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OT Service Learning Trip to Jamaica

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Hi everyone!

Our names are Olivia and Anna. We are students at Salem State University working on our master's degree in Occupational Therapy. We have been given the opportunity to travel to Kingston, Jamaica this coming March and need your help! All donations received will go towards the expenses associated with this service-learning opportunity. Thank you for checking out our GoFundMe page!
 

We are beyond excited and grateful for this opportunity to volunteer in the Kingston community and learn about the culture, healthcare, and social systems. We will be traveling with and working alongside the Salem State Nursing program and University of the West Indies students, professors, and clinicians.


The overarching goals of this trip are to  provide hands on service as well as complete  psychology-based needs assessments in a Sickle-Cell Anemia clinic as well as an orphanage for children with disabilities. 


Additional goals we hope to meet through our trip:
-Provide hands on support in a Sickle-Cell anemia clinic and an orphanage for children with disabilities.
-Deliver adapted push-button toys to children with cognitive and motor impairments. 
-Learn about the Jamaican culture and the perception of and impact on the medical field, especially on mental health and disability.
-Present information on occupational therapy and the importance of occupation in health to staff of the clinic and/or orphanage.
-Organize and run occupation based groups to address the needs of the community. 
-Understand the benefits of international service-learning on occupational therapy education. 
-Understand the impact of social and occupational justice on health on an international level.
-Present on research and experience when we return. 




A little about us...


Olivia ('20)
Olivia is excited for this service learning experience in Jamaica. It will be her first experience traveling outside of the United States for field work. As an undergraduate student at UMass, Amherst, Olivia volunteered with a social service agency to provide fitness and leisure opportunities for individuals with intellectual and/or mental health challenges. Additionally, Olivia volunteered at the local senior center and homeless shelter. Olivia chose the path of Occupational Therapy because of its holistic nature and her passion for helping people live the best life possible. She is also passionate about sharing this profession with others. By traveling and working with other occupational therapists and individuals from a culture different from her own, Olivia hopes to acquire further skills and a broader perspective of the field of Occupational Therapy, while, helping to address community needs.  She believes that being immersed in a different culture will provide personal development and unique experiences that will greatly enhance her professional preparation.



Anna ('20)
Anna has been working in Early Intervention since graduating from Boston University in 2014. She is passionate about occupational therapy, especially working with children with a variety of abilities and needs. Anna is driven to understand  different cultures and its influence  on occupational engagement and perception of health.  She has pursued other service-learning opportunities in the past, including working with a school in Malawi and with the homeless in New York City.  Anna has felt a strong dedication to social justice issues, especially when it comes to the rights of individuals with disabilities. So, when she began her time at SSU, she became very interested in Occupational Justice concepts on a domestic and international scale.  She is excited for the hands on work she will be part of as well as getting to understand the role and impact of occupational therapy internationally.




Thank you so much for your time and consideration! We look forward to writing many postcards!
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Donations 

  • Nathaniel Milch
    • $170 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer

Anna & Olivia
Organizer
Salem, MA

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