2014 Mid-Carolina AHEC Summer Health Careers Program a Success

The Mid-Carolina AHEC Health Careers Program, in partnership with River’s Edge Retreat, has formed the Young Future Leaders Program (YFLP) as a hands-on academic, mentorship and leadership program. This enrichment program helped change the lives of over 30 student interns in Richland and Lexington Counties this summer.

The first week of the program focused on academics including science, math, information technology and health science. Students participated in hands-on case studies, mentoring, and leadership workshops. Through the partnership with IT-ology (http://it-ology.org), students took a field trip to their facility biweekly and learned how to develop website codes and create electrical circuits. On Friday of the first week, students participated in a color code training led by Dr. Stanley Green from Clemson Youth Learning Center.

Students put their mentoring skills to work during the second week and mentored a student in the “Grandparent Program.” Mentors learned the need to assume a number of different roles during the course of the mentoring relationship. Mentors explored values, interests and goals of the mentee in order to make a difference and have a positive effect on their life.

In the final week, students became Young Future Leaders in Training, which was a "Counselor in Training" (CIT) program. The purpose of the CIT program is to provide an intense program geared to train teenagers in work ethics, leadership, respect and responsibility. The CIT program prepares the student to assist camp counselors by teaching safety, responsibility, leadership, respect, and activities. This popular program helps teenagers gain valuable leadership skills and increase self-confidence.

The students also participated in three college tours to the University of South Carolina (USC), USC Aiken, and Winthrop University and also participated in the Adventures in Pharmacy Lab held through the USC School of Pharmacy.

Mid-Carolina AHEC looks forward to holding the YFLP again next year. For more information on the program, please contact Mid-Carolina Health Careers Coordinator Erica Davis at 803-286-4121 or ericadavis@comporium.net.