Train 16 Minority Youth in Health Careers in DC

Dear Friend,

LAYC’s Teen Health Promoters (THP) program affords our amazing youth some incredible internship experiences. See below for a letter from THP participant Vanessa, on THP and her internships:

"THP has been a very fun and motivational experience for me during the course of the 2015 - 2016 school year. In this program, I was able to learn new things that I didn’t know before on different health topics such as STI, HIV, abstinence, sex abuse, vital signs, fitness, and nutrition. I also got a chance to practice performing CPR. In addition, I was surrounded by my peers who were like my brothers and sisters to me because they taught me a lot and they wanted to pursue a career in the health field just like me. THP not only gave me knowledge and motivation, but it also gave me an opportunity to work as an intern at George Washington University Hospital as well as join a summer program called DC Health and Academic Prep Program (DC HAPP).

During my internship at George Washington University Hospital, I was able to meet with health professionals that worked in different units in the hospital. These health professionals gave me tours of their units where they taught me about what goes on in the units, the medical equipment or rooms that they use, and how their daily routines work. I was also given an opportunity to talk to their patients as well as practice using basic medical equipment. This was a very interesting experience.

DC HAPP has been a very inspirational and enjoyable experience for me during the summer course. Various health professionals came to give a lecture on the health career that they work in, including a nurse, anesthesiologist, physical therapist, and pediatrician. These lectures gave me the determination that I needed to figure out what health career I wanted to pursue in the future. Furthermore, in DC HAPP, I was given the opportunity to get a real-life hands-on experience with different health skills, such as performing CPR again, intubation, suturing, and vital signs. I was also able to see and feel real body organs such as the heart and lungs. It was all a very exciting and fun. But above all of this, I got the chance to wear a White Coat which was an amazing thing because it made me feel like I was a real doctor (which I’m actually not). I would never ever forget the good times that I had in these programs because I have learned so much in such a short amount of time and done great things that others my age had never done before and I am so thankful and grateful to those who made THP possible for me and my peers to join this program. May God bless you all!!!"

Thanks so much for your support of Teen Health Promoters and youth like Vanessa. Our new crop of students will begin their THP journey in the next month! Please consider donating to support these youth. Just $45 outfits a young person like Vanessa with her own set of scrubs.

Gracias,

Lori