The following blog post was written by Clinton School student Marisa Nelson on her experience at the IMPACT Conference this year.
Being a part of the 2014 Impact Conference was a great experience on many levels. It gave me an opportunity to meet with other young people and professionals interested in public service and creating positive social change, as well as hearing stories of individuals who have taken their passion and made it their career. It also gave me a chance to share with undergraduate students across the country my experiences at the Clinton School and as a research assistant at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
While at IMPACT, I facilitated a workshop on conducting research with marginalized populations within a community. I presented “Social Determinants of Health and Survey Assessment of Rural At-Risk Citizens in Four Arkansas Communities”, a research project I’ve been involved in with Clinton School classmate Angela Bukenya and lead researcher Dr. Greer-Williams at UAMS. This project involved conducting focus groups with African Americans, Hmong, Marshallese, Latino, and impoverished Whites in Arkansas about the socioeconomic, psychosocial and biological factors that influence their health. I shared my graduate perspective on planning, organizing, and conducting this type of primary research, and described methods of recruitment and engagement that promote inclusion and build trust and agency within the community.
The IMPACT conference featured over 90 workshops spanning all levels beginning, intermediate and advanced. Workshop categories included everything from alternative breaks and service learning to leadership and professional development and faith in service. The conference drew more than 700 students, administrators, national service organizations and non-profit leaders.
The IMPACT Conference is historically the largest annual conference focused on the civic engagement of college students in community service, service-learning, community-based research, advocacy and other forms of social action. Building on the rich 28-year tradition of the COOL Conference and the Idealist Campus Conference, IMPACT is the one time during the year when students, administrators, faculty, AmeriCorps members and VISTAs, and nonprofit professionals gather together to learn and share effective practices, improve personal skills and organizational strategies, discover opportunities and resources, exchange stories, be inspired and challenged to sustain our efforts.
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