Livia Zheng
Exploration Youth is a youth-led group that carries out projects aiming to create a safe and equitable environment for all. We aim to complete about a project a year, with our work focusing on uplifting women and youth in need. Some of our previous projects include creating care packages for A Safe Place Women’s Shelter just outside of Edmonton, running a hygiene drive for women at the Elizabeth Fry Society northern branch, and developing care packages for nurses and new mothers at the Misericordia Hospital. We have completed 5 projects since our inception in 2021, and we hope to continue contributing to the community in the years to come.
Ease‑the‑Ouch Initiative
Treatment isn’t always pain-free. Procedural pain or repeated hospital visits can cause additional stress and anxiety when receiving care, especially in kids. Treatment-related pain can also lead to physical and emotional damage in individuals. These effects extend to parents, guardians, and staff thereby declining the quality of care. By working with the Stollery Hospital, the project aims to create a solution where kids receive treatment with compassion to ensure no child or family has to face unnecessary pain alone.
About this Project
Communities Served
My project will involve and/or impact the following communities:
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
When it comes to community impact projects, the UN has created 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These are the Sustainable Development Goals associated with my project.
How the project works
Initial project planning began in October 2025, with grant funding development continuing through March 2026. During this time, we consistently communicate with the Stollery Hospital (Edmonton, Alberta). The project aims to be completed by Early June. This includes purchasing items, gathering volunteers, creating care packages and developing our website.
Project Impact
We aim to reach at least 400 people with our project. This can be directly through those receiving the care packages and utilizing our website to better inform themselves in their treatment or indirectly by creating a less stressful hospital environment thereby improving patient quality of care. Happier patients → happier families → happier staff → happier communities.
Project Mission
Our project has 2 main goals: to improve the experience of pediatric patients receiving treatment at the hospital and to educate families and staff on different ways to support their patients regarding treatment. We are doing this by developing care packages that directly target pediatric pain and by developing a website with information on pain management for public access.
Project Team
We consist of post-secondary students from the University of Alberta and University of British Colombia
- Mariam Agyemang
- Helen Wu
- Natalie Ma
- Zoe Pascual
- Livia Zheng
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