Project HEALTH Sponsors Conference

The combination of public policy and service drew more than 80 student activists from Harvard, Brown, Smith and Wellesley at a conference sponsored by Project HEALTH on Saturday.

"We wanted to have an opportunity for students from different schools to talk about their service experience," said Muriel Jean-Jacques '99, co-director of Project HEALTH.

A panel discussion with community leaders who are active in developing public policy kicked off the day-long event.

Attendees then broke into workshops to discuss how the issues of violence, literacy, environmental issues and nutrition relate to children's health.

"It is important for student volunteers to know that community service--tutoring especially--is not so simple as just going in and meeting one-on-one with the child," said Jean-Jacques. "There are other issues at play."

The conference concluded with a speech by Jonah Edelman, the director of Stand for Children, an affiliate of the Children's Defense Fund.

Organizers said they valued Edelman's perspective as a young person pursuing public service.

"He is 27 and he has done so much so far with championing service," said Supinda Bunyavanich '99-'98, Project HEALTH co-director.

"He spoke about how it is an uphill battle to pursue service on campus, but it is worthwhile," she said.

The policy-service focus reflects a primary concern of Project HEALTH, Jean-Jacques said.

"Project HEALTH discusses how different social factors affect children, but a lot of different organizations don't," she said.

Looking back on the conference, planners said they were pleased.

"I think it was very successful," Bunyavanich said. "I know I spoke to students who had not thought about the policy linkage before."

"It is an empowering realization that you can affect public policy through public service," she said.