!new!sites!and!working!closely!with!Ms.!McAllister!to!
complete! this! objective.! After! researching! potential! partner! sites! and!
obtaining!Ms.!McAllister’s!approval!for!partnering!with!them,!expansion!
leaders!will!contact!these!sites!via!eEmail—with!Ms.!McAllister!“ccEed”!in!
all! emails—telephone,! or! in! person.! They! then! report! to! Ms.! McAllister!
and!the!CHAP!EEBoard!on!their!progress.!The!Site!Expansion!Chairs!are!
responsible! for! serving! as! liaisons! between! the! EEBoard! and! the! general!
body! members,! meaning! they! communicate! any! messages! and!
announcements!while!also!making!sure!that!volunteers!feel!connected!to!
the!EEBoard.!They!are!also!in!charge!of!maintaining!the!listserv,!and!are!
responsible!for!CHAP’s!social!media!outreach.!
!
♥ Mentor/Adult%Contact%
The!mentor/adult!contact!is!a!former!CHAP!site!leader!and!volunteer!who!
advises! new! EEBoard! members! about! CHAP! leadership.! This! individual!
- 4. ! 3!
volunteers!their!time!to!improve!CHAP!and!can!contact!members!through!
several!means,!including!in!person!and!online.!!
!
♥ PLME%Senate%Liaison%%
The!PLME!Senate!Liaison!is!responsible!for!communicating!with!the!
PLME!Senate!through!eEmails!and!for!representing!the!CHAP!EEBoard!at!
PLME!Senate!general!meetings.!This!individual!must!relay!important!
information!about!CHAP!to!the!PLME!coEpresidents!and!administration.!!
!
♥ Member%Selection%Process%
CHAP!EEBoard!members!are!selected!through!an!election.!Volunteers!and!
current!members!may!nominate!themselves!for!one!(or!multiple!positions,!
if!denied!a!position)!and!are!elected!by!other!attendees!at!CHAP!general!
meetings.!!
!
!
VOLUNTEERS)
!
♥ Role%of%Volunteers%
CHAP!volunteers!form!the!foundation!of!the!lessons.!They!are!the!ones!
who!teach!students!the!lessons!and!engage!with!them!in!a!safe,!fun,!and!
learningEcentral!manner.!Bearing!this!in!mind,!CHAP!volunteers!must!be!
responsible,!dedicated,!and!focused!on!providing!a!fun!lesson.!As!leaders!
of!lessons,!volunteers!will!travel!to!their!assigned!sites!on!the!day!of!their!
lesson.!They!will!teach!the!preEplanned!lecture!to!the!students!as!well!as!
lead!in!any!associated!activities.!While!adults!supervise!at!most!sites,!it!is!
usually!up!to!the!volunteers!to!keep!the!students!focused!on!the!lesson.!
Volunteers! must! also! look! out! for! the! safety! of! themselves! and! the!
children! when! doing! a! lesson! or! activity.! If! something! happens! that!
volunteers! may! not! be! trained! to! handle! (e.g.! extremely! uncooperative!
students,! accidents,! injuries,! etc.),! it! is! the! volunteer’s! responsibility! to!
notify! an! adult! who! is! in! charge.! It) is) neither) the) volunteers’) role) nor)
duty)to)be)involved)in)disciplining)kids.!
! !
Another!important!part!of!CHAP!is!planning!the!lessons!that!volunteers!
will!lead.!Site!leaders!design!meetings!to!allow!volunteer!input,!and!it!is!
expected! of! volunteers! to! contribute! to! the! lesson! planning! process! to!
some! degree.! Volunteers! should! attend! the! weekly! meetings! with! site!
leaders!in!order!to!gain!a!clear!understanding!of!what!each!week’s!lesson!
- 5. ! 4!
will! involve.! Volunteers! are! expected! to! notify! their! site! leaders! in!
advance!if!they!are!not!able!to!attend!any!one!of!these!meetings.!
! !
Furthermore,! CHAP! volunteers! should! attend! the! lessEfrequent! general!
body! meetings,! training! sessions,! as! well! as! a! oneEtime! orientation.!
