Abstract
In 2010, The Lancet released a landmark report highlighting the necessity to revitalize global health education to meet the needs of the 21st century. 1 Almost a decade on from this call to action, although undergraduate and postgraduate education have changed significantly,2,3 little is being done to inspire the future global health workforce.
The trend in youth education focuses on satisfying two poles of high academic achievement: a rigorous course load, and leadership in extracurricular activities. Studies have shown that experiential service learning has significant, positive effects on youth psychological, social, and intellectual development. 4 The Global Health and Leadership Conference (GHLC), established at Harvard College, has been designed to bridge the gap between coursework and community leadership by (1) uniting students with a passion for global health; (2) integrating schools and local communities through education, research, and innovation; and (3) helping students understand the commitment to global health as a fundamental quality of liberty and equity. 5
The year 2017 marked the inaugural GHLC, gathering 50 high school students representing 16 US states and 37 high schools. The conference has expanded significantly and has recently been rooted into programming at the Harvard Global Health Institute. The third edition of the conference opened its doors in April 2019 to 130 students representing 6 countries, 24 US states, and 68 high schools.
Figure 1 provides the student-led project timeline embedded within the GHLC programme. Following acceptance into the programme via application, students are paired with Harvard undergraduates for 6 months to obtain 1:1 peer-teaching and mentoring on a ‘global health’–related civic project in their home communities. Students design, develop, and implement their ideas. Upon completion of these projects, the programme cohort gathers at Harvard University for a weekend symposium of project presentations, networking, and learning about global health concepts, frameworks, and careers from Harvard students, faculty, and external experts.
Project timeline for students creating community interventions
The diverse range of projects reflects the community-centred, evidence-based, and cost-effective interventions that the GHLC works with students to generate. Examples include a student in Kyoto (Japan) working with local physicians and counsellors to create a peer mental health counselling programme within his school, a student from Pennsylvania (USA) implementing a take one, leave one model of women’s hygiene products for female menstruation in her school, and a student from West Java (Indonesia) advocating for greater awareness of the negative implications of smoking in his community. Learning outcomes were bidirectional, fostering interdisciplinary and intergenerational collaboration between mentees and mentors.
The multitude of projects presented at the conference highlight the untapped potential of the younger generation. We hope this article leads to the development of innovative teaching strategies to inspire the future generation of global health experts. The United Kingdom and other countries can benefit from having student organisations at universities that mentor secondary school students to create community projects, encouraging out-of-the-classroom experiences that complement knowledge formed within the curriculum, and promoting a bidirectional network for learning, creative thinking, and mentoring that helps students gain real-world experience in a desired career. Global health training should harness the potential of peer-teaching and community-centred activities, which can be achieved under the guidance of passionate role models, especially during early career stages.