3 Things I'm Thankful For (As a Budding Health Activist)!

It has been merely a year since I discovered that I am a health activist (a newly budding one, but a health activist nonetheless). In hindsight, I should have noticed it sooner. In high school, my parents half-listened as I ranted about various outrageous health-related news stories I had heard or read. I took it upon myself to educate my friends about the intricacies of IBS and celiac disease when they asked why I couldn’t have a brownie or slice of lasagna.

I’ve only begun to traverse the many realms of health activism, but already, I have more than 3 things I am thankful for. Here’s my narrowed down list (in no particular order)!

Twitter: When I first started my internship at WEGO Health, I had to start using Twitter. I’d never used Twitter before; when Amanda told me that I could “tweet at” a particular person, I was dumbfounded. Now, I know how to use it! I think it’s one of the most effective social media tools out there today. It makes it easy to track what activists are doing in their communities and to establish ties with other activists out there. You can also use a social media dashboard like Hoot Suite to stay organized.

My University: Since I’m an intern, lo and behold, I’m still in school. As part of a program at my school, I took a yearlong class about HIV/AIDS in South Africa which required me to travel to Cape Town for two weeks. It was here that I met HIV/AIDS activists who operated on extremely limited funds, but still managed to spread their message across the country and make a dramatic impact on their fellow citizens. It was also here that I realized that I too was a health activist! This revelation led me to WEGO Health!

WEGO Health Community: The WEGO Health Community is amazing. Amy K, Janeen, Alicia C. Staley, and Ellen S, have been extremely helpful and encouraging. Their work has served as a model for me and their dedication has been nothing short of inspirational. Just ask Alicia: when I met her at the WEGO Health office, I was so excited that I slightly embarrassed myself. Also, Amanda and Bridgette have been wonderful, taking all of the interns under their collective wings and showing us how it’s all done! I picked the right place to intern at and I am very grateful for all that I’ve learned!

This post is my November entry in the Health Activist Blog Carnival. If you're interested in participating too, you can read all about here: http://blog.wegohealth.com/2010/11/new-health-activist-blog-carniva....

Tags: blog carnival, health activism, november, thanks

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Comment by Kendra Sebelius on November 16, 2010 at 3:10pm: Twitter changed my life and advocacy/activism in ways I NEVER would have imaginedc possible. Truly grateful for the wonderful support system on there and on WEGO.

Comment by Janeen on November 17, 2010 at 1:21pm: What a wonderful experience to travel to South Africa and see Health Activists out in the field having an impact. And thanks for linking me (I'm blusing!). We are so lucky to have you here and I know that I'm learning from you too. This is a wonderful list! Thanks so much for sharing.

Comment by Amy K on November 20, 2010 at 11:54pm: Thank you so very much for including me in your list and for sharing your 3 things with us! It's very cool to be a part of your Health Activist efforts.

3 Things I'm Thankful For (As a Budding Health Activist)!

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