Impact Week
Know your world. Know your impact.

Join us for a week packed full of events to start your global journey in knowing people, issues and opportunities – but most importantly, your impact! We will be focusing on three main issues throughout the week. The issues are Access to Healthcare, Food Insecurity, and Natural Resource Management. Below you will find a summary of the issues, links to explore more about the issues, and ways for you to get involved either on campus and in the greater Lexington community.
In addition to learning about these issues, we want to encourage students to take an active role in understanding how they can make an impact. The International Center, in collaboration with Student Academic Life, will be offering Impact Grants for student organizations to design their own on-going programming focused on one of these issues. Student organizations can apply here for the on-going programming grants.
Join us at our Networking Dinner. Click here to register. Space is limited.
Interested in joining our Cultural Festival? Click here to table at our event or click here to perform at our event.
Events are listed below and will start Monday, September 17 and go until Friday, September 21.
The Issues
Access to Healthcare
When we talk about access to healthcare as a local and global issue, we're talking about the limited access to affordable healthcare options and limited access to healthcare providers due to location (think rural communities have less doctors and having to drive 2+ hours to get to a hospital), as well as a lack of knowledge or exposure to available healthcare resources.
Healthcare access is a major issue around the world, particularly in rural communities. There have been a lot of technological advances to help overcome these challenges, such as the increased number of community health programs and tele-health options. The lack of knowledge or exposure for healthcare resources is also a challenge though, and this is seen in both rural and urban communities, and especially on university campuses.
The University of Kentucky has a wide range of outreach programs in order to provide increased access to the Commonwealth, and it also has a number of resources available to students and community members in Lexington.
To learn more about this issue, check out the articles, websites, podcasts, and YouTube videos below. We've also provided links to campus groups for you to join and community resources for you to access.
Read More About this Issue:
- "Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages," UN Sustainable Development Goals
- "Healthcare Access in Rural Communities," Rural Health Information Hub
- "10 Staggering Stats Show How Mental Health Care Fails People of Color," Huffington Post
Watch and Listen to more about this issue:
- "The Most Ambitious Thing Humans Have Ever Attempted," Freakonomics Radio
- "No one should die because they live too far from a doctor," Raj Panjabi, TED2017
- "Shedding light on Student Depression," Jack Park, TEDxPenn
- "College Anxiety and Depression," Dr. Cullen Hardy
- "Telehealth expanding access to care," Irina Gelman, TEDxFMCC
- "Telehealth in Knott County Schools," The Holler
Get involved and access resources related to this issue
Food insecurity
To be "food insecure" means that you don't have the means or resources to always have reliable access to a nutritious meal. It can look like a lot of different things, and it is very common around the world, in the United States, in Kentucky, and in Lexington. If you have not experienced food insecurity yourself, chances are your friend or classmate has. 36 percent of college students have experienced food insecurity. With rising cost of higher education and rising costs of food, as well as cut backs and stricter restrictions on food assistance programs, there is concern that this number will only continue to grow.
Below you will find some article and YouTube videos that discuss this issue in the context of college campuses but also as wider world issue. We have also included links to different campus and Lexington organization for you to explore what's being done in your community, how you can help, and how you can gain access to food assistance if you are experiencing food insecurity.
Read more about this issue:
- "Food, Housing Insecurity May Be Keeping College Students From Graduating," by Selena Simmons-Duffin and Laural Dalrymple from NPR
- "The hidden crisis on college campuses: Many students don't have enough to eat," by Caitlin Dewey from the Washington Post
- "Hunger in Kentucky," from Feeding America.org
- "How close are we to #ZeroHunger?," from the Food & Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
- "Goal 2: End Hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture," UN Sustainable Development Goals
- "Food Waste," Sustainable Table
Watch and listen to more about this issue:
- "What is food insecurity? An explanation," from Thomson Reuters Foundation
- "The Shocking Truth About Food Insecurity," by Clancy Cash Harrison at TEDxWilmingtonWomen
- "Food insecurity Amongst College Students," by Claudia Estrada-Howell at TEDxSDMesaCollege
- "Feed the World: How the U.S. Became the World's Biggest Food Aid Donor—And Why That Might Not be Such a Great Thing," by Nicola Twilley and Cynthia Graber on Gastropod
- "To Eat or Not to Eat Meat," by Nicola Twilley and Cynthia Graber on Gastropod
Get involved and access resources related to this issue
- Big Blue Pantry, University of Kentucky
- Sustainable Solutions to Overcome Poverty (SSTOP), University of Kentucky
- Food Chain, Lexington, KY
- State of Kentucky Benefits, Lexington, KY
- Glean Kentucky, Lexington, KY
- Campus Kitchen, University of Kentucky
Natural Resource Management
The sustainable management of renewable and non-renewable resources is a major challenge facing the world. With a growing global population, more and more people are consuming and using resources. This has led to many environmental issues such as overfishing of oceans, deforestation, and increased waste production.
