Get Involved
One of the things that was “ingrained” in many of us who are entering the “senior phase” of our respective careers is the concept of “giving back” to the profession. One of the ways we “give back” is to attend professional meetings, present at these meetings, support those who are presenting at professional meetings, and “urge” those who follow us to also get involved and attend professional meetings. To be honest, in the 40+ years I have been attending these types of meetings, I can’t recall that I have ever received an “incentive” to attend (unless you call presenting and eventually publishing papers, which, in many institutions, is required for promotion and tenure). Yes, I have been reimbursed for much of the cost for attending many of these meetings, generally from funds that I built into the various funded projects on which I was working. I also recall that in one particular institution, we would teach an extra class a semester, not be paid, but then have those monies available to us as travel funds. Yes, we did report this as income so taxes were paid. We also understood that if we opted to do this and did not expend the full amount of the funds, we could not then ask to have the balance given to us. It was put into the “general fund” for the department. Everyone agreed with and really liked that system.
I know the economy is tough, but we are seeing drops in professional memberships, across the board, and the attendance at the professional meetings is also appearing to be diminishing. Remember, we are in this for the “long haul.” The dividend is learning what our professional colleagues are doing and maybe, just maybe, we can get a new idea or three that will help us, as individuals and professionals, also improve our own “practice of health education.
For Kelly, I would suggest that if you haven’t already done so, that you consider joining the national organizations within our profession. Such organizations as the Society for Public Health Education, American Association for Health Education (you will join the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and check AAHE as your professional organization), the American School Health Association, the American College Health Association, and others, all have regional and even state organizations that you can join. Once you join, be sure to “volunteer” to serve the organization. These organizations are always looking for new people to get involved in leadership position.
Who will be the next individual to step to the place. For those of you who belong to the SHES Section of APHA, I am soliciting abstract reviewers for the 2009 annual meetings. For those of you who have not yet done this type activity, it’s a great learning experience and a way to begin to get involved.
In closing this week’s posting, I will just reiterate what I often state when I am making presentations, particularly to young professionals, “Get involved, stay involved, make a difference.” Many of us “old timers” have done exactly that.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Larry
Kelly House
Mark J Kittleson
Margaret Sullivan
Maria Alexandrova
jodyearly
Shanell L. McGoy
Mainul Mustafa
M. Helen Hogue
Yuba
Okony K. Cham
Kamrun Mustafa
Senior health educators on fixed incomes may find it a bit challenging to meet the costs of multiple memberships in professional organizations and paying the registration fees and other costs of national level meetings. I have a life membership in AAHE/AAHPERD and ASHA. But the costs of memberships in other organizations of health educators continue to increase, as do the costs of registration fees and travel costs.
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