Youth Development and Engagement

NAACP Career Fair

Yale New Haven Hospital and the NAACP of Greater New Haven team up every year to put on a citywide career fair. What started as a low-key event showcasing different healthcare jobs to high school students has grown over the years into a massive, statewide event attracting more than 1,200 students from school districts throughout Connecticut. Yale New Haven Hospital sets up vignettes of different areas of the hospital, all staffed by employees who work in those departments, to show young people all of the opportunities available, from entry-level positions in dietary or environmental services, to nursing and surgery, explaining the different levels of education and experience required for each role.

PAL Camp

Yale New Haven Hospital has partnered with the New Haven Police Department for four years to support the Police Athletic League (PAL) Camp in New Haven. The camp is a free, five-week day camp held every summer and serves upwards of 400 young people ages 8 through 13. Yale New Haven Hospital staff take over the camp for two days each summer to provide an immersion experience to show the role that hospitals play in a community, as well as engage the children in fun, healthy activities. These include a “day in the life” at Yale New Haven Hospital, where the campers cycle through the many areas of clinical care, starting with first responders, and make their way through the natural progression of the workings of a healthcare organization, including a mock emergency room, operating room and rehabilitation, even showing the importance of nutrition as part of the continuum of healing. More than 150 hospital staff are involved every year, working to inspire the youth Yale New Haven Hospital serves and to provide the campers with a one-of-a-kind experience.