If you have been on campus this fall, you likely will have noticed the University’s new Community Health Ambassadors. They are easy to spot with their bright yellow shirts, and their primary role is to promote a culture of awareness and safety in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is important to inform and educate our campus community on public health measures because as students and staff, we want to ensure everyone’s safety. Whether it is to social distance or wear a mask correctly, it is essential for everyone to be reminded of the important guidelines to follow,” says Rougayyah Jalloh, a second-year nursing student who is a member of the Community Health Ambassador team.
The Community Health Ambassadors have set up shop in key areas around campus so they can inform and guide students, faculty members and staff who are required to be on campus this fall.
The team of over a hundred ambassadors are up-to-speed on campus safety measures and have completed several training sessions. With this knowledge they are equipped to provide advice and answer questions, direct community members to hand-sanitizing stations, inform students on when certain services are open and how the testing clinic works. They also hand out masks when necessary.
Their mission: caring for our community
To limit the spread of the virus on campus, it is vital that everyone, including students, be motivated to do their part and work together.
If every person follows the established guidelines and behaves in a safe way, we can considerably reduce the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks on campus and in our community.
The ambassadors’ mission is to inspire students to be responsible and to take care of themselves and others. The best way to foster such behaviour is to encourage peers to talk to one another.
Have questions? Feel free to ask! Community Health Ambassadors are easy to spot: just look for the bright yellow shirts.