Study at Sea (May 2012)
With Mary Lenway and Kristan Lingard, I led a group of students in the FITM, ESLM and KIN program on a trip to Central & South America aboard the MV Explorer, an educational institution aboard a ship. This was the first year we had health promotion students on the trip. They were responsible for delivering morning group exercise classes and delivering health workshops for other passengers. In addition, they did various service projects in the countries we visited and attended classes and lectures on the ship. Overall, the trip was an outstanding success for this group of the students. In their reflections, they talked about it being a life changing experience and want to find more opportunities to travel and volunteer.
Student workshops
Prior to departing on the trip, we met once a week and covered the regular FITM 232 Health Promotion material in addition to spending time planning for the trip.The students developed their workshops in groups of 3-4 on:
The students started working on their workshop from the beginning of the semester.The challenge was that they lacked confidence in their abilities to create and deliver a ‘real’ workshop. For some, this became almost debilitating, they felt like they couldn’t do it or no longer wanted to go on the trip because of it. I think one of the factors that might have contributed to this was the large courseload they were carrying during the semester and that they wanted to do a good job, but felt they didn’t have the time. What I would do differently the next time I do this is provide much more guidance and structure to the process. In addition, I would spend more time working with them setting up objectives for the group and allow more in class time to work together. Despite the challenges of putting together the workshops, the final outcome was excellent. The workshops ranged from good to excellent quality and were well received by fellow passengers. Some commenting that they couldn’t believe these were students presenting.
- risk assessment
- exercise while travelling
- healthy eating
- debunking health myths
- stress reduction.
The students started working on their workshop from the beginning of the semester.The challenge was that they lacked confidence in their abilities to create and deliver a ‘real’ workshop. For some, this became almost debilitating, they felt like they couldn’t do it or no longer wanted to go on the trip because of it. I think one of the factors that might have contributed to this was the large courseload they were carrying during the semester and that they wanted to do a good job, but felt they didn’t have the time. What I would do differently the next time I do this is provide much more guidance and structure to the process. In addition, I would spend more time working with them setting up objectives for the group and allow more in class time to work together. Despite the challenges of putting together the workshops, the final outcome was excellent. The workshops ranged from good to excellent quality and were well received by fellow passengers. Some commenting that they couldn’t believe these were students presenting.
Group exercise classes
On the ship, students were responsible for delivering a group exercise class and workshop on a variety of topics. The students were creative in their use of space and equipment (minimal) to create really wonderful group exercise class every morning at sea. We had 30-50 participants attend of all different levels who were very impressed with the quality of the classes. The students supported each other, by readily volunteered to do additional exercise classes, assisting each other and getting up at 6:30am to attend.
Study at Sea experience (on ship and on land)
What was really wonderful about the ship was the great community of passengers and presenters. Students sat with a variety of people every meal. It is difficult to put into words the experiences we had on the trip in regards to the volunteer projects we did in the countries we visited. Overall, the students really gained an appreciation for the effect of poverty, education and living conditions on health. I think what struck many students was that despite the poverty and language divide, the people were so welcoming, loving and open. From the students reflections, I think this has opened their eyes to new possibilities as to what they want to do in the world. Since the trip, most of the students have been looking for opportunities to make a difference through volunteering, fundraising or in their work. This is more than I could have hoped for from the trip. I knew it would open their eyes, but I am so glad they took it further than I expected. Finally, what I found the most rewarding on the trip is the ability to have more time with students, in a more casual setting. I always feel so pressed for time in a normal classroom setting and feel like there is not enough time to explore a topic through discussion or experience. On the trip, we weren’t limited for time. We could continue discussions from day to day, experience the things we are talking about, and get feedback. Students, on their own accord would practice their workshop many times, get feedback from myself and Kristan and continually discuss and revise their plan. Because of limited time during the school year, this is unlikely to happen.