OUR PROGRAMS

Rotary’s Adventures programs are built on a simple belief: young people make better decisions about their future when they have the opportunity to see, experience, and explore what is possible.

Today, that commitment is reflected in two connected programs: Adventures in Health Care and Adventures with First Responders. Together, they introduce students to the people, professions, workplaces, and educational pathways that contribute to the health, safety, and well-being of our communities.

Adventures in Health Care is a hands-on career experiental program designed to introduce high school students to the wide range of careers and educational opportunities available throughout the health-care system.

Rather than simply telling students about careers, the program brings them into the environments where health care happens.

Students meet health-care professionals, participate in hands-on activities, visit post-secondary institutions, and explore the many different pathways that can lead to a career in health care.

Through partnerships with organizations such as Northern Health, School District 57, the College of New Caledonia, the University of Northern British Columbia, AiMHi, and other community partners, students gain direct exposure to a broad range of professions and experiences.

Depending on the program and community, students may explore areas such as:

• Nursing and patient care
• Medicine and health sciences
• Rehabilitation and therapy
• Medical laboratory and diagnostic services
• Mental health and social services
• Community and continuing care
• Health technology and other emerging fields
• Post-secondary education and training pathways

The purpose is not to recruit students into one particular profession. It is to help them discover the possibilities.

For some students, the experience confirms an interest they already have. For others, it introduces a career they never knew existed. And for many, it provides a clearer understanding of the education and training required to reach their goals.

What began in Prince George in 2017 has since inspired other Rotary clubs and communities across Northern British Columbia to develop their own versions of the program.

Together, these programs now reach well over 150 students annually throughout Northern BC.

As Adventures in Health Care approaches its tenth year in 2027, it continues to evolve through the contributions of its community partners and the changing needs of both students and the health-care system.

Sometimes a new idea begins with a much larger question.

In this case, it began with a single module.

During Adventures in Health Care, students participated in a presentation led by BC Emergency Health Services. The introduction to paramedicine and emergency health services lasted only a short time, but it generated an important question:

What if there was an opportunity to explore this world in greater depth? A few conversations—and a few cups of coffee—later, a new partnership began to take shape.

Today, Adventures with First Responders brings together Prince George Fire Rescue, the RCMP, and BC Emergency Health Services to give students a firsthand look at the people and professions that respond when communities need help.

Students explore the work of:

• Firefighters
• Police officers
• Paramedics

Through demonstrations, conversations, and hands-on activities, students gain insight into the skills, teamwork, training, and responsibilities required in each profession.

The program is shorter than Adventures in Health Care and is held each fall, providing an additional opportunity for young people to explore careers connected to emergency response and community safety.

While Adventures in Health Care introduces students to the broad spectrum of professions that contribute to individual and community health, Adventures with First Responders focuses on those who are often called upon in moments of crisis.

Together, the two programs provide a broader understanding of Community Care.

Although the programs are different, they share the same foundation.

Both are built on partnerships.

Both bring students out of the traditional classroom and into real-world environments.

Both introduce young people to professionals who are passionate about what they do.

And both are designed to help students ask an important question:

Could this be part of my future?

For Rotary and its community partners, the goal is not simply to deliver a successful event.

It is to open doors.

A student may walk into one of our programs with only a general interest in health care or emergency response. By the end of the experience, they may have discovered a profession, educational pathway, mentor, or opportunity that helps shape the direction they take next.

That is the power of the Adventures model.

Real people. Real experiences. Real possibilities.

As the programs continue to grow, Rotary is exploring how these experiences can become part of a broader pathway for young people.

The journey may begin with Adventures in Health Care or Adventures with First Responders, but it does not necessarily need to end there.

The long-term opportunity is to create stronger connections between:

Exploration → Experience → Education → Opportunity

By working with schools, employers, post-secondary institutions, health-care providers, emergency services, and community organizations, the Adventures model can continue to help young people move from curiosity toward informed decisions about their future.

For Rotary, the question that helped create Adventures in Health Care remains as relevant today as it was more than a decade ago:

What comes next?