Important!information!will!be!discussed!in!these!meetings,!and!volunteers!
are! always! encouraged! to! reflect! upon! their! experiences! and! provide!
constructive! feedback! to! the! EEBoard.! Improving! our! organization! is! an!
ongoing!and!dynamic!process!!
! !
In!order!to!promote!a!safe!and!trustworthy!environment!for!learning!in!all!
of! our! sites,! CHAP! requires! that! every! volunteer! obtain! a! background!
check,! formally! known! as! a! Bureau! of! Criminal! Identification! (BCI).!
Background! checks! can! be! obtained! at! the! Attorney! General’s! office! in!
downtown! Providence! at! 150! South! Main! Street! (this! is! right! down!
College! Hill).! To! get! a! BCI,! bring! a! $5! check! or! money! order! to! the!
Attorney!General’s!office!with!a!valid!ID.!The!window!to!obtain!a!BCI!is!
immediately! to! the! right! as! you! walk! in! the! building,! and! the! entire!
process!takes!only!a!few!minutes.!!
!
♥ Recruiting%Volunteers%
Recruitment!of!volunteers!begins!with!the!Student!Activities!Fair,!where!
CHAP!meets!and!speaks!with!students!interested!in!learning!more!about!
our! group.! We! obtain! contact! information! from! students! interested! in!
joining!our!mailing!list!(listserv).!These!students!then!receive!eEmails!with!
more! details! about! our! organization! and! regarding! our! information!
sessions,!where!we!present!to!potential!applicants!on!volunteering!with!
CHAP! and! answer! any! questions.! We! promote! CHAP! information!
sessions! via! Morning! Mail,! table! slips! in! dining! halls,! tabling,! Facebook!
events,!and!posters!distributed!throughout!campus.!Another!major!form!
of! promotion! is! having! willing! professors! (e.g.! in! large! intro! courses)!
briefly!display!our!advertisement!before!class.!!
!
♥ Selecting%Volunteers%
Volunteers! must! apply! to! be! accepted! into! the! program.! Interested!
students!should!fill!out!an!application!and!include!short!responses!to!the!
application! questions.! CHAP! requires! volunteer! dedication! to! the!
organization.!When!selecting!new!volunteers,!we!look!for!students!who!
have! a! love! for! teaching! children! and! a! passion! for! community! health.!
Ideal! volunteers! should! be! excellent! with! children,! enthusiastic,! and!
- 6. ! 5!
willing!to!lead!the!lessons.!CHAP!asks!that!volunteers!lead!lessons!at!the!
site!as!well!as!attend!weekly!site!leader!meetings,!leading!to!a!total!time!
commitment! of! about! 3! hours! per! week.! It! is! usually! expected! that!
volunteers! regularly! attend! the! lessons! and! meetings! (see! Attendance!
Policy! for! exceptions).! Regrettably,! some! volunteers! realize! that! the!
program! is! more! of! a! commitment! than! they! had! imagined! and! leave!
before!the!end!of!the!semester.!Prospective%volunteers%should%be%realistic%
about% their% availability% in% light% of% other% extracurricular/academic%
obligations% throughout% the% semester.% Please% be% mindful% of% the% expected%
time%commitment%of%CHAP%prior%to%joining.!!
!
♥ Orientation%
New! CHAP! volunteers! must! attend! a! mandatory! orientation! session,! in!
which!CHAP!site!leaders!will!go!over!expectations!and!requirements!of!
volunteers! as! members! of! the! organization.! Volunteer! training! will! also!
take!place!during!this!time!to!prepare!new!volunteers!on!how!to!properly!
lead!lessons.!There!will!be!two!available!orientation!sessions!so!that!every!
new!member!may!attend!a!session.!!
!
!
VOLUNTEERING)POLICIES)
!
♥ Session%Attendance%
One1strike) policy.! Volunteers! may! miss! one! volunteering! session! per!
semester! with! a! valid! excuse! evaluated! on! a! caseEbyEcase! basis.!
Notification!must!be!given!to!the!site!leaders!and!group!members!about!
potential! absences! at! the! earliest! possible! convenience.! If! a! volunteer!
misses!more!than!one!session,!he!or!she!will!be!required!to!meet!with!his!
or!her!site!leaders!to!discuss!volunteer!responsibility!and!future!volunteer!
status.!!