However, there are also lots of innovative practices and organizations who are working to overcome these challenges. They are spearheading recycling and no-waste initiatives, finding alternative energy options, and better integrating green spaces into urban environments.
To learn more about the challenges and the efforts to overcome them, check out the resources and student organizations below.
Read more on this issue
- "Sustainable Development Goals," from UN Sustainable Development Goals (Check out goals 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15); URL: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs
- "Sustainable Energy Solutions," from Kentuckians for the Commonwealth; URL: http://kftc.org/issues/sustainable-energy-solutions
- "Last Straw for Plastic Straws? Cities, Restaurants Move to Toss these Sippers," by Sara Kiley Watson at NPR; URL: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/05/31/615580695/last-straw-for-plastic-straws-cities-restaurants-move-to-toss-these-sippers
Watch and listen to more on this issue
- "The Underswell: News, stories, and insights to help you navigate the complexities of sustainability in our modern lifestyles," Website & Podcast; URL: https://www.theunderswell.com/
- "Sustainable World Radio," Website & Podcast by Jill Cloutier; URL: http://sustainableworldradio.com/
- "What really happens to the plastic you throw away," by Emma Bryce; URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6xlNyWPpB8
- "Why I live a zero waste life," by Lauren Singer at TEDxTEEN; URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF72px2R3Hg
- "How to grow a forest in your backyard," by Shubhendu Sharma at TED@BCG Paris; URL: https://www.ted.com/talks/shubhendu_sharma_how_to_grow_a_forest_in_your_backyard
- "To eliminate waste, we need to rediscover thrift," by Andrew Dent at TEDNYC; URL: https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_dent_to_eliminate_waste_we_need_to_rediscover_thrift
- "The thrilling potential for off-grid solar energy," by Amar Inamdar at TED Global; URL: https://www.ted.com/talks/amar_inamdar_the_thrilling_potential_for_off_grid_solar_energy
Get involved and access resources related to this issue
- Live Green Lexington, Lexington, KY
- Lexington Environmental Youth Outreach, University of Kentucky
- Student Sustainability Council, University of Kentucky
- UK Greenthumb, University of Kentucky
- For A Strawless Ocean, International
- Commuter Club, University of Kentucky
- Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library, University of Kentucky
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9/17
Monday: Kick Off Celebration Monday 9/17: Kick Off Celebration @ Gatton Student Center
Join us at the Gatton Student Center on Monday, 9/17 from 10am – 2pm for a Kick Off Celebration. Get free stuff and VOTE on which issue is most important to you!
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9/18
Tuesday: Education Abroad Fair Tuesday 9.18: Education Abroad Fair @ Gatton Student Center Ballroom
Come explore the Education Abroad & Exchanges Fall Fair in the Gatton Student Center Ballroom on Tuesday, 9/18 from 3pm – 6pm! Learn about global opportunities, such as studying, interning, teaching, researching or service programs available to you. Download the app and search for University of Kentucky to learn more!
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9/19
Wednesday: Lunch & Learn Wednesday 9/19: Lunch & Learn @ Gatton Student Center, Cat's Den
Stop by the Gatton Student Center Cat's Den from 11am - 1pm on Wednesday, 9/19 for a Lunch & Learn. During this event, you will learn about how access to healthcare, food insecurity and natural resource management are impacting our local community, the Commonwealth and the greater world. If you are interested in sharing your expertise related to this issues, contact Molly McMahon at molly.mcmahon@uky.edu.
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9/19
Wednesday: Networking Dinner Wednesday 9/19: Networking Dinner @ Gatton Student Center Ballroom
Free Networking Dinner from 6pm – 8pm on Wednesday 9/19 in the Gatton Student Center Ballroom. Learn networking skills and put them to into practice by connecting with professionals in your field. Space is limited. Registration required.
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9/21
Friday: Cultural Festival Friday 9/21: Cultural Festival @ Gatton Student Center
Celebrate the Cultural Diversity of UK’s campus, enjoy performances by your peers, and learn about ways to get involved and make an impact with the local community partners at the Cultural Festival in Barker Plaza on Friday 9/21 from 11am – 2pm. Globally inspired treats will be provided!
Click here to table at our event
Click here to perform at our event