Lifespan Community Health Institute

Youth Programs

Lifespan has a variety of programs to reach out to the youth of our community.

Two children read in a park.  Lifespan Community Health Institute.

Power Lunch

In the 2013/14 school year, only 52% of Providence Public School third graders were proficient in reading. Students who are not reading on grade level at the end of third grade are less likely to graduate from high schools, which sets them up for poor adult health. Managed by Inspiring Minds, the Power Lunch Programs matches local employees with Providence elementary schools in need of reading volunteers. Students are referred to the program based on low reading levels, low confidence in their reading skills and/or low self-esteem.  Lifespan Community Health Institute (LCHI) coordinates the Power Lunch volunteers at Bailey, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Carl G. Lauro Elementary Schools in Providence. Lifespan staff volunteer to read with elementary school students once a week during their lunch hour, promoting a love of reading and mentoring with elementary age students.

Fiscal Year 2015 Numbers:

  • 31 weekly sessions
  • 24 children served
  • 100% of the beneficiaries were from core cities

Groundhog Job Shadow Day

Children need early exposure to health careers and health care settings in order to stimulate interest in health professions. In partnership with the Martin Luther King Elementary School in Providence, 5th grade students spend a half-day at The Miriam Hospital learning about career pathways from human resources professionals and touring departments including Central Sterilization, the Blood Center, Dietary/Kitchen, and the Robotics Lab.

Fiscal Year 2015 Numbers:

  • 100 fifth grade students served
  • 100% of the beneficiaries were from core cities

Lifespan Mentoring Program

Mentoring can improve students’ lives, especially with respect to educational achievement, social and emotional development, and health behaviors. For the mentor, mentorship provides an opportunity for a professional to develop a meaningful relationship with a young person and an enriched life experience. The Lifespan Mentoring Program pairs high school students who are interested in health careers with Lifespan professionals. With ample evidence demonstrating the tremendous positive impact a caring adult can have on the trajectory of a young person’s life, the program facilitates one-on-one relationships between health professionals and students to bolster essential skills in the academic, professional, and social domains.