Youth Empowerment for Health Equity.

The CHAMPIONS NETWork

CHAMPIONS is spearheaded by the UI Health’s Department of Emergency Medicine and launched in the summer of 2016. Partnered with nine schools located in mostly undeserved neighborhoods, CHAMPIONS aims to 1) empower youth to improve community health and to 2) build a pipeline of healthcare workers for the future. Our summer program trains a chosen cohort of students to become health advocates while our school-year initiatives further provide career development & health-career/college preparation.

The Problem

1. Large segments of Chicagoans “avoid the doctor due to cost.” Without community-based intervention, life-threatening diseases may go unnoticed until it is too late. 

2. There is a crisis of joblessness amongst teens in Chicago.

3. Both problems are prevalent in underserved communities.

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4. Many teens lack prior exposure to different health careers.

Our Goals 

1. Empower young people to become health champions in their local community. 

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2. Provide employment for underserved youth and create a pathway to college and professional health careers for them. 

3. Improve health disparities in Chicago communities at highest risk of poor health.

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4. Provide high school students with knowledge  about and personal engagement with various health professional careers.

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