“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“What are your plans after high school?”
“How will you use your degree after college?”
Other than hoping to be an astronaut (I’m still keeping my fingers crossed), I didn’t have a clear answer to any of these questions when I was younger. It can be difficult to develop a good sense of what a career might look like when you’re still in school and not working. And that makes it difficult to decide what steps to take toward a job you’re passionate about.
Last year, Shayla Holcomb and Greg Wilson of Public Health – Seattle & King County had an idea. They wanted to open a door into the public health field for young people and invite them to learn directly from staff across the department while building connections with professionals and other students.
Welcome to Public Health Camp.
Scenes from the Public Health Camp 2024
Forty-five young King County residents attended the second annual Public Health Camp at our downtown Seattle offices from August 5-9, 2024. Each day had a different theme, with speakers and experiential activities from every department of public health:
- Monday: Equality, racial and social justice
- Tuesday: Health Sciences
- Wednesday: Environmental Health and Climate Change
- Thursday: Community Care: Prison Health Services; Community Health Services; Harborview Medical Center; Forensic Medicine; Sexual Health Clinic and Youth Clinic; Infectious Diseases and Immunizations
- Friday: Connection and the Power of YOU: Emergency Preparedness and Response; Networking with 43 community partners, health department leaders and university staff
Highlights of the camp
A common theme throughout the camp was networking. We connected with each other, with health department staff, with interns who attended last year’s camp, and with community partners and employers during a networking session on the last day. And we experienced and heard the joy of getting to know someone who shares the same passions and interests as you.
The students shared some of their best experiences of the week with us:
- Interest Group/String Activity: They valued the space to share personal experiences and show each other their vulnerabilities. They loved learning more about others’ backgrounds and perspectives.
- Prevention of overdose: It was powerful to learn that they (and the naloxone spray) can mean the difference between life and death for a stranger, friend or family member.
- Plumbing and handicraft work: “Uncle Rick’s” talk on sanitation and sewage systems was funny and exciting, but also eye-opening because they had never considered sanitation as a part of public health.
- Health services in prison: Attendees gained unique insights from the panel on prison health services and appreciated the empathy-focused approach speakers took in their work with incarcerated individuals.
- Videos and posters on climate change: They have the opportunity to be creative and put their new knowledge to the test by producing short videos and designing posters to educate the public about health and climate change.
How the Public Health Camp opens doors
The camp offers young participants the opportunity to explore career opportunities, learn about local health services and programs, network with professionals in the field, and develop a sense of empowerment and belonging.
For our health department, the camp helps pave a path to a health workforce that is rooted in the communities we serve. We also learn more about the needs of younger people and how we can better connect them and their families with services and opportunities.
For the community, the camp helps build connections with our community to enable two-way dialogue to share information, including raising awareness of public health resources. The camp also equips participants with knowledge and skills to advocate for the community and help each other, with sessions like Narcan training and how to deal with extreme weather events.
What’s next for Public Health Camp?
After the last day of camp, participants remain engaged as part of the Ambassador Troupe, advocating for their communities, camp, and public health. They stay in touch through a LinkedIn group, a youth advisory board, internship opportunities, and invitations to future trainings such as a Stop the Bleed training.
Looking ahead to next year’s camp in late summer 2025, organizer Shayla Holcomb wants to continue to grow the camp and offer the experience to new participants from across King County while deepening connections with partners in the community.
Thank you to the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG)
Thanks to funding from PHIG, it was possible to extend the camp from three days in 2023 to five days this year, invite more participants, and give participants gift certificates as scholarships. Since camp lasts five full days in the summer, our organizers wanted to make sure youth didn’t have to choose between camp and losing their income from a summer or part-time job.
Thank you to everyone at PHIG for working together to make this vision a reality.
Published on August 23, 2024
