Student co-creation and community organizing, a core HCCP value, begins with hiring students, teaching them core principles of community organizing, and supporting them to build community among each other.
Community building is especially critical because racial/cultural isolation is ubiquitous with URM students. For instance, in Virtual Rounds, students meet regularly in small “family groups,” in which they build identity and confidence:
My family group is filled with women that are absolutely destined to be great physicians one day and that to me is incredibly inspiring because they seem so ready and determined to be doctors one day. It’s that type of mindset and groups of people that I am honored and grateful to be around. I cannot wait until I work with them one day in some capacity! — Virtual Rounds Summer 2021 participant
Students remain in contact through an on-line Slack channel, supporting each other, and engaging in further co-creation within HCCP and the larger BIPOC Health Careers Ecosystem.