Practicum Project
Group Evaluation
While trying to come up with an idea for our leadership practicum, we thought long and hard about what the community was in need of knowing. We finally decided on Women's Heart Disease Awareness because we, as women, know first hand that heart disease is not something that most women worry about... mostly because they don't know to worry. They don't know how serious heart disease is and that it is the number one killer of women in America today. How are women to know that heart disease is something they should try to prevent if the facts aren't presented to them in a manner they can understand and feel obligated to react to?
It was the American Heart Association's Go Red movement that inspired us to go forth and teach the masses. Go Red is a national campaign geared solely towards educating women on heart disease risks, prevention, and management. We took their same mission and scaled it down to a community level. Between all of the women at the Cypress Cove apartment complex that attended our presentation, if we were able to inspire at least one, then we feel mission was accomplished.
The planning process for our project presented us with some challenges, but as leaders, we were able to overcome them. For example, we first thought we could present to the residents at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge. But after speaking to the house manager, we were informed that their schedule was booked for the entire month. Next we thought about presenting to a women's group at one of the local churches. After visiting a few churches, we learned that most of the groups were not meeting for the summer. After revisiting the drawing board, we decided to advertise and present to the women that lived in Cypress Cove apartments. This turned out to be a great decision. The women came to the clubhouse voluntarily and appreciated all that they learned. They were very thankful for the handouts and also thought that our homemade refrigerator magnets were cute and creative. The main idea behind the magnets was that hopefully when the women go to their refrigerators to grab a snack or to make dinner, that little red dress will be a friendly reminder that they should consider their heart when deciding what to make for that meal.
We enjoyed doing our project. We learned alot for ourselves as women and we were able to share our knowledge with other women as well. What good is it to have the knowledge unless you are able to share it with others? Sharing their knowledge is one skill out of many that every leader must master.
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