Description
Creating a comprehensive training for HIJ interns to better understand the Lab’s background and research
Health in Justice Action Lab Onboarding Course
Health in Justice (HIJ) is an action lab dedicated to advancing criminal justice reform through a public health lens. Our work, including reducing drug overdose; improving access to effective, safe and cost-effective healthcare; and aligning law enforcement practices with public health goals, is guided by a vision of a healthier, more just society. HIJ is hosted with Northeastern University’s Law School and shares their mission of providing experiential learning opportunities to prepare the next generation of leaders in legal, health and social policy profession. HIJ takes on roughly 15 Northeastern undergraduate student interns every semester. They join our team at various points during the year and assist with research during many different stages of our projects. Because HIJ is flexible in accepting new students throughout the whole year, we do not have an annual structured training, as many other labs do. Our researchers do not always have enough time to give a comprehensive training that includes the Lab’s history, structure, values, research, and other information we find essential for interns to know. When interns are not trained effectively and are hesitant to ask for help, the Lab does not run as cohesively as it could. Ineffective training can also lead to a lack of mutual understanding between the intern and the project lead regarding expectations, responsibilities, and commitment levels.
In the next three months, HIJ plans to create an onboarding course, with the goal of completing it before the start of Spring semester. We will use the platform Thinkific to make a virtual, self-paced course that the interns can take before starting at HIJ. This course will be interactive and make the new interns prepared and excited to work at the Lab. This new comprehensive training course will help get everyone on the same page and serve as a reference for interns who want to learn more about criminal justice reform.
This training course will prove essential on an individual level, as the interns will be more educated and can work more effectively. On a broader level, the Lab will have another resource to display, and the well-informed interns will make the Lab work more cohesively. The money raised for this project will fund the Thinkific platform and a payment stipend.