Back in August of 2020, I took a leap of faith and tried something new. I became an intern at One Health Lessons, and the rest is history.
One Health Lessons (OHL) was founded by Dr. Deborah Thomson, a veterinarian, science policy advisor, first responder, public speaker, musician, and One Health advocate. In the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, she recognised the urgency of a solid One Health education. Their mission? A bold but important one: to get every child and adult on the planet to know and care about the interconnection between the health of animals, plants, and the environment (One Health). To achieve this, One Health Lessons aims to: 1) inspire teachers to use the free lessons available at onehealthlessons.com in their classrooms, 2) translate these lessons into all languages, 3) train volunteers to teach these lessons so that they can reach more people with the One Health message in their own languages and communities.
Let me start by introducing the internship. It was entirely virtual and self-paced. We reached out to classrooms and potential partners in our respective regions to get One Health lessons into classrooms. We attended weekly meetings to discuss our progress, brainstorm ideas, and plan upcoming events. They also required interns to participate in weekly Toastmasters1 meetings that prepared us for public speaking opportunities aimed to inspire community involvement in One Health.
Throughout my internship, I explored three intern positions: Asia Promotions, Senior Promotions, and the Lesson Leaders & Ambassadors Program Coordinator. My promotions intern position tasked me with spreading the word about OHL in my region and network. My meetings with other professionals and One Health enthusiasts were truly inspiring, as I could tell how passionate they were about the topic. To hear about their own organisational achievements was incredible! I even met with Nicole Sicard, runner-up for 2017’s The One Rotary Humanitarian Award and founder of Mayaa Nepal, a non-profit organisation that educates rural villages in Nepal. I introduced her to the One Health concept through an hour-long One Health lesson and promoted the lessons on our website. We also had guests join our weekly meetings, some of which included Dr. Cheryl Stroud, the Executive Director of the One Health Commission, and Dr. George Lueddeke, Chair of One Health Education Task Force and 1HOPE, to talk about their expertise and ways to get involved with One Health on a global scale.
Demand from volunteers wanting to teach One Health inspired the launch of the Lesson Leaders Program. Dr. Thomson handed this project to me as an idea: what if we created a train-the-trainer program for our One Health lessons? And so the Lesson Leaders Program was born. The program comprises (a) an orientation that teaches volunteers how to effectively communicate the complexities of One Health to a range of audiences, especially children, (b) two shadowing sessions where volunteers can watch the lesson being taught twice before teaching their own live, and (c) a virtual lesson to a classroom in California. The entire program can be completed virtually according to the volunteer’s own schedule, making it an ideal job in a global pandemic (not an ad)! Despite the countless hours of emailing volunteers, hosting orientations, and teaching 100+ One Health lessons that reached over 2000 students, the growing One Health education movement only motivated me further. Looking back, I chuckle at how excited I was that 20 people had signed up to the program, because by the time I left the internship, that number had increased to 800+! Organising that amount of people was a challenge, but the impact they will have on future generations makes it all worth it.
We took the Lesson Leaders Program one step further by adding the Ambassadors Program, which requires volunteers to teach five or more lessons in their own communities. Those who complete this requirement can receive the “One Health Lessons Ambassador” title. Now, I always share this success story because it reminds me of how much of an impact one person can make. A fellow intern and OHL Ambassador, Charles Adegbole, single-handedly trained a team of 20 Lesson Leaders. Together, they taught over 2,000 students about One Health in Nigeria! Imagine how many children could be reached if one hundred people followed Charles’ footsteps!
This internship allowed me to practise my organisational and leadership skills, and overcome my fear of public speaking. Throughout my life, I have always struggled with giving speeches, but with practice came confidence. You may ask–why does this internship require public speaking? The answer is simple: If you want to be an advocate for One Health, you must be good at advocating! Working with OHL gave me the skills to communicate science effectively, making me a better One Health advocate.I must give credit to Toastmasters for providing a platform to practise, equipped with an encouraging audience that also provided constructive feedback. I also attended various events that helped me improve my public speaking skills. For example, I spoke alongside Dr. Thomson and Dr. Stroud at a One Health Communication webinar hosted by the Global One Health Initiative (GOHI), where we spoke about the Lesson Leaders Program with the Asian Medical Students Association (AMSA). I was also a featured speaker in “Getting Involved in the Global One Health Education Movement” with the International Student One Health Alliance (ISOHA). Today, I can say I am no longer intimidated by the spotlight. Yes, I still get nervous before a speech, but I am now comfortable being uncomfortable.
Today marks a month since my internship ended and I have to say, I miss it dearly. This internship introduced me to passionate One Health advocates from all over the world. Advocates from Turkey, Hungary, Canada, Indonesia to Uganda, and countless more, all working towards a common goal. Saying goodbye wasn’t easy. I celebrated many personal and professional milestones, and witnessed the immense growth of an admirable organisation.
Thanks to this internship, I am a better communicator, leader, educator, and One Health advocate!
If you want to get involved with One Health, I urge you to check out OneHealthLessons.com and see how you can “Get Involved.” Currently, we are still calling for translators and Lesson Leaders. There will also be internship opportunities next summer, so keep your eyes peeled!
Footnotes:
1Toastmasters is a non-profit educational club that provides an encouraging space to improve your public speaking skills.
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