National Public Health Week Civic Engagement Episode

In honor of National Public Health Week, Buffalo HealthCast proudly presents a special episode focused on the vital role of civic engagement in promoting community health and well-being. Join us as we sit down with Rachel DiDomizio, a passionate advocate and community organizer, from University at Buffalo, to explore the power of grassroots activism and civic participation and how to get involved.

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Transcript

Nada Fox: 0:10

Welcome back, public health enthusiast for National Public Health Week civic engagement day. Today, we have a special guest, Rachel DiDomizio, Associate Director for Community and Civic Engagement and Student Engagement here at UB. Thank you so much for joining us.

Rachel DiDomizio: 0:29

Thank you for having me.

Nada Fox: 0:30

So with civic engagement, being the theme of today, why do you think civic engagement is so important?

Rachel DiDomizio: 0:42

Thank you for asking, I really feel that civic engagement is a critical skill that all UVA students and all college students in general should be gaining as a part of their university experience. So no matter what major students are in, or what they're focused on, they're going to be called upon, once they're, you know, in their careers, to be leaders in our community. And so we want them to graduate feeling confident, and having had time to reflect on the issues that are most important to them, make connections with people who are engaged in those social justice issues and have hands on experience that will help them be successful in whatever roles they have in the future.

Nada Fox: 1:32

Thank you so much. sort of follow that up? What services are available at UB?

Rachel DiDomizio: 1:40

Yes, so as you mentioned, my title, Community and Civic Engagement. So we offer both community engagement opportunities as well as support for civic engagement. On the community engagement side, we have programming, like our popular alternative break trips, where students are able to travel over their breaks, and do a bit of a deep dive into an issue that they're curious or passionate about. This year, we traveled to Toronto and learned about public health and health inequities. We also are planning over spring break to do three trips. Our Washington DC trip is focused on civic engagement. Our Philadelphia trip is focused on criminal justice reform. And our buffalo base trip is focused on LGBTQ plus rights. So we have a robust array of offerings for students who want to do a deep dive over their breaks. We also offer days of service on on and off campus, we have one time days of service that students can sign up for, that includes transportation, meals, supplies, so that they can easily participate. Even if they're, it's something they've never done before. We provide all the transportation and take care of all the logistics to make that easy for students to jump into. And we encourage students to bring friends, it doesn't have to be, you know, something that they do alone, or they can or they can come as just individuals and join other individuals that are they're just learning together. So those are some of the community engagement things that we offer. On the civic engagement side, we support voter registration and engagement. We're currently trying to register as many students as possible for the upcoming elections and supporting students in a nonpartisan capacity, just overall, trying to get as many folks engaged as possible. And then we have a wonderful group of volunteers on campus called the freedom of assembly support team. So those are faculty and staff who support students that are engaged in on campus activism. So whether students are holding a march or a sit in an assembly protest, we work with the students before, during and after their events, to help them navigate booking space, understanding university policies, help them to connect with other students who have similar interests in the topic that they're protesting, and just provide emotional support, I would say for students that, you know, are there for reasons that can be emotional, and, you know, just knowing that there are people at UB that care about you, that care about what you're interested in, and are there for you to make sure that you feel safe and supported. It's a really special thing about the UB community that we have this team and students coming from other countries sometimes you know, Oh, there's a stigma associated with activism. And we want them to feel differently about their empowerment to be engaged civically and politically at UB. Because we feel it's such an important life skill. You know, we don't want them to feel afraid to raise their voice and, you know, say difficult things. We think that's a really healthy thing to do. And something that they can hopefully take with them into their home communities as well.

Nada Fox: 5:30

Oh, wonderful to advocate and how important each person's individual voice is, and shining, that magnifying glass that there's a community that is around that will support you, and there are like minded thinkers, and there is space for you. What a wonderful resource. So for our students, how can they get involved? How can we get them to sync up with the opposite of civic engagement.

Rachel DiDomizio: 5:58

So there's multiple ways for students to get involved. One is that all of our programs are available on UB linked. So we encourage students to go to the student engagement site on UB linked and look at our events and register or RSVP right through, you'll be linked to attend. We also have walk in appointments that we take, sometimes students might not see something that they're specifically interested in, in the events that we're offering. So they might choose instead to meet with us and learn about nonprofits that they'd be excited to work with. And so we are able to connect them either as individuals, or as clubs and organizations to nonprofits that might be more in line with their specific interests. So students are able to book appointments with us through navigate. And we are happy to take Watkins as well, although it's probably a safer bet if if students make an appointment just because we're in and out of lots of meetings. But we're also you know, anytime that we're here and not in a meeting, our doors are open. We're excited to meet with students and support them and be a resource to them as well. Wonderful.

Nada Fox: 7:11

And just for the greater community at large. What would you recommend for getting involved in and participating?

Rachel DiDomizio: 7:22

Yeah, so I think, through our programs and events is one easy way to start. But if folks are interested in kind of doing something on their own, one of the resources that we recommend, there is a website, www dot volunteer W and y.org, which has, it's it's facilitated by the service collaborative of Western New York. And it has an alphabetical listing of all the nonprofit organizations in the region, and contact information for those organizations, as well as volunteer opportunities. And so oftentimes, in our advising sessions with students, we will walk them through that site. You can sort by cause or by distance, there's a variety of ways to sort to make it really easy to find an opportunity that's in line with your passions, and logistically feasible.

Nada Fox: 8:16

What an amazing resource. Thanks so much for disclosing that to me. I wasn't aware of that. Yeah. If you could leave our listeners with one parting thought on the civic engagement day during National Public Health Week, what would that be?

Rachel DiDomizio: 8:34

I would just say that everyone has the power to make a difference. And that if you're experiencing something that is hard and difficult and a challenge, it's so likely that there are other people experiencing similar challenges to you. So don't be afraid to get out there. And be vulnerable and share your experiences with others because you may find people are navigating similar challenges. And together, you can make a really big difference in small ways that really add up over your lifetime.

Nada Fox: 9:10

Thanks so much for meeting with me today, Rachel.

Rachel DiDomizio: 9:13

Thank you. My pleasure.