Learning Community: A Pathway for Health Equity Leadership
At this point in the pandemic, the most effective vaccine outreach takes place in one-on-one conversations. Public health experts say that it takes between 4 and 18 conversation with an unvaccinated person to influence their vaccine decision – meaning that vaccine ambassadors need support to stay motivated.
The Learning Community is a unique space where over 600 contact tracers, resource navigators, and concerned community members can support each other. Through Slack and weekly zoom learning events, Learning Community members problem solve around issues they are facing, share their personal stories, and exchange the latest resources.
Take the Vaccine Ambassador course and join the learning Community today. If you have already taken the course, sign up for the learning community here.
Learning Community Fellows
In September, the Vaccine Partnership hired 11 people from the learning community to serve as Learning Community (LC) Fellows.
- Fellows provide support for Vaccine Ambassadors.
- Fellows lead and co-create the larger LC curriculum.
- Fellows are working to expand engagement in their neighborhoods, which include Roseland, Chinatown, Lawndale, Auburn-Gresham, Back of the Yards, Little Village, Gage Park and South Shore.
- Fellows range from high school students to community organizers with decades of experience.
Meet the Learning Community Fellows
Annette Kelly
After a career in the banking industry, Annette decided she wanted to get more involved in her community. She started a non-profit that provides mentoring and leadership development for youth. Annette also applies her skills in positive youth development as a consultant/ trainer for youth service organizations across the state. Annette became a Learning Community Fellow so she could bring her experience leading trainings and organizing community development programs to support vaccine ambassadors.
Li Qiming
As a relatively new immigrant to the US, Li got a lot of help from neighbors to help navigate a new country. He joined the Learning Community Fellowship program to give back to his community and help them access vaccines and health care.
Gabriela Juarez-Dominguez
After studying sociology and information and technology communications outside the US, Gabriela worked at Esperanza Health Center as a contact tracer for Covid-19 and at Sinai as a vaccine educator. She became a Learning Community Fellow to better support the South Lawndale neighborhood through advocacy and health justice.
Gena Jackson
Born and raised in Chicago, Gena works as a resource navigator for the University of Chicago. During the pandemic she took the vaccine ambassador course and loves connecting people to health care resources. Her approach to vaccine conversations is based on empathy – she knows she will not change everyone’s mind but wants people to feel that their concerns have been heard and provide info so they can make the most informed decision possible. She hopes to bring her perspective to the Learning Community as a fellow and publish a free Community Resource Guide.
Jackie Moore
Jackie is known as “Robotics Lady” by her community in Auburn-Gresham because of her work teaching robotics and life skills. When the pandemic hit she was compelled to apply her teaching skills to keeping her community safe. She became a Learning Community Fellow to increase her understanding of the public health system and says “I want to know better so I can do better.
Marisol Lopez
Growing up in a Latinx neighborhood, Marisol saw how her community struggled to get health care because of language barriers and mistrust. As a Learning Community Fellow she hopes to provide information that is accessible to her community and share what she learns from them to improve health systems.
Melony Esquivel
Melony became a Learning Community Fellow so she could make a difference in her Little Village neighborhood. She hopes to build on her experience with organizing within her school and community service to educate her community about vaccines.
Karen Hidalgo