A year into the pandemic, lots of people have been getting creative to stay COVID-19-safe. At Johns Hopkins, a grant competition this winter through the JHNeedsU initiative is helping spark ideas among the university community.
Five student teams have won $1,000 COVID Well-Being grants for proposed projects or campaigns that aim to support COVID-19 safety measures on JHU campuses—including a masked fashion show and a trivia night.
Image caption: The JHNeedsU campaign emphasizes best practices for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and promotes available resources and personal responsibility.
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
"We know and admire the creativity, intelligence, and drive of the JHU student body. The competition was an effort to tap into that," says Lisa Folda, a senior research project coordinator for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Programs.
"Students are the implementers," Folda says, "so they're invested in both the feasibility and results of this project. We can't wait to see them brought to life."
CCP, a global leader in public health behavior-change communications and part of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, has helped orchestrate the message of JHNeedsU using signage, digital media, and other resources to promote responsible COVID-19 behaviors across Johns Hopkins. Other entities collaborating on the campaign include Communications, University Health and Wellness, and University Administration.
JHNeedsU is currently running a second phase of the grant competition, seeking further ideas for initiatives, activities, messages, and campaigns that would help encourage COVID-19 safety, stimulate community connection, and boost well-being among the Hopkins community. Proposals are due by March 15.
Winners from the first round of the COVID Well-Being grants are:
Equal Access in Science & Medicine's Student Panel: Living with a Disability During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Applicants: Erica Avery and Nicole Pannullo
Student panel events organized by JHMI students will garner support for students with disabilities and promote their well–being through adherence to university COVID-19 guidelines.
Masked Fashion Show Film
Applicants: Eunice Namkoong, with Marque Magazine
A cinematic short film awareness campaign showcasing undergraduate Hopkins spring 2021 "masked" fashion with face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
SAFE
Applicants: Kevin Ho, Omar Aly, Jessica Jung
Aimed at promoting social well-being as well as COVID-19 prevention in the undergraduate population, this project will use an innovative virtual gathering platform and a demonstrative germ theory session.
The COVID Health & Wellness Community Mixer: Relax. Chat. Paint.
Applicant: Lanise Stevenson
A mixer for students in the online School of Education Doctor of Education program that provides a creative outlet as well as a space for safe socializing while promoting the shared responsibility of the JHU Social Compact.
Trivia Night for Preventative Behaviors & Scavenger Hunt for Hand-Washing Stations and COVID-19 Testing Sites Around Campus
Applicant: Cali Wilson
Targeting undergraduate students both virtually and on campus, a virtual trivia night and a physically distanced scavenger hunt aims to foster community and reinforce fundamental prevention behaviors.
Posted in University News, Student Life
