Pitching in: Medical student turns health struggles into non-profit for youth facing homelessness

Pitching in: Medical student turns health struggles into non-profit for youth facing homelessness PAUL WALDIE PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO Open this photo in gallery: Sisters Shania Bhopa and Anya Bhopa co-founded the Canadian Courage Project, a non-profit that supports young people facing homelessness. SUPPLIED COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. The organizers: Shania and Anya Bhopa The pitch: Co-founding the Canadian Courage Project As a child, Shania Bhopa’s health was always a concern. She had gastrointestinal problems, kidney stones and struggled with mental-health issues. “I was just a really sick kid and I always felt like doctors never communicated to me the things I needed to know,” Ms. Bhopa, 28, said from her home in Toronto. Her experiences led her to study communications at university, with a focus on health care. She went on to earn a doctorate from McMaster University in global health. She also spent time working on health care concerns in youth shelters and she wrote a children’s book about the “gut-brain connection.” Pitching in: A summer sports program for at-risk children “I think that true human connection comes from good communication, and it really does lack in the health care system,” she said. In 2020, she launched the Canadian Courage Project with her sister, Anya, who is a veterinarian. The non-profit works with more than a dozen foundations and organizations to provide a range of services for youth experiencing homelessness, including animal care programs, community libraries and workshops. The project has recently partnered with Friends of Ruby, a Toronto shelter for 2SLGBTQIA+ young people. They opened the Jade Health & Wellness Room, which offers primary care, mental health, dental and wellness support services to people served by Friends of Ruby. The project has been backed by around $20,000 from Telus Health, a division of Telus Corp. Pitching in: ‘Danforth Dad’ takes passion for playgrounds across Canada “We’re able to collaborate with family medicine, nurse practitioners, two dentists and dental hygienists, and three alternative medicine specialists,” said Ms. Bhopa. She added that current and former residents of the shelter have been involved in the programming. Ms. Bhopa is studying to become a doctor, and her dream is to blend her interests in medicine and research. Her goal is “to spend half of my week in a…