Woods System of Care – Curiosity‑Driven Advocacy for CHWs

Client + Context

As part of the Inclusive Healthy Communities (IHC) grant, Woods System of Care partnered with statewide organizations to deliver a scalable, accessible learning experience for Community Health Workers (CHWs) across New Jersey. The project included six modules delivered over multiple days, each focused on building practical, real‑world capability.

I worked directly with Woods System of Care to design and deliver this project.

Overview

I co‑designed and delivered a six‑module learning program for Community Health Workers, with a focus on accessibility, advocacy, and systems navigation. My contributions included curriculum development, VILT facilitation, accessibility testing, and cross‑functional coordination with designers and facilitators.

Module 5 — The Confident Advocate — was my primary contribution and the module I’m most proud of. It introduced a fresh, empowering approach to advocacy by reframing curiosity as a practical tool for CHWs, not just a leadership competency. The module helped learners unlearn “helper syndrome,” analyze resistance through the lens of dignity vs. safety, and use curiosity to transform “people problems” into “design problems.”

A New Approach to Advocacy for CHWs

This module was designed to solve a common challenge in CHW training: most Community Health Workers already see themselves as advocates, so traditional advocacy content often feels repetitive or remedial. My goal was to introduce a fresh, empowering approach that honored their existing strengths while giving them a new way to think about their role.

To do that, I merged three frameworks that are rarely combined in CHW education: Person‑Centered Planning (the “who”), Human‑Centered Design (the “how”), and Curiosity (the driver). Curiosity is often framed as a leadership competency, but in this module I reframed it as a practical, everyday tool that any CHW can use — even those who don’t see themselves as leaders yet. This allowed learners to adopt a leadership mindset without the pressure of identifying as a leader.

The result was Curiosity‑Driven Advocacy: a creative, systems‑oriented approach that helps CHWs move beyond “helping” (fixing a problem for one person) and toward true advocacy (addressing root causes and system barriers). The module guided learners through unlearning helper‑syndrome behaviors, analyzing resistance through the lens of dignity vs. safety, and using curiosity to transform “people problems” into “design problems.”

This approach gave CHWs a new, confidence‑building way to understand their work: not as compliance enforcers or problem‑solvers, but as systems navigators who can create meaningful change at the micro, professional, and macro levels.

My Role

• Wrote three of the six modules, including research, narrative structure, and learning objectives.
• Delivered three modules via VILT to statewide CHW cohorts.
• Performed accessibility testing on PPTs and facilitator guides to ensure WCAG‑aligned delivery.
• Coordinated with designers and facilitators to maintain consistency across modules.
• Developed the conceptual framework and instructional strategy behind Curiosity‑Driven Advocacy.

Key Insights & Impact

• Capability Building: Strengthened CHW confidence in accessibility, leadership, and systems thinking.
• A Fresh Advocacy Framework: Introduced a new approach that felt relevant and empowering to experienced CHWs.
• Unlearning + Relearning: Helped learners shift from “helper syndrome” to systems‑level advocacy.
• Scalability: Created a repeatable learning experience that can be delivered statewide.
• Systems Alignment: Connected accessibility practices to broader organizational goals and community impact.
• Practical Tools: Equipped CHWs with frameworks like the Five Whys, Important TO vs. Important FOR, and Logan’s Model for scaling advocacy.

Selected Artifacts