Impressions of Synapses, Stories, and Song
Post by Joanne Trzcinski, Director of the Pathways to Healthcare Careers program, Oregon Pacific Area Health Education Center (OPAHEC). Joanne helped plan and implement our Spirit Mountain Community Fund backed outreach to Lincoln and Yamhill County schools.
LEARN MORE: Synapses, Stories & Song!
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I run OPAHEC’s Pathways to Healthcare Careers program, which aims to provide students with opportunities to explore numerous careers in healthcare. We provide career and college activities. Though experiential learning, field trips to colleges and career fairs, guest speakers, and college readiness workshops we foster networks to boost their confidence and ambitions. We have tremendous support from cooperating schools and partners in the community, and I was thrilled to connect with the passionate volunteers from NW Noggin.
LEARN MORE: OPAHEC Pathways Program
LEARN MORE: Synapses & Stories: Coyote, Grizzly & their Brains!
I’d made several visits with Bill Griesar, Jeff Leake and other volunteers from NW Noggin to Siletz, Amity and Willamina High Schools over the spring and summer, to talk with high school students about brains, create art and music, discuss career opportunities in research and clinical healthcare fields, and work with both teachers and principals to plan our multi-day outreach this month.
LEARN MORE: Noggin @ Siletz Valley!
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LEARN MORE: Siletz Stories, Singing, Dancing & Brains!
And then in late September, we worked with NW Noggin and Binyam Nardos from the YES! Program at OHSU, and enjoyed a tour by both Binyam and Alex Stevens of the Advanced Imaging Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University.
This was a wonderful way to introduce the Pathways students (some of whom left very early to join us) to a research hospital setting. We loved learning about imaging technologies, and experiencing the strength of a powerful (7 Tesla) MRI magnet – which pulled strongly on necklaces and belts! This experience connected our students with a celebrated research hospital, and the many opportunities for further education and employment offered at places like OHSU.
LEARN MORE: OPAHEC/Noggin @ OHSU YES! Tour
As a behavioral health professional, I think personal connection is everything. We returned with NW Noggin for their Synapses, Stories & Song program in October, providing a great framework for students to meet and learn from undergraduate and graduate students as well as current researchers and professors from Portland State University and OHSU!
Artists were central to the experience, including Jeff Leake of NW NOGGIN and Ana Mello, a puppet maker and performer who told compelling tales from her native Brazil…
Fish Martinez, MC also brought stories in to the program using rap and drumming. As a musician and music therapist, I joined Fish at Siletz Valley in the old gym to play music, and learn from NW Noggin volunteers about how it can impact our brains.
I was very excited that students got a chance to learn what is going on in our brains when we are engaged in music, rhythm, and stories!
Students frequently talk of anxiety, and stress. I was happy to lead a mindfulness meditation activity for the students during our outreach. Synapses, Stories & Song provided students with an opportunity to explore mindfulness meditation in a practice followed by discussion of how this practice might affect our brains and stress levels.
I have many fun days as an education coordinator, but this program was at the top!