Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast: New Orleans Community Outreach and Tulane Campus Involvement
By Katie Craig
During the spring semester of 2024, I served as a Public Affairs Intern at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast (PPGC) in New Orleans. Working within their public affairs department, my duties centered on enhancing local awareness and engagement with Planned Parenthood. I concentrated on connecting with New Orleans and Tulane communities by participating in local events, facilitating voter registration drives, and addressing on-campus gatherings. Joining Planned Parenthood in the spring of 2023, I have transitioned my efforts to focus more on on-campus engagement.
Into the spring of 2024 semester, I primarily focused on researching effective strategies to promote PPGC among students. From general health checkups to sexual education courses, Planned Parenthood offers various resources. It is crucial for the New Orleans community and the Tulane students to be informed and involved. The students at Tulane hold a lot of power when it comes to their ability to utilize the Planned Parenthood resources. Thus, a massive goal of mine has been to get more students involved with going to Planned Parenthood for healthcare, attending events, and volunteering. Also, through community outreach, I continued participating in health fairs and events that aligned with Planned Parenthood’s mission. One event I enjoyed was the “Vagina Tales” evening event hosted at a local skincare and spa facility. Promoting these events on campus was essential so that students could attend. For the “Vagina Tales” event, I sent out the information to different Tulane organizations and to the PPGen Action GroupMe. In a state with alarming maternal mortality rates like Louisiana, raising awareness about Planned Parenthood’s accessible and affordable health services, including abortion care and prenatal support, is imperative. I plan to pass on my previous work to another student on campus to continue Planned Parenthood’s efforts at Tulane and New Orleans.
Further into the spring semester, I connected with the Service Learner students taking a class on reproductive rights in film. At first, I spent time reaching out to the students over text to get them started with their training for their volunteer work at Planned Parenthood. I spoke with the students over Zoom and conducted their training so they could begin their work. After completing the training with all students, I worked to help them reach their assigned Service Learning departments. I surveyed all the students to ensure their assigned department was one they had an interest in and experience in. The students were eager to attend events and grow the PPGen Action organization on campus. I spent time tabbing outside of the LBC with Service Learners to hand out menstrual products and safe-sex supplies. The students helped me promote Planned Parenthood events, and because of their efforts and my support, a Planned Parenthood co-hosted meeting had a significant turnout. Also, I helped the students coordinate their rides to events, such as the Women on Wednesday meetings in Baton Rouge. My efforts with the Service Learners helped grow the Planned Parenthood community on campus and get more students involved so that the PPGen Action organization can continue to expand and advocate for reproductive healthcare for all next year.