iRISE Conference 2025

Hosted By: Harmela C.

Project for Ages: 10 to 29 Years Old.

Project Category: Youth Empowerment

Project Summary:

iRISE is an empowering conference that addresses the unique challenges faced by underrepresented communities in healthcare. Engage with distinguished keynote speakers, student panels, and professional panels, all addressing systemic racial barriers in healthcare. Attendees will gain unparalleled access to healthcare leaders through exclusive networking opportunities and enhance their skills with practical workshops encompassing suturing, medical case studies, and financial planning. This event offers a supportive environment, inspiring and equipping the next generation of healthcare professionals with the knowledge and resources needed for success. If you’re an aspiring healthcare professional interested in health equity, this is the event for you!

Addressing Community Needs:

In a diverse nation like Canada, our healthcare professionals must reflect the diversity of our population. This promotes cultural competency, reduces biases, and demonstrates to the younger generation that they too can achieve influential positions, fostering a belief in their potential. Unfortunately, Black youth continuously face systemic barriers, lacking the knowledge, resources, and opportunities essential for entering and thriving in healthcare spaces. BAP-MAC created the iRISE Conference to combat these barriers.

Firstly, iRISE provides attendees with tangible resources to become healthcare leaders. It offers unique networking opportunities where students can connect with healthcare professionals, researchers, and allied workers. These connections allow students to gain insights into various professions, receive personalized advice, and learn about future research and career opportunities. Additionally, practical workshops on topics such as financial planning, medical case studies, and suturing help attendees develop skills that will set them ahead of the curve. By offering these resources and tools, we aim to break down barriers to inclusion and increase future career success.

Secondly, through keynote speakers, and professional and student panels, attendees become more informed about the consequences of a lack of diversity in healthcare and how factors like race contribute to poor health outcomes in marginalized communities. By fostering these discussions, we aim for attendees to leave the conference with a greater understanding of the challenges that arise at the intersection of healthcare and race, as well as a drive to build a more inclusive and equitable Canada.

Lastly, the conference creates a safe and inclusive space for all students, particularly equity-seeking individuals, to connect. We recognize the importance of community and continuously foster connections among like-minded individuals to empower them on their professional journeys.