As I begin MHST 633, the final leg of a three-semester health promotion (HP) exploration, I remain excited by and grateful for all of the knowledge I have gained so far, as well as humbled by how much I still have the privilege to learn. Through MHST 631 and 632 I have been afforded the opportunity to gain a beginner’s understanding of the HP field (including theories, models, and approaches), improve my knowledge of the Social Ecological Model and its application to health and health care, and deepen my commitment to a strength’s based, people-first, and participatory approach. I feel I have, through weekly readings, peer discussions, and challenging assignments, grown as a critical thinker and look forward to the application of this (ever-developing) skill as I progress through this semester. Previous blogs on the MHST 631 and 632 experiences can be found here, here, and here.
I remain inspired by Nixon’s (2019) concept of Critical Allyship and calls to “dismantle the coin”. I progress with a belief in the critical importance of stakeholder engagement in policy and program development and remain cognizant of tokenism and its implications, including those which may arise where unequal power and good intentions lead to misguided attempts to inform or consult rather than collaborate and partner (Majid, 2020). I will continue to reflect on my role in power-sharing, endeavouring to learn and unlearn as I seek to further identify, understand, and address health inequities. Related specifically to my chosen initiative of improving participation of persons (youth and young adults) with disabilities in physical recreation programs, I remain challenged by a desire for representation. I hope to grow in my understanding of how to achieve meaningful engagement across a range of abilities, capacities, and needs and welcome feedback and correction as I learn.
Over the next 13 weeks, I am most looking forward to developing an improved understanding of implementation and evaluation – including not only how to implement a relevant, responsive, and effective program, but how to promote its sustainability in support of long-term health and structural improvements. I am excited to see how this can be applied to my own and to others’ initiatives, and hope to benefit from the lived, professional, and research-based knowledge of my peers.
Time to get to work!
References
Majid, U. (2020). The dimensions of tokenism in patient and family engagement: A concept analysis of the literature. Journal of Patient Experience, 7(6), 1610–1620. https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373520925268
Nixon, S. A. (2019). The coin model of privilege and critical allyship: Implications for health. BMC Public Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7884-9
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