It Takes a Village

Contact Information

Main Contact: Jaya Prakash
Dr. Jennifer Potter (advisor)

Email: jaya_prakash@hms.harvard.edu jpotter@bidmc.harvard.edu

Our Mission

“It Takes a Village” is a service-learning program that aims to connect Boston community-based organizations with medical students who are focused on practicing and advancing trauma-informed care. The opportunities, training, and framework for our program are grounded in a “universal expectation of trauma,” which is the understanding that anyone in any space might be a survivor of trauma. There is no single definition, exposure, experience, response, or healing process. We give voice to this universal expectation of trauma through the breadth of service-learning opportunities we offer that strive to support diverse communities, backgrounds, and needs. 

If you are interested in learning more and getting involved, please start by completing this form. All volunteers will need to attend a mandatory Trauma-Informed Care Training Session, which is a collaborative effort between HMS and our community partners. Student preference, interest, and experience will be considered by our community partners when making their final decisions regarding volunteer and project pairing.