St Joseph’s Summer School 2023
We recently held our first summer school for young people! Read more about what they got up to in their week at St Joseph’s.
St Joseph’s Hospice recently held our first summer school for young people, where six Year Twelve Health and Social Care students from Oaklands School spent a week learning about palliative and hospice care. The program included both classroom activities and practical experience working with Hospice patients.
On the first day, the students spent the morning with Hospice Matron Debbie, learning about the care delivered at the Hospice. They then went on a tour with Voluntary Services Manager Simon to learn about the role of volunteers. In the afternoon, they met with Compassionate Neighbours Coordinator Lucia to learn about the Compassionate Neighbours project and participated in a spaghetti tower building challenge, to learn more about the importance of teamwork.
On day 2, the students created activities for Day Hospice patients and spent time with them, engaging in art projects, quiz questions, and bingo. The patients enjoyed the activities so much that they asked if the students would return next week!
On the third day, our Lead Complementary Therapist Joanne delivered a session on Dementia Awareness which the students found very informative and useful. In the afternoon, the students together with our palliative care educators, Carolyne and Tina, explored their own wishes and aspirations and discussed the impact on individual’s wishes and aspirations life limiting illness diagnosis might have.
On the fourth day, the students learned about building resilience in healthcare and visited the wards to talk to healthcare professionals and patients. They especially enjoyed meeting a respite patient who shared his life story and gave a “lecture” on the history of the local area.
Throughout the Summer School Week, the students “grew” the knowledge tree. Each day reflecting on their learning and adding knowledge “leaves”.
On the last day, the students had an opportunity to network with their professionals and ask questions about their chosen career path. The summer school was closed with a celebratory lunch and a mandatory cake.
The Hospice team thoroughly enjoyed working with the Oaklands School students and can’t wait to meet a new cohort next summer! Below are some student thoughts and feelings about the summer school:
“The Summer School was an excellent opportunity for me to hear about the staff’s personal perspectives of their roles and experiences which is exactly what I wanted to hear to help me determine what career I aim to pursue in.”
“The Summer School opened up my eyes about the different roles that professionals have, their responsibilities, what their day to day looks like, what they could face. I really enjoyed everything about St Joseph’s Hospice. I hope it stays up for a long time to help people.”
For more information, please contact the Volunteering Team – volunteering@stjh.org.uk.