By Kristin Ellertson
The Daily Northwestern
A new community organization at Northwestern aims to revamp the ordinary high-school health class.
The group, Peer Health Exchange, is part of a national organization that offers college students the opportunity to run health education programs at local high schools. This is the first time the organization has brought its program to the Chicago area, and the group is the first of its kind at NU.
“A lot of Northwestern students are really excited and want to help out in Chicago,” said Health Exchange co-coordinator Debra Marx. “This is a very direct way to affect the rest of someone’s life.”
The group’s 10-week exchange brings student educators to Chicago public schools that have sub-standard health education programs, and teaches high school freshmen how to make safe choices. NU students can apply to become a health educator in one of 10 workshops, with topics including sexual decision-making and communication, nutrition and physical activity, and drugs. At the two information sessions held so far, about 60 NU students have expressed interest.
Marx, a SESP sophomore, said the organization allows students to make a big difference in other people’s lives while they learn about health issues and develop public speaking skills.
“It’s a good opportunity to reach out and be passionate about something new,” she said.
NU students will join peer educators from the University of Chicago to teach about 650 high-schoolers in Chicago public schools.
“We’ll see how the whole process goes in Chicago as the organization looks to continue in other cities around the nation,” said Sarah Mihalov, a co-coordinator and Weinberg junior.
Marx said the national organization saw the need for intervention in Chicago high schools after identifying students’ risky behavior there.
“A lot of teenagers don’t have access to a comprehensive health education curriculum, so they don’t have the knowledge to make better decisions,” she said.
The staff held information sessions last spring and chose co-coordinators and 10 members of the leadership council to head the program.
“Most of us had a good high-school and middle-school education, so the opportunity to help these students who aren’t given one is amazing,” Mihalov said. “When you’re actually in the workshop, you’ll be able to see a difference based on what you say.”
During this fall, NU health educators will participate in an extensive training program. Students will begin visiting schools before Winter Break and administer “pre-tests” to students to gauge high-schoolers’ knowledge of health issues.
The national organization has found the program helps high-school students increase their awareness of health-related topics by 20 percent, Marx said.
“As college students, we really have a chance for the teenagers to hear us, to listen to us, respect what we have to say and learn it,” she said.
Mihalov said the organization is looking for students who are flexible, open and passionate about what the group stands for.
“It’s a real time commitment, but it should be meaningful and rewarding,” said leadership council member Glen Hajos, a Weinberg sophomore. “Once we go into the classrooms, we’ll be able to teach students a lot of information that will be very useful for them, so it’s well worth it.”
Weinberg freshman Julia Davidson said the program is a way to give back to the community.
“Health education is really important and a lot of kids don’t get it, so this would be a great opportunity for me to do something about that,” she said. “We have the opportunity to teach people our age or just slightly younger than us about important topics.”
Reach Kristin Ellertson at
