Red Cross Blogs

Posts tagged ‘young people’

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When I was little, I used to accompany my mother as she shook a collecting tin during various charities’ flag weeks. I remember enjoying it, as we always saw lots of friendly faces and I was happy to be part of Mum’s fundraising efforts.

With this in mind I asked Sam, my five-year-old son, if he wanted to come and help me collect for Red Cross Week last weekend. He seemed pretty keen, so we off we went to our local high street in Chesham, armed with our collecting box and stickers.

Having confused him in the past with explanations of what the Red Cross does, this time I kept it simple: “We’re raising money so the Red Cross can help people.”

“So do we get to keep the money?”

“What do you think?”

Point taken.

We took up our position next to the market. As he is under 16, Sam’s not allowed to hold a collecting box. So it was his job to say ‘thank you’ and give out the stickers. He looked up and down the street hopefully. “Why hasn’t anyone given us any money yet?” he asked, after precisely thirty seconds.

But soon the coins started to jingle into our box. “One, two, three…” Sam counted as people came over to make their donation. He gave up after five, but seemed pleased with his job of giving out the stickers. He even remembered to say ‘thank you’.

I was also happy to be there. I usually feel a bit self-conscious when collecting, but Sam’s company made the time pass quickly. And Chesham’s residents were generous. A couple of people put tenners in the box. One nice man said he’d found £10 the day before and decided to give it to the next charity collector he saw.

After an hour, Sam was getting restless. When he started performing acrobatics on a traffic barrier and striking monster and alien poses, I decided it was time for his Dad to come and pick him up. I stood there for another half an hour but have to admit, it wasn’t nearly as much fun.

In total, we raised £53.64 – not bad for an hour and half’s volunteering.

Read about other ways people have been raising money for Red Cross Week.

Find ideas for fundraising with children.

Find other fundraising ideas.

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Newsthink, our collection of news-related activities, is emailed to over 4,000 educators every fortnight to use in class, in assembly and in youth work settings. It is part of a wider collection of teaching resources the British Red Cross produces including Positive Images, Operation Amphibian, Life. Live it and Justice & Fairness.

The latest newsthink went out on 9 November and the team is now planning the next edition, firstly by looking for video, audio or photos that are likely to work in the classroom.

We then make sure the chosen approach fits with British Red Cross fundamental principles, particularly impartiality and neutrality. We never become involved in political, religious, racial or any other sort of ideological controversy.

Build resilience

Steering this course is not easy. Sometimes whole topics have to be avoided. That means that teachers will sometimes find us unexpectedly silent on a major news event. The upside of that is that educators can be reassured that the materials are not biased, slanted or pushing a particular line. The only line we promote is that of humanitarian education, which is centrally concerned with saving lives and reducing suffering, not religion or politics.

Our materials increase young people’s confidence, ability and willingness to help themselves and others in a crisis. If we can do that we can help communities and the people in them to be more resilient.

Our recent winter weather activities invited students to imagine they are trapped in a car in heavy snow. Who would they text and what would they say? What do they wish they had with them? People are often urged to check on elderly neighbours in bad weather, but what does that involve saying and doing? What help could you offer? What if the neighbour was determinedly independent, or anxious, or unaware of the situation? Students then practise and prepare by role-playing the scenario.

Sign up now

All our online materials are free. That is not because we don’t think they are valuable. On the contrary, we think they stand up well against any commercially available materials. But we want them to be used, so we don’t want price to discourage anyone.

We spend money on education – about 0.4 per cent of total British Red Cross spending – because we believe that, like all charities, we have a duty to explain what we do by setting out our values and principles. We also have a commitment to share what we know, helping others learn and develop from the understanding of the world that comes from our work.

To find out more, browse our education materials in the teaching resources section of the website and sign up to receive newsthink free every fortnight.

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Weirdly, for an organisation that’s knocking on 141 years old, the British Red Cross seems to be getting younger. Which is fitting, in its own way, because tomorrow – 12 August – is International Youth Day.

You probably won’t know this, but half the volunteer base of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) worldwide is now made up of young people. That amounts to 6.5 million – yes, 6.5 million – young humanitarians in our global Movement.

