Health and Exercise Science students head to UK with UrbanPromise

Dagenham, a town in London’s East End, is one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, with a high percentage of residents immigrating from North Africa and the Middle East. It’s also one of the poorest and least educated—citizens in the borough of Barking and Dagenham face higher rates of unemployment, lower wages, and lower rates of GCSE attainment (roughly equivalent to completing high school in the United States) when compared to the rest of London. Social services are much-needed and often under-resourced.

Earlier this summer, 17 Rowan students across programs in health and exercise science, social work, sociology, and more traveled to Dagenham for a month-long internship experience leading after-school activities for children aged 5-13, getting a firsthand look at what it’s like to provide services in an underserved, multicultural community.

The internship was led by Leslie Spencer, professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Rowan-Virtua Rita & Larry Salva School of Nursing & Health Professions. It was created in partnership with UrbanPromise UK, one of an international network of community service organizations that provide “the holistic support needed to succeed academically, grow spiritually, and develop into leaders who can bring positive change to their communities,” according to the organization’s website. Since its founding in 1988 in Camden, NJ, UrbanPromise has grown to more than 30 sites around the globe. The Dagenham location opened in 2022.

Spencer first connected with Kelly and Luke Maxted, the founders and directors of UrbanPromise UK, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, they planned a partnership that would provide Rowan students interested in health and wellness with hands-on experience working in global health, allowing them to see similarities and differences between social services in the US and the United Kingdom.

Throughout the semester, students split into three teams: wellness management, exercise, and nutrition. Each team put together modules and lessons they’d then deliver later that spring at the internship site. As a member of the nutrition team, Public Health and Wellness student Angelina Nicolini ’25 also worked with two other interns to create a recipe book that they used with UrbanPromise team to prepare meals for participants. The nutrition team met with UrbanPromise staff over the course of the semester to ensure the recipe book met the needs of the site.

“We knew about limitations in resources at their facility, so we tried to make recipes that were suitable for their working conditions,” said Nicolini. “On top of that, we wanted to make food that was nutritious and allergen-free.”

During their time in London, members of the nutrition team also joined in the kitchen to help prepare meals and taught UrbanPromise’s student leaders—older participants who stayed with the program to serve in mentorship roles—about nutrition and diet. This was another important lesson, says Spencer, as students needed to consider cultural and religious dietary restrictions of UrbanPromise’s students while making the most of the limited resources.

“They work with a lot of donated food,” said Spencer. “So in preparing the recipes, you had to be aware of, well, how can we make this food healthy? How can we ensure there’s a halal option with what we have? This was a great real-world challenge for these nutrition students.”

While in London, students interned at UrbanPromise four days a week. In addition to leading education sessions and cooking, they engaged with UrbanPromise students during free-play time and served as reading partners during the reading time. When not on site, the Rowan students took part in other activities: meeting with National Health Service (NHS) officers, interviewing a local registered dietitian and other professionals, and taking excursions to Edinburgh and Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

“The internship opened my eyes to a different part of the world and opened my heart to different people,” said Nicolini, who is set to begin medical school this summer. “As a doctor, my goal is to bridge the gaps in knowledge between overall wellbeing and preventative care. In the UK, we had the opportunity to speak to different NHS members, and they gave great insight into the public initiatives to combat these current day problems.”

The extended internship is a way to help students “see themselves as a citizen of the world and not just the small piece of NJ that they might live in,” said Spencer, who hopes to offer the internship again in future years.

“It’s about recognizing that some problems are universal, that there are people that struggle to afford housing and food and necessities, and that these struggles are everywhere,” she said.