Attendance) spreadsheet.! Volunteering! groups! are! asked! to! keep! a!
spreadsheet! depicting! weekly! lesson! attendance.! A) MINIMUM) OF) 3)
VOLUNTEERS) MUST) BE) PRESENT) FOR) EACH) LESSON.! CHAP!
members!are!not!only!volunteers!but!also!leaders!and!mentors.!Kids!in!this!
program!look!up!to!and!depend!on!the!CHAP!volunteers!to!provide!fun!
and!educational!activities!each!week.!KIDS!NOTICE!when!volunteers!are!
absent.!Failure!to!have!an!adequate!number!of!volunteers!present!at!each!
session! can! often! lead! to! a! disarray! that! reflects! poorly! on! individual!
CHAP! volunteers,! the! CHAP! organization,! and! Brown! University! as! a!
- 7. ! 6!
whole;!therefore,!it!is!crucial!for!CHAP!volunteers!to!be!present!at!each!
session.!!
!!
♥ Lesson%Planning%Participation%and%Attendance%
Take)pride.!Take!pride!in!your!advocacy!efforts.!CHAP!involvement!has!
far! reaching! influences! and! each! group! of! kids! has! different! needs;!
therefore,! it! is! imperative! for! CHAP! volunteers! to! use! their! judgments!
when!teaching!children.!Volunteers!are!required!to!participate!in!a!weekly!
lesson! planning! session! guided! by! their! site! leaders! wherein! they! will!
collaborate! to! craft! the! weekly! lesson! plan! and! thereby! understand! the!
materials!and!activities!employed!in!each!lesson.!!
!
♥ Community%Building%%
Because!of!the!nature!of!CHAP,!volunteers!are!divided!into!teams!based!
on! site! locations! and! age! groups.! Thus,! members! of! the! program! as! a!
whole! may! not! have! as! many! opportunities! to! interact! with! other!
volunteers.!With!this!in!mind,!CHAP!leaders!plan!to!organize!fun,!semiE
regular! communityEbuilding! events! in! order! to! facilitate! interaction! and!
familiarity! among! volunteers.! Every! volunteer! is! encouraged! to! attend!
these!communityEbuilding!events!to!get!to!know!other!members!of!CHAP.!
These! events! will! be! announced! as! the! year! goes! on! and! may! include!
Secret!Santa!as!well!as!movie!and!game!nights.!
!
♥ Uniform%Policy%
All!volunteers!must!wear!their!official!CHAP!tEshirt!while!volunteering.!
The! shirts! can! be! bought! from! Terry! McAllister! in! the! PLME! Office,! 91!
Waterman!Street,!Room!222.!!
!
LESSON)PLANNING)
!
♥ Lesson%Planning%Objectives%
Lesson!plans!should!emphasize!1E2!major!points!while!accommodating!a!
variety!of!short!activities!and!games.!For!instance,!volunteers!may!elect!to!
read!a!short!book!or!perform!a!brief!demonstration!in!order!to!introduce!
that!week’s!lesson!plan.!!!!
When!creating!the!lesson!plans,!volunteers!should!be!mindful!of!the!target!
age!group’s!ability!to!participate!in!and!understand!the!lessons.!Activities!
should! not! be! too! difficult! to! understand,! and! any! materials! and! props!
- 8. ! 7!
should!not!be!too!tedious!to!handle.!In!other!words,!lesson!plans!should!
be!ageEappropriate.!
!!
♥ Lesson%Planning%Process%
All!volunteers!are!encouraged!to!partake!in!the!lesson!planning!process.!
These! meetings! will! be! a! valuable! opportunity! for! everyone! to! reflect!
upon!and!revise!our!curriculum!to!ensure!that!our!lesson!plans!are!as!fun,!
interactive,!and!meaningful!for!the!kids!as!possible.!After!all,!our!goal!is!to!
plan! lessons! that! will! be! tailored! to! the! interests! and! needs! of! each! age!
group,!all!while!keeping!things!fun!!
!
♥ Weekly%Lesson:Planning%Meetings%
Site! leaders! will! reach! out! to! volunteers! every! week! with! meeting!
locations!and!times.!These!meetings!should!not!take!more!than!an!hour!
per!week.!
