OUR STORY

For more than 30 years, Rotary has been helping young people discover what’s possible.

The story of Rotary’s Adventures in Health Care began long before the first students entered a hospital, classroom, or simulation lab. More than 30 years ago, the Rotary Club of Prince George Yellowhead developed a youth-focused program called Adventures in Forestry.

The idea was simple but powerful: give young people a firsthand look at an important northern industry and the many careers it offered. For more than two decades, the program brought two and sometimes three dozen young people to Prince George for an immersive week of learning. Rotary clubs from across Canada helped identify and send students, while local forestry companies and community partners opened their doors.

Students walked through sawmills, pulp mills, chip plants, and other forestry-related operations. They met the people who worked there, learned about the technology and skills involved, and discovered a wide range of career and educational opportunities they may never otherwise have considered. Over time, Adventures in Forestry became part of the club's DNA. It demonstrated the unique role Rotary could play in bringing together young people, industry, education, and community partners to create meaningful, hands-on learning experiences.

Yellowhead Rotarians had learned something important. Young people often did not know what opportunities existed simply because they had never had the chance to see them. A classroom could introduce a career, but there was something different about walking into a workplace, meeting the people who worked there, asking questions, and seeing firsthand what a future might look like.

Eventually, the forestry industry itself took up the recruitment banner. Companies and industry organizations developed their own programs and approaches to introducing young people to forestry careers. In many ways, Adventures in Forestry had succeeded in helping demonstrate the value of connecting young people directly with industry.

The need for Rotary's program gradually came to an end. But the experience had left a lasting legacy.

The Rotary Club of Prince George Yellowhead had developed a unique set of skills to bring organizations together that might otherwise be working independently and focus them on a common goal: helping young people explore their future.

The question became:

What comes next?

The answer came from one Rotary member, Lorna Dittmar, who asked a simple question that opened the door to an entirely new adventure:

“Why not Adventures in Health Care?”

The light bulb went on almost immediately. The idea was clear, but turning it into a successful program would take time. Over the next two years, Rotary brought together potential partners and began the work of building both the program and the foundation needed to sustain it. Conversations and planning involved School District 57, Northern Health, the University of Northern British Columbia, the College of New Caledonia, AiMHi, and other community partners.

Together, they explored what a hands-on health-care career exploration program could look like and how each organization could contribute. The work included program planning, financial planning, and market research with other Rotary clubs to determine whether there was interest in a model that could eventually extend beyond Prince George. The goal was not simply to tell students about health-care careers. The goal was to let them experience them.

After nearly two years of planning and development, the first Adventures in Health Care program took place in Prince George in 2017. Since then, Adventures in Health Care has continued to evolve. Host agencies have refined the curriculum, introduced new experiences, and adapted activities to reflect the changing world of health care and the needs of students.

The Prince George program also became more focused. While the early model welcomed students from across the province, it increasingly concentrated on students from School District 57, creating a stronger local connection between student exploration, post-secondary education, and future opportunities in Northern British Columbia. At the same time, other Rotary clubs saw the potential of the Prince George model and took up the challenge in their own communities. 

By adapting and building upon the original concept, new Adventures in Health Care programs emerged across Northern British Columbia. What began with one Rotary club, one question, and one program has grown into a network of experiences reaching well over 150 students annually throughout Northern BC.

But the story did not stop there.

Part Two: Community Care

As Adventures in Health Care continued to evolve, new opportunities began to emerge from the program itself. One of the hospital modules, presented by BC Emergency Health Services, struck a particular chord. Students were introduced to the work of paramedics and emergency health services, but the experience lasted little more than an hour. It quickly became clear that there was much more to explore.

A few cups of coffee with another like minded community advocate – Katie Gordon, a Prince George firefighter, and two months of conversations later, a new partnership had emerged. Working together, Prince George Fire Rescue, the RCMP, and BC Emergency Health Services, Rotary developed a sister program that would expand the student experience beyond the original health-care program. The result was a shorter, focused experience built around the people and services who respond when communities need them most.

Students now have the opportunity to meet and learn from firefighters, police officers, and paramedics, gaining firsthand insight into the skills, responsibilities, teamwork, and career opportunities involved in emergency response.

Held each fall, the program has become a natural second part of the Adventures in Health Care experience. Together, these experiences provide young people with a broader understanding of the people and professions that care for our communities.

One explores the many pathways within health care. The other introduces the people who are often first on the scene when help is needed. Together, they represent a broader picture of Community Care.

What began with a one-hour presentation has grown into another example of the Adventures model in action:

See an opportunity. Bring the right people together. Create an experience. Open a door for young people.

The Story Continues

In 2027, Adventures in Health Care will celebrate its tenth year.

That milestone represents more than ten years of one program. It represents the continuation of a much longer Rotary tradition in Prince George—one built on the belief that when young people are given the opportunity to explore, experience, and discover what is possible, they are better prepared to imagine their own future.

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