Outreach Projects
Winter and Spring Gifts for Hospice Patients and Staff
Problem:
There is a significant disconnect between youth and the palliative and end-of-life care community. This divide contributes to reduced compassion, limited awareness, and widespread misunderstanding of serious illness, bereavement, and end-of-life care.
Our Response:
Each winter and spring, the PCC collaborates with local hospices to deliver gifts and handwritten cards created by university students for hospice patients and staff. This initiative fosters meaningful connections between students and the palliative care community while promoting empathy, awareness, and intergenerational understanding.
Pop-Up Tables: Palliative Education and Community Connection
Problem:
University students often have limited time to engage in education about palliative care, end-of-life issues, and grief. Additionally, busy schedules reduce opportunities for spontaneous human connection.
Our Response:
At various times throughout the year, the PCC hosts pop-up tables across campus, where volunteers offer flowers to passersby in exchange for sharing a brief palliative care fact. This low-barrier, relational approach encourages learning while fostering moments of kindness and connection among strangers.
Youth Involvement in Palliative and End-of-Life Care Symposium
Problem:
Many high school students lack awareness of palliative care, end-of-life care, and grief literacy. Opportunities for youth involvement in this field are further limited by age-based stigma that characterizes young people as “immature” or “inexperienced.”
Our Response:
To address these barriers, the PCC is organizing a symposium dedicated to educating high school students about palliative care and grief literacy. The symposium will empower youth to engage meaningfully in their communities, connect them with UBCO professionals, and highlight pathways for involvement and impact.
Grief Kits
Problem:
Society lacks grief literacy, leaving many individuals uncertain about how to support themselves or others during times of grief.
Our Response:
To address this gap, we developed Grief Kits—a resource designed to facilitate compassionate human connection during grief. UBCO students may pick up a kit for themselves or for someone they know who is grieving. Each kit is curated based on ongoing student feedback and includes:
A practical guide on supporting oneself or others through grief
Wellness and self-care items
High-protein food items
Anti-stress materials
Access:
Grief Kits are available at the UBCO University Centre (UNC), Room 122B (PICNIC),
3272 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7.
Students requiring item accommodations are encouraged to inform PICNIC staff so that an adjusted kit can be prepared.
Letter Delivery Program
Problem: Many people receiving end-of-life care experience loneliness and a sense of disconnection from their communities. This can make an already vulnerable time feel even more isolating.
Our Solution: We teach young people how to build meaningful connections through letter writing. By delivering letters to hospice residents, we create moments of curiosity, warmth, and human connection. Receiving thoughtful messages brings a sense of adventure and makes the world feel a little smaller.