!
♥ Examples%of%Previous%Curricula%and%Lesson%Plans%
Our! curriculum! for! the! Younger! Age! Group! in! the! past! has! included!
lessons!focusing!on!exercise,!nutrition,!winter!safety,!“stranger!danger,”!
and! emotions.! These! lessons! have! included! such! diverse! activities! as!
interactive!reading,!coloring,!singing,!and!roleEplaying.!Typically,!a!lesson!
plan!involves!one!“large!group”!activity!to!introduce!the!theme!for!that!
week,!as!well!as!3E4!smaller!activities!that!the!kids!complete!in!separate!
groups.!When!wrapping!up!the!lesson,!volunteers!may!bring!everybody!
back!together!with!a!final!activity!to!reinforce!the!important!lessons!of!the!
day.!
!
!
LESSON)MATERIALS)&)PROPS)
!
♥ Examples%of%Previous%Materials%
CHAP!is!responsible!for!bringing!all!materials,!props,!and!tools!that!will!
be! used! during! the! lessons.! !Some! sites! do! have! items! such! as!
whiteboards,!markers/pencils,!paper!and!PE!equipment!that!we!can!use,!
but! in! general,! expect! to! bring! everything! that! you! will! need! for! the!
lesson.!!Each!group!can!ask!their!site!contact!about!the!available!materials!
at!the!first!lesson!and!adjust!needed!materials!accordingly.!!!
We!have!found!that!the!best!lessons!are!those!that!make!use!of!props!or!
visual!aids.!!In!addition!to!keeping!the!kids!engaged,!props!allow!the!kids!
to! test! out! tools! that! we! have! talked! about! while! visual! aids! can! make!
- 9. ! 8!
lessons! easier! to! understand.! !Since! most! of! the! kids! are! quite! young,!
giving! them! props! that! they! can! play! with! and! examine! can! turn! an!
otherwise!abstract!talk!into!a!great!learning!experience.!!In!the!past,!we!
have!had!success!with!bringing!oversized!teeth!for!a!dental!unit!and!a!first!
aid!kit!for!a!general!safety!lesson,!among!others.!!Props!and!demos!are!a!
great!way!to!ensure!a!more!exciting!lesson!!
!
♥ Suggestions%for%New%Materials%
We!do!have!a!budget!for!new!props,!so!definitely!bring!any!ideas!that!you!
have!to!your!site!leader!so!we!can!use!them!in!lessons!!!Obviously,!keep!
the!props!age!appropriate!and!preferably!large,!so!that!several!kids!can!
look!at!them!at!once.!!!
!
♥ Shopping%for%Materials%
Each! week,! students! can! trade! off! purchasing! simple! materials! for! the!
lessons!(i.e.!paper,!blindfolds,!posters,!etc.).!!Bigger!purchases!should!be!
approved!by!site!leaders.!!!
!
♥ Drop:off%&%Pick:up%Locations%
Since!there!are!multiple!groups!for!most!age!groups,!lesson!materials!will!
have!to!be!handed!off!from!group!to!group.!!There!is!a!closet!in!the!PLME!
office! (Arnold! Lab! Room! #222)! that! can! be! used! for! this! purpose.! !A!
person!from!the!first!group!can!place!the!materials!there!after!the!lesson!is!
completed!and!another!person!from!the!second!group!can!pick!it!up!the!
next!day.!!We!have!found!that!this!system!works!better!than!a!personEtoE
person!handoff,!which!often!results!in!forgotten!materials!and!one!group!
left!without!the!right!materials!for!the!lessons.!!!
!
!
VOLUNTEER)SITES)
) !
♥ Younger%Age%Group%%
The!younger!age!group!comprises!children!between!the!ages!of!three!and!
five,!i.e.!preEschool.!Current)sites:)East!Site/Mt.!Hope!YMCA,!West!End!
Community!Center.!!
!
♥ Middle%Age%Group%
The! middle! age! group! consists! of! children! between! the! ages! of! six! and!
twelve,! i.e.! elementary! school.! Current) sites:) West! End! Community!
Center,!Cavalry!Baptist!Church.!
