Problem
Underrepresented and underserved high school youth lack opportunities to engage in hands on health education and skills building activities that provide them with career development and community service experience.

Solution
The CT Youth Health Service Corps recruits youth who are interested in health careers into a nine module training program and places them in volunteer and Service Learning Projects in homeless shelters, community health centers, and other health related settings. Corps students provide volunteer support to day care providers, medical students, primary care providers, community health educators, Medical Reserve Corps, Community Emergency Response Teams and others.

Success

• Collaborations with over 22 high schools, non-profits and community health agencies
• Ninety-seven high school students trained in Tier One curriculum in 2007
• Sixty-one students trained in Tier Two curriculum in 2007
• 66% of our students are of an origin other than White, representing Hispanic, African, Asian and other descents
• Blood Pressure Screenings at the Burgdorf medical clinic in Hartford
• Students volunteer for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Learning Project
• National and Global Youth Service Week Riverfront Recapture
• Students participate in Community Emergency Response Team and Urban Bio-Terrorism training and event activities
  

Goals for 2007

• Coordinate Emergency Preparedness Youth Conference with CERT, Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security May 10, 2007
• Over 500 hours of volunteers service contributed by YHSC students from January to August 2007