Red Cross Teddies Plant 'Seeds' for Future Health Care

​Imagine being eight years old and receiving your very own special teddy bear - a new friend to hold tight, care for, and learn with. For the Year 3 students living in Woorabinda, this became a reality last year when university health students from the GROW Rural Central Queensland program arrived to run a Teddy Bear Hospital with hand knitted teddies, generously donated by the Australian Red Cross. Over the course of the afternoon the teddies became companions in learning as the children discovered important lessons about looking after their eyes, ears, skin, teeth, and overall health.

As the students practised caring for their teddies, they were really learning how to take care of themselves - gaining knowledge that will serve them well for years to come. For many, this was their first encounter with health professionals in such a hands-on way, so the teddies were welcome ‘assistants’.

Pictured above: GROW Rural Central Queensland's Teddy Bear Hospital in Woorabinda.

Fast forward to this year, when another Australian Red Cross donation of 60 teddy bears was delivered to Charleville to be part of a Teddy Bear Hospital for the two local primary schools.

As part of establishing health career activities in primary schools, Health Workforce Queensland collaborated with Southern Queensland Rural Health (SQRH) and the HOPE Program. Supported by local health professionals, the Year 3 students rotated through different health stations, to raise awareness of the many health care roles involved in keeping communities healthy. Naturally, the morning finished with a fun-filled teddy bear picnic.

​Pictured - Above left: Kaylee and teddy working on her Go! Grow! Glow! worksheet. Above right - Deb Alick from the Australian Red Cross with facilitators in Charleville.

To highlight the important role the teddies play in planting ‘seeds’ for future health careers, an Australian Red Cross member explained to the students that the teddies first began as a way to comfort children. With Red Cross volunteers currently knitting an incredible 200 teddies per month, it’s amazing to think about how many more young lives will be touched in the future.

We extend our deepest thanks to the Australian Red Cross volunteers who bring the teddies to life and for their contribution to growing our future health workforce in Queensland. Special appreciation goes to Glennis, our dedicated teddy handover coordinator, for making this possible.

Pictured above left: Glennis receiving a donation of wool from Evelyn Eteuati, HWQ's Future Workforce Coordinator. Right and below: some of the wonderful Australian Red Cross volunteers.

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