Written By Jan Sims
DELAWARE - An open house was held earlier this month at the Delaware Community Centre to welcome potential recruits to the 1st Delaware Medical Venturers and Medical Rovers.
The group, commonly known as “MedVents” is a program of Scouts Canada for youth ages 14 to 25. While traditional scouting helps to develop skills like camping and Scoutcraft, MedVent focuses on the development of first aid skills and how to apply them to real life scenarios. “We then take those skills and apply them to various Scouting and public events that we are requested to attend to provide first aid service,” says Emergency Medical Responder Ryan George with the 1st Delaware Medical Rovers.
Meetings are held at the Delaware Community Centre. Participants are exposed to a range of medical training from standard first aid practices to emergency medical response with practical and theoretical knowledge provided under the Canadian Red Cross. “You do not need any first aid experience. You don’t even need to have an interest in a health care field. The beauty of first aid training is that it is applicable to every sector of work and life,” says George.
Although the program is open to youth with a variety of interests and career ambitions, it’s especially suited to those with an interest in the health care field. “Specifically, for those seeking careers in Health Care, you’ll have opportunities to interact with subject matter experts throughout your time with us to help give you valuable insights into the work force,” says George.
As well as the satisfaction of serving the community, participants earn credit towards high school volunteer hours. And there are other rewards. “Through the MedVent program, many of our youth have been awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Community Volunteer Award for Students at their respective high school graduations and countless others for the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards,” says George.
People interested in the MedVent program can check out the website www.1stdelawaremedvents.ca/recruitment or email 1stdelaware.medical@gmail.com “The program is what you make it to be. If you commit the time and energy into it, the experiences and relationships will benefit you multiple times over and that will determine its importance,” says George.
