Compassion, dignity, respect are three of the most important lessons health professions students can learn.
A program through the College of Public Health aims to teach students these lessons and much more.
“Finding a Voice” (FAV) is a collaborative project between Omaha’s Siena/Francis House homeless shelter and the college’s Inter-professional Service Learning Academy (SLA) in which students and participants share and create art to build relationships.
Sharing builds bonds
Through the program, students from the Colleges of Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health have gained a deeper understanding of the complexities and challenges of homelessness.
“The mission of the FAV program is to celebrate dignity, promote wellness, and create a safe community where all participants can find a voice through creative expression, interaction and self-reflection,” said Ruti Margalit, M.D., director of the program and SLA.
Since it began in 2008, more than 700 individuals and 50 students have participated in the program. (Read a recent article in the Journal of Medical Humanities about the program.)
Show features vital art work
An art show that celebrates creative works from the program opened in March and will close today with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. at Studio 906 (906 N. 16th St.).
As part of the program, professional storyteller Rita Paskowitz guides students and shelter guests through a series of workshops in which participants share their stories.
Through these workshops, three major themes surfaced among the shelter residents: the desire to change, gain self-worth and build community.
Below, three UNMC students comment on their program experience.
“The project reinforced the idea of recognizing the human dignity of each person. To not just see a person as homeless, an addict or prostitute, but as a human being and honoring that.” — public health student Laura Hansen, a public health student
“The program changes your viewpoint from one of criticism to compassion.” — nursing student Brandon Scholtes
“I found it empowering for me to share these exact struggles of expressing myself as every other individual in the room. “I think the most important aspect of FAV is the empowerment it gives to overcome our struggles and put ourselves out there, whether we are physicians or homeless.” — medical student Stephan Krumland