Nā Pua Noʻeau and the Health Careers Opportunity Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa will host Teen Health Camp Hawaiʻi on Saturday, February 2, 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. at the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu cafeteria.
This one-day, free event will introduce students in grades 8–12 to dynamic opportunities in a wide assortment of healthcare careers. Interactive workshops and skill demonstrations will be presented by community healthcare professionals, undergraduates from UH Mānoa’s Health Careers Opportunity Program, and students from the John A. Burns School of Medicine.
Camp activities
- “Stitch it Up” will put surgical instruments in teen hands with detailed instructions on how to suture abrasions on a simulated human arm.
- “Casting Call” will enable participants to apply and remove real casting material, as seen on the televised ER and in actual emergency rooms.
- “Local Grindz” will explore the theory that “you are what you eat.”
- “Decisions we Make” will give help in connecting the dots between strategic planning and future success.
- “Your Future in Healthcare” will light the way to rewarding healthcare careers.
- “Ola Pono” will spotlight the vibrant healing traditions of Native Hawaiians.
In addition, booths will offer a variety of resources to help Hawaiʻi youngsters attain the education and training required in more than 20 professions that serve the healthcare needs of all Hawaiʻi.
“The main purpose of the camp is to encourage Native Hawaiian and other students from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue work in the healthcare professions, which are expected to generate a growing number of jobs in Hawaiʻi in the near future,” said Kinohi Gomes, Nā Pua Noʻeau director of operations.
The Teen Health Camp was originally created by a group of JABSOM medical students interested in promoting social justice by boosting recruitment of a diverse and community-based healthcare labor force in underserved areas of Hawaiʻi.
“Any student who participates in the Teen Health Camp will meet professional role models from their own communities and will come away with the understanding that there is a wealth of enjoyable challenges, personal qualities and technical skills inherent in health care delivery.” said Agnes Malate, Health Careers Opportunity Program director.
—Adapted from a UH Mānoa news release
