Founded 15 years ago, the Kiosque d’information des étudiants en pharmacie de l’Université Laval (KIÉPUL) has made broadcasting information and heightening public awareness regarding different issues more or less related to pharmacology their principal mission. In order to do so, the student group set up five separate committees: asthma and tobacco; the physiological effects of drugs; medication, pregnancy and breastfeeding; medication and elderly people; and sexual health. In concrete terms, the contribution of each committee is expressed in the production and distribution of brochures, the participation in various fairs such as the 2004 Salon Maternité Paternité Enfants and the 2004 Salon des générations, the presentation of lectures in different high schools as well as other target activities. The KIÉPUL, which has the collaboration of over 30 students, has succeeded in reaching out to an impressive number of people and has given the public a more accurate picture of the role of today’s pharmacists. And the educational scope of KIÉPUL’s activities has greatly exceeded the expectations of its members. The organization has also managed to prove that pharmacists are more than just distributors of medicine: they also contribute to improving the health of individuals.
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With the strong conviction that the practice of medicine should be adapted to the evolution of our society, medical students at the Université Laval decided to establish the Comité des relations internationales et de l’action communautaire (CRIAC). Ghandi’s saying, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”, is a daily source of inspiration for the CRIAC, whose activities are based on the fact that health is not limited to, and goes far beyond, an absence of illness. The student organization is involved in a wide variety of fields such as the environment, fair trade, social and economic issues, volunteer work, intercultural exchange, community health and many more. Extending its commitment beyond the walls of the faculty, the range, quantity and quality of CRIAC’s actions are endless: fundraising, the setting up of a composting system, volunteer work in health centres, the sale of fair trade products, the organization of lectures on, among other things, rape and the specific plight of Natives, the presentation of documentaries, and the list goes on. This broader definition of a doctor’s calling is gaining an increasing number of followers and clearly shows the relevance of the CRIAC’s existence.
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It was during an intervention project at the Health and Social Services Centre in the Côte-des-Neiges district that four nursing students from McGill University realised that there was a genuine need to promote healthy eating habits among immigrants who had just arrived in Québec. Because of the obvious reasons of uprooting and a lack of information, these families are often faced with significant changes in their diet, placing them in a situation of nutritional vulnerability. And it goes without saying that a healthy diet plays an essential and decisive role in the health of human beings. The four students therefore decided to become actively involved and produced a practical guide, available in both English and French, providing immigrant families with information on the food products available in their new environment. Published last fall, the Cultural Nutrition Booklet has already been distributed to some twenty families. The guide presents the food groups of the different continents as well as providing tips for preserving food and the complete list of grocery stores in the neighbourhood. Greatly appreciated by the sector’s caregivers, the tool is now distributed by the Côte-des-Neiges HSSC.
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