“We need to promote the idea that your gender does not limit you with what you chose to do with your life.”
-Lindsay Brouwer
Age: 28
Hometown: Lethbrdige, Alberta
Currently Residing In: Edmonton, Alberta
Affiliations: Young Nurses Take Action Foundation,Canadian Association of Medical Teams Abroad, Project Amazonas, Stollery Children’s Hospital
What influenced you to become a change-maker?
First and foremost, my parents were the most influential people in shaping who I have become. They provided me with constant unconditional love and support, showing me how to be courageous and to work hard to achieve what you want in life. I currently live in Edmonton, and just celebrated my four year anniversary working at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in the Operating Room as a Registered Nurse. If I were to give myself a personal brand, it would probably be that of a “nerdy adrenaline-seeking hippie,” as I am always on the lookout for an adventure and tend to keep myself constantly busy living life to the fullest with friends and family in the outdoors.
How does your work promote gender equality in Canada and around the world?
I volunteered at the ‘Las Salinas’ local public health clinic in the Tola region of Nicaragua, where maternal health and education was the main focus. I helped the local nurses create posters and information booklets about contraception and other sexual health information that could be accessed by women and young girls in the community.
In Peru, we travelled by boat to extremely remote areas of the Amazon to bring 13 nurses, as well as a Peruvian doctor and dentist, to communities so that everyone in the villages had access to health care. Many of the women and girls we saw in the clinics had little, if any, access to health care for themselves or their children.
What inspires you to make a difference in the world?
One lesson I have learned is the value of the human connection. When you decide to embark on the journey of planning and organizing global volunteer projects, you need to have a lot of people on your team. There is no way I would have been able to participate on the projects I have without the support of my peers—particularly my friends, family, and co-workers. I count myself very lucky to have incredible team members to plan and organize with and great friends and family members who are there to support the fundraisers year after year. I don’t think there is a better feeling than seeing your dreams come to life, especially when it means seeing young people realize the impact they can have in both their local communities and abroad.
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