Unfortunately they (leadership and HR) have a lot of discrimination issues still within the organization which they say is not an issue, but it is. They are severely antisemitic and they lack respect for those with a history of marginalization, slavery, mass murder, and discrimination.
PHE is an impressive organization for its (1) strong leadership, (2) highly efficient and high-impact model, and (3) rigorous focus.
Louise has built a group of leaders across the country who are highly aligned and all rowing in the same direction. As a former staff member, I experienced a supportive culture focused on excellence and results for teens. As outlined in the org's core values, communication was clear and direct and decision-making was deliberate.
The model efficiently leverages the talent and energy of high-potential college students while simultaneously developing their leadership skills. The organization was able to manage a significant growth phase with appropriate focus on quality control. The volunteer tools, training and resources are key to this leverage.
The organization has maintained focus and avoided mission creep. Again, a focus on training and alignment at all levels of the organization (volunteers, staff, leadership, board) has allowed for this focus. The organization has also focused on evaluation to help make strong program decisions. Annual curriculum reviews, staying up to date on local laws, and building connections with teen health resources help PHE focus on impact and results.
I'm on the Chicago board of PHE and continue to be impressed by the programming, leadership and impact of the organization. I believe the peer to peer model is critical and encourages candid and important conversations during PHE's health classes. As a mother and the representative of a venture philanthropy fund in Chicago, I am proud of the work of PHE and I believe that more high school and college students deserve to have the opportunity to participate!
Since the previous single review that was written in 2012 by a student volunteer, Peer Health Exchange has developed into an impactful, targeted, well run organization. I was on their Chicago board of overseers from 2007 (1st year of operations) to 2010 and was a bit disappointed with the management at that time, so I understand the 2012 complaints. However, I have always believed in the mission and admired and respected the deliberate, patient,evidence-based, laser-focused HQ leadership. It is critical today to support our health and resource challenged inner city high school youth with: peer and local support, health skills, health knowledge, and effective decision making skills. It is necessary to understand that each of the 5 PHE program cities is unique and that the local directors are given some reign to develop the right operational fit for the school system and the college teaching volunteers. This naturally takes time, relationship building, and research; thus the growing pains. I am about to graduate with a MS in Global (Public) Health from Northwestern and I believe the topical material of PHE cannot be more pertinent. These include topics in substance abuse, mental health, and sexual activity. Additionally, the tolerance built into the delivery may be unprecedented as a factor in the probability of the acceptance of good health practices by high school teens. Research indicates that 98% of young people served plan to use something they learned in a PHE workshop to make a healthy decision. PHE has streamlined and matured and is a health force which concerned, caring Americans can well support. I rejoined the board a few years ago and I have been impressed by the deepening and fine tuning of the mission, program, and operations. When I saw the single, outdated, and partially unfavorable review, I felt the need to post and update! Stay well out there.
Peer Health Exchange is a great program. Their message is excellent, and going every week to teach health education in high schools has been a truly transformative experience. However, if it weren't for the sheer satisfaction I get from teaching, I don't know if I would be a volunteer for PHE. Their logistics are fundamentally flawed, and the workshop planning is atrocious. As a college student, it's difficult enough keeping my Friday completely free so I can teach (being able to teach on Fridays is a requirement to volunteer for PHE). Thus, when I get calls or emails a day or 2 before that I'm all of a sudden teaching during a week I wasn't signed up for, it gets very annoying very fast. Not only is it very rude to the volunteers, but it shows an utter lack of preparedness & respect from PHE staff. We are college students who are volunteering our time, so it's very disrespectful to constantly change workshops at the last minute, assuming that we have nothing better to do than switch around our whole schedule just to teach. Furthermore, the other schools in the surrounding area that have PHE programs tend to have very few volunteers compared to my university. As a result, we have to teach not only our college's workshops, but also many workshops that the surrounding colleges can't fill. These workshops are generally much further away, and so it add significantly to our travel time to and from the workshop. All in all, PHE has a wonderful message to spread, and that's the only reason I'm still a part of it. The last-minute schedule changes are incredibly rude to the volunteers, and expecting college volunteers to travel 1 hour or more one-way via public transportation is very disrespectful as well. We are at college to, first and foremost, receive an education, and the logistical nightmare that is PHE used to be tolerable, but has recently progressed to a point where all the last-minute notices and long travel times are starting to impede on my ability to study.