COMMUNITY
HEALTH
SHIRT
CLIENT
Personal Project
Monterey Park Library
MEDIA
Screen printing
Community organizing
PROJECT SUMMARY
Literacy for all of Monterey Park (LAMP) is a two part program for individuals focused on studying and practicing for the United States naturalization exam and focused on helping immigrants navigate healthcare in the US. Located in the Monterey Park public library, the program has helped countless immigrants become US citizens. In addition to citizenship coaching, the program also offers classes on community health which is designed for community members to learn more about the US healthcare system and for students teaching, to learn more about other forms of health and care. After volunteering as a citizenship coach for half a year, I returned and worked with individuals in the community health program. In the program, we discussed the differences between western and eastern medicine, traditional home remedies from different cultures, different types of diagnoses, and the different definitions of community and health. From the various discussions with the community members, my team decided to focus on designing a community building activity around defining certain terms that seem to mean different things to each of us.
A lot of our discussions centered around different perceptions of healthcare and medicine, based on our cultural background and upbringing. For example, a lot of community members associate medicine with herbal remedies where as we associated medicine with needles and doctors. For our activity, we had everyone in the group draw out images associated with the words “community”, “health”, “LAMP (literacy for all of Monterey Park)”, and “medicine”. After sharing the drawings with each other and discussing the “why” behind them, we compiled everyones drawings into a design that we screen printed onto t-shirts and posters.
When we shared our finished products with the community members, they were unbelievably excited and happy to see that they were part of the creation. They pointed out which drawings were there’s and immediately put them on for the rest of the celebration. Community health involves inclusion, shared pride, and acceptance, which this activity exemplifies.
