Governors State University will host a fundraising screening of the documentary “Medaase: A Ghana Public Health Brigade” on Friday, March 6, spotlighting a decade of student-led international public health work and raising money for future service-learning projects. The event brings filmmakers, faculty and brigade participants together to show how classroom learning translates into community impact abroad.
The film will be shown from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Sherman Hall on the GSU campus. Tickets are $30 and are available through the Chicago Southland International Film Festival ticketing portal at csiff.eventive.org.
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What the evening includes
The reception is designed as both a fundraiser and a community presentation of the program’s outcomes. Attendees can expect a short program, a screening and a social reception.
- Date & time: Friday, March 6 — screening begins at 5:30 p.m.
- Location: Sherman Hall, Governors State University
- Admission: $30 per ticket; purchase online at csiff.eventive.org
- Program highlights: documentary screening, cocktail reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres, and performances by members of the Public Health Brigade
- Guests: directors Megan Smith and Tiyen Simmons (both GSU creative producers), faculty, and students involved with the brigade
Directors Megan Smith and Tiyen Simmons are expected to attend, along with faculty and students who have taken part in the brigade’s outreach work over the past ten years. The film follows teams from GSU as they engage in public health initiatives in Ghana, documenting both the practical interventions and the learning experience for students.
Medaase—pronounced Meh-dah-see—comes from the Fante language and translates as “thank you.” Simmons has described the title as reflecting the gratitude and perspective the brigade members brought home after their fieldwork, and he has said the project changed how participants see global public health practice.
Beyond the screening, the event has a practical purpose: proceeds will support future international service-learning trips and student projects, helping cover travel, supplies and community partnerships. For students, those experiences translate to hands-on training that supplements classroom instruction; for host communities, it can mean improved access to health education and basic services.
The screening is positioned as both a local cultural event and a fundraising effort that ties GSU’s educational mission to tangible public health outcomes overseas. For more information or to buy tickets, visit csiff.eventive.org.
