St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation started The Project Tomorrow: Youth Ambassadors Program less than half a year ago, but the initiative already has proved to be a success.
The program was initiated not only to allow students to get a taste of what work at the hospital looks like, but also to inspire them “to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives while supporting St. Joseph’s Hospital through fundraising and awareness building,” as the program description suggests.
The first meeting was held in September 2019, and the latest one took place last Thursday. There are around 10 high school students who came out for the last gathering, and the group keeps growing.
“(Last meeting) went very, very well, we had the largest group. We had two new members at this meeting, which was awesome to see that. It’s growing into a larger project for us and really just teaming up with high school students, it’s all what we really wanted,” said Breanne Van de Woestyne, the executive director of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation.
The group meets monthly at the hospital and does a variety of things in and around the hospital, whether it’s handing out packages to the night shift staff, or building therapy care packages for patients. Students also spend some time visiting with patients. The funding from the Dustin Pratt Memorial Fund added another duty to the youth ambassadors' list.
“They (Dustin Pratt Memorial Fund) specifically wanted to partner with the youth ambassadors program. They (youth ambassadors) are now assisting with getting out these kids' care packages and also with the renovations of the ER kids area in the waiting room,” explained Van de Woestyne.
At their last meeting, students began to build kids' care packages that were funded by the Dustin Pratt Memorial Fund.
“It was awesome to have a good turnout for that and to carry out with a new initiative that we are launching at the hospital,” said Van de Woestyne.
On a regular basis, program participants also get a behind the scenes look at the hospital, meet doctors and staff and learn about St. Joseph’s Hospital. They also get to interact with patients and staff and make their input into fundraising efforts to help gather funds for new equipment and programming.
“It’s a variety of different things that just gives the opportunity for high school students to volunteer, to get experience in the medical field. A lot of them are looking into going into nursing or medical. That’s always great to see. And it’s an opportunity for not only the kids, but also for the hospital to have that youth presence within the hospital,” said Van de Woestyne.
The program is developed to accommodate all high school students and is interesting for both girls and boys. Van de Woestyne noted that it's also valuable for the hospital.
“One of the goals this year for the foundation is to establish a better youth presence. I think there is a huge opportunity here in Estevan to partner with the youth of Estevan. They have so many great ideas; they want to give back; they want to learn more about their future. This was just the perfect opportunity to do that, to offer a platform for them to get into the hospital, to learn more about the hospital, to give back to their community and just something different, something that’s never been a part of the Estevan hospital,” she said.
“That is our future of Estevan, and so we really wanted to focus on what they wanted to see from the hospital foundation and to work with them to make a difference in the community.”
Students are a big positive presence in the hospital. They spend a lot of time talking to staff and patients, thus adding good vibes to the sometimes-difficult daily hospital routine.
The agenda for the club is formed on a meeting-to-meeting basis and is student-led.
“After every meeting we discuss what they want to do. So in February we’ll be in the long-term care facility doing some Valentine’s Day activities. They are currently planning on a couple activities for our Radiothon coming up in April,” said Van de Woestyne.
Students always have a lot of plans, and the hospital foundation is doing their best to make them possible.
The club is quite new and it is open to new participants.
“We are always welcome to new members. I don’t think there’ll ever be a limit. We never get enough. I think it’s just a great group to grow in and it will continue to grow year to year,” said Van de Woestyne.
Anyone wanting to join is welcome to reach out. The information about the next meetings is posted on their Facebook page. People also can call the office at 306-637-2474 or send an email to [email protected].
