YHSC is a health careers recruitment program that engages diverse high school youth as "student leaders" in meaningful community service.
Students are trained using a six-module curriculum that prepares them to function in health care settings that assist the underserved. Once prepared, students choose independent or group service learning projects to fulfill the minimum of fifty hours for completion of the program.
YHSC members become part of the national online community of students with similar career interests. The YHSC program can be run as a regional after-school program or as part of the high school curriculum.
The mission of the YHSC is to increase the number of diverse high school students who matriculate into post secondary health career programs. Our goals are to:
- Provide students with quality volunteer training through the service learning process
- Increase student awareness of health careers and to nurture their desire to pursue a health career
- Increase student academic and civic engagement
- Strengthen AHEC partnerships between secondary educators and community-based organizations
This program currently runs at the Sports and Medical Sciences Academy, and Classical Magnet School in Hartford, and will expand to other Hartford schools as well as New Britain High School in the Fall 2010 semester thanks to the help of five new AmeriCorps workers. Stay tuned to hear about our exciting Service Learning opportunities.
For more information, contact Karen Piantek at kpiantek@centralctahec.org.
Americorps Volunteers
The new
AmeriCorps members working with Central AHEC, Inc. will build upon the Youth Health Service Corp (YHSC) service learning program to ensure that youth at risk of dropping out of school have opportunities to be successful. Students from the Hartford area will be engaged with the goal of increasing youth academic achievement, civic engagement, and pro-social behavior; by combining introduction to the health careers and participation in independent service or service learning projects with support services, including group mentoring, individualized attention to academic achievement and family support.