For as long as I can remember, the start of the school year was a time I looked forward to with impatience, even excitement. For the social butterfly that I was, going back to school meant reconnecting with my large group of friends, extracurricular activities, and discovering new experiences in and out of school. Without being a straight-A student, I always did well in school and in sports, which may explain in large part why school always represented a safe place for me, an environment where I could thrive.
My high school years took place, as you can probably guess, before the advent of cell phones—or even computers, which were inaccessible to the vast majority at the time—and all the pressure that instant and constant connection has brought, without respite and with little opportunity to step back.
Now, as the mother of two teenagers who don’t exactly share my joy at going back to school, I realize how lucky I was, but also the struggle that today’s youth must endure to try to stand out, take their eyes off their cell phones, and discover their skills and interests. With instant access at their fingertips to every subject known to humankind, finding what will get them out of bed on the right side in the morning at age 15 can seem like a quest for the Holy Grail.
A few months ago, we shared in this newsletter about the Indigenous Student Internship Program offered at St. Boniface Hospital, in collaboration with the Winnipeg School Division, to introduce young people to the hospital environment and the various careers available there. One of the program’s supporters and a member of the hospital’s board of directors, Clayton Sandy, sent Réseau Compassion Network a testimonial from the mother of one of these students that touched me deeply and filled me with hope. I invite you to read it here.
Is there anything better, anything more reassuring as a parent than seeing and feeling your child discover a path, a passion, a vocation? Sparking their interest, developing their curiosity (somewhere other than on TikTok!), discovering their strengths, what they are passionate about, what motivates them—that, in my opinion, is the greatest challenge! If together we can offer them a range of interactive experiences, if we try to understand where these young people are coming from, how they learn and what stimulates them, then we can work together to develop tools and resources and put in place the support they need to discover themselves and see how they can contribute to the world around them.
In an increasingly disconnected society, hooked on social media rather than on the importance of creating meaningful, real, authentic relationships that nurture and help us grow, what a joy it is to see eighth graders fully engaged in a pilot project developed by the great team at Vitalité santé! to introduce them to careers in health; professions that encourage connecting with others, listening to others, and sharing one’s talents with the broader world.
These are but two meaningful experiences for young people supported by Réseau Compassion Network, its members, and its partners. When the health and social services community sits down at the table with stakeholders in the education community, it can lead to initiatives with a huge impact and, who knows, maybe even the power to change lives.
Today more than ever, when staffing shortages abound, investing in youth and giving ourselves the means to build the next generation, one teenager at a time, is probably the biggest and best investment we can make to ensure a brighter future and a better, healthier world!
Dominique Philibert, Director of Communications