Chaplain, Charles Bush address a group of students from Clifton Hunter High School.
The 2018 Mentoring Cayman class enjoyed a field trip at the end of January, as they travelled up to East End to visit Health City Cayman Islands.
Mentoring Cayman, first introduced in 2002, is a year-long programme introduced by the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce that partners high-achieving year 11 students from public and private schools with an influential and motivated mentor from the business community or government.
30 of the 45 students in this year’s class were greeted by Kafara Augustine (Marketing & Events Specialist with Health City) and Charles Bush (Chaplain, spiritual care services). Mr. Bush provided the students with a summary of the hospital, teaching them more about its development and its future. The group was divided into two groups of 15, and each student was provided with an exclusive goodie bag before embarking on the tour.
The tour itself included visits to the sleeping lab, physiotherapy department, inpatient rooms, administrative offices and cafeteria. The students also got to examine the MRI machine. The staff in each department explained their function in the hospital, and what their average daily routine might look like. Students were encouraged to ask questions about each department and the facility itself, and those interested in pursuing careers in the field of medicine wasted no time in making enquiries.
“The Mentoring Cayman is an essential component of the Chamber’s efforts in developing educational opportunities for our students,” said President Paul Byles.
“The programme gives these students life-enriching experiences that they might not otherwise get, and it helps to nurture their aspirations and development. Hundreds of students have benefitted from this programme, and many have gone on to become outstanding leaders.”
The tour concluded in the cafeteria, where the students were provided with complementary cookies from the kitchen.
“Since 2014, it has been our pleasure to welcome Cayman Islands students to our hospital through our Healthcare Explorers Programme,” said Mr. Bush. “We have hosted over 750 students to date, providing age-appropriate, contextual, educational STEM education opportunities to foster interest in the healthcare careers.”
“We are grateful for our education partners, like Mentoring Cayman, for helping us to reach the broadest number of students possible.”
When asked about the Mentoring Cayman programme, Triple C High School student, Denise Suico, said: “I like the programme because it really opens up your perspective of the world of work. Also, you get to meet a diverse group of people who give you valuable advice.”
The Chamber would like to thank Health City for being such gracious hosts, and for taking an active role in encouraging students to learn more about our Islands and the different industries within them. Health City have been active and supporting members of the Chamber of Commerce since their inception in 2014.
The Mentoring Cayman class will next meet on February 22 at The Wharf, where they will gather for the Annual Mentoring Luncheon.
The Chamber would like to thank the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, Agriculture & Lands for supporting the programme, as well as the following corporate partners: Caribbean Alliance Insurance Company Ltd., Consolidated Water, Cox Lumber Ltd., Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company, and Rocky’s Diamond Gallery.