Camp connects Seattle-area youth to careers in public health

With funding from a Public Health Infrastructure Grant, Public Health–Seattle & King County expanded its summer camp and made it more accessible. The camp helps open doors to public health careers for local youth.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“What are your plans after high school?”

“How will you use your degree after college?”

Beyond hoping to be an astronaut (fingers still crossed), I couldn’t give a straight answer to any of these questions when I was younger. While you’re still in school, it can be hard to get a good sense for what a career might look like. And that makes it hard to decide on which steps to take toward a job you feel passionate about.

Last year, Shayla Holcomb and Greg Wilson at Public Health–Seattle & King County had an idea: open a door for young people into the field of public health, and invite them to learn directly from staff across the department while building relationships with professionals and other students.

Funding from CDC’s Public Health Infrastructure Grant made it possible to extend the camp from three days in 2023 to five days this year, to invite more participants, and to provide gift cards as stipends to participants. Because the camp is five full days during the summer, the organizers wanted to ensure that youth didn’t have to choose between the camp and losing income from a summer or part-time job.

Scenes from Public Health Camp 2024

Forty-five young King County residents joined the second annual Public Health Camp from August 5–9, 2024, at the health department’s offices in downtown Seattle. Each day featured a different theme, with presenters and experiential activities from across public health’s divisions:

Camp highlights

A unifying theme for the camp was making connections – connecting with each other, with health department staff, with interns who attended the camp last year, and with community partners and employers during a networking session on the last day. Health department staff enjoyed witnessing the joy that comes from getting to know someone new who shares the same passions and interests.

A camp participant reflects on what made them interested in the camp, new connections and perspectives they gained, and what they learned about careers in public health after five days spent meeting with staff and practitioners.

Students shared some of their favorite experiences with us from the week:

“I’m climate change. Of course I…” – written, produced by, and featuring five Public Health Camp participants as part of their climate + health equity session.

How Public Health Camp opens doors

For young participants, the camp gives an opportunity to explore career paths, learn about local health services and programs, network with professionals in the field, and build a sense of self-empowerment and belonging.

For health department staff, the camp helps to open a pathway for young people to join a public health workforce that is rooted in the communities they serve. Staff also get to learn more about the needs of younger people and how to better communicate services and opportunities for them and their families.

For the community, the camp helps to build a two-way dialogue of information sharing, including raising awareness of public health resources. The camp also equips participants with knowledge and skills to become community advocates and help each other, with sessions like naloxone training and how to respond to extreme weather events.

Nadine, director of Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Health Sciences division, knows that it’s not always easy to hear where the opportunities are when you’re young.

What is next for Public Health Camp?

After the last day of camp, participants stay engaged as part of an “Ambassador Troupe,” serving as advocates for their communities, the camp, and public health. They stay connected through a LinkedIn Group, youth advisory board, internship opportunities, and invitations to future trainings like a Stop the Bleed training.

Looking ahead to next year’s camp in late summer of 2025, organizer Shayla Holcomb would like to continue to grow the camp and offer the experience to new attendees from across King County, while deepening connections with community partners.

Public Health Camp 2024 organizer Shayla talks about working with community partners to extend the camp in the coming years.

The camp ultimately provides one valuable example among many of how big city health departments are deploying Public Health Infrastructure Grant funding to strengthen their workforce for the future.