OUR STORY

The story of Rotary’s Adventures in Health Care began with a different adventure.

More than 30 years ago, the Rotary Club of Prince George Yellowhead developed Adventures in Forestry, a program that introduced young people to one of Northern British Columbia’s most important industries. For more than two decades, students from across Canada spent an immersive week in Prince George exploring sawmills, pulp mills, and other forestry operations. They met industry professionals, discovered new technologies, and experienced career opportunities they might never otherwise have considered.

The program demonstrated something important: young people often cannot imagine a future they have never seen. By bringing students directly into workplaces and connecting them with the people who worked there, Rotary helped turn career possibilities into real experiences.

Eventually, the forestry industry developed its own youth recruitment initiatives, and the need for Rotary’s program diminished. But the experience had left a lasting legacy. Yellowhead Rotarians had learned how to bring industry, education, community organizations, and young people together around a common goal.

The question was: What comes next?

The answer began with one Rotary member, Lorna Dittmar, who asked a simple question:

“Why not Adventures in Health Care?”

Over the next two years, Rotary worked with School District 57, Northern Health, the University of Northern British Columbia, the College of New Caledonia, AiMHi, and other community partners to turn the idea into reality.

The goal was not simply to tell students about health-care careers, but to let them experience them firsthand.

In 2017, the first Rotary’s Adventures in Health Care program welcomed students to Prince George. Since then, the program has evolved, introducing new hands-on experiences and adapting to changes in health care and student interests.

The Prince George program increasingly focused on local students, strengthening connections between career exploration, post-secondary education, and future employment in Northern British Columbia. Other Rotary clubs recognized its potential and developed programs in their own communities.

Today, Adventures in Health Care reaches well over 150 students annually across Northern BC.

Sometimes, a new idea emerges from an experience that lasts only an hour.

During an Adventures in Health Care hospital session, students were introduced to paramedics and emergency health services. The presentation sparked interest, but there was much more for students to discover.

Conversations between Rotary and Katie Gordon, a Prince George firefighter, helped turn that interest into action. Working with Prince George Fire Rescue, the RCMP, and BC Emergency Health Services, Rotary developed a sister program: Adventures with First Responders.

Held each fall, the program gives students firsthand insight into the work of firefighters, police officers, and paramedics, exploring their skills, responsibilities, teamwork, and career opportunities.

Together, the two programs offer a broader understanding of community care: one explores the many pathways within health care; the other introduces the people who respond when emergencies happen.

Both reflect the same principle that inspired Adventures in Forestry decades ago:

Bring young people together with the people, places, and opportunities that can help shape their future.

In 2027, Adventures in Health Care celebrates its tenth year—a milestone that reflects not only the growth of one program, but also a much longer Rotary tradition of connecting young people with their future.

From forestry to health care and emergency services, the idea remains the same: give young people the opportunity to explore, experience, and discover what is possible.

Because sometimes, all it takes to change a young person's future is the chance to see it differently.