And here in the UK, almost a fifth of Red Cross volunteers (6,000 of them) are under 26 years old. As a group, they make a huge contribution – and blow out of the water that hoary old cliché about charity work being the preserve of respectable, middle-aged ladies.

In the past year alone (which also, incidentally, marked the UN International Year of Youth), young volunteers helped with the Red Cross’ mammoth response to the heavy winter snows, featured in the Red Cross’ Humanitarian Citizen Awards, organised a national youth conference and launched a new leadership programme for young volunteers.

And last November, 13 ambitious young volunteers even staged a coup and stormed the senior management team meeting at Red Cross HQ, seizing the reins of power. (Don’t worry, though. The temporary coup d’etat was all part of Takeover Day, an annual event where young people across the country get a chance to try their hand at running things.)

Many young volunteers say they joined the Red Cross because it has such a humungous choice of services, particularly for young people. So whether your interest is first aid, fundraising, responding to emergencies or helping refugees, there will be something for you.

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Millions of Harry Potter fans will be flocking to UK cinemas in the next few weeks, fully expecting to pick up hot wizarding and magic tips. What they might not expect is to learn how to save someone’s life, but that’s exactly what will happen thanks to a British Red Cross first aid trailer advert showing with the movie.

The powerful new 30-second cinema advert is being shown before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – confidently expected to be the biggest movie release of 2011.

The hard-hitting ad, which focuses on a drunk girl at a party and uses a split-screen device to startling effect – starkly shows the potential consequences of not knowing first aid. Crucially, it also shows that, in such circumstances, you can save someone’s life simply by rolling them on their side and tilting their head back so the airway is clear.

The advert – part of the Red Cross’ Life. Live it. campaign – will feature on 823 cinema screens between 29 July and 11 August, and will potentially reach 2.6 million people.

It’s a nice thought that, as they settle back to enjoy a couple of hours’ fantasy magical entertainment, thousands of young people will be shown how to do something genuinely incredible – save someone’s life in an emergency.

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As 2010 draws to a close, we’d like to show all our friends, fans, donors, supporters and partners how you’ve helped us make a difference this year.

While 2010 was full of high-profile disasters, our volunteers and staff helped people every day with a wide array of personal crises.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest crises you helped us respond to this year.

January – The Big Freeze

Britain entered the new year covered in a blanket of snow. As the biggest snowfall for decades disrupted travel, schools and communication networks, our volunteers jumped in their vehicles and worked round the clock. Emergency response volunteers supported ambulance services, helped district nurses reach urgent cases, and provided people with blankets and food after power cuts.  Care in the home volunteers visited hundreds of vulnerable people to check their welfare.  And, when there was a massive increase in winter injuries, our medical equipment services were kept busy loaning out wheelchairs and other mobility equipment.

January – Haiti earthquake

The devastating Haiti earthquake on 12 January led to the largest single-country response in Red Cross history. Around 230,000 people died and more than a million were left homeless. We immediately launched an appeal for funds, and the public generously donated, helping us deliver food, hundreds of thousands of tents and tarpaulins, millions of litres of clean water, thousands of cooking sets, and vital medical aid to those who needed it.

Almost one year on, we’re still providing help with sanitation, shelter and livelihoods as Haitian people look to rebuild their lives.

February – first aid for people with disabilities

In February we reported on our three-year project to deliver specially-adapted first aid training for people with disabilities. From September 2006, around 6,000 people took part in one of our inclusive first aid courses. We announced that the programme would continue, getting a big thumbs up from former England and Newcastle United football player Alan Shearer, who said: “It’s easy to assume that because someone is physically disabled or has learning difficulties that they can’t learn first aid, however this just isn’t the case. This fantastic British Red Cross initiative has proved that, with the right training, people with disabilities are more than able to learn the skills to save a life.”

February – Chile earthquake

On 27 February, an earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale hit Chile. We released £50,000 from our Disaster Fund to help the Chilean Red Cross respond. We also launched an appeal to raise money.

March – highlighting tuberculosis worldwide

On World TB Day (24 March) we highlighted our TB programmes in Central Asia and Africa, where we’re combating stigma and helping people get the treatment they need.

TB is a curable disease but still kills around two million people a year.

April – volcanic ash leads to travel disruption

When planes were grounded across Europe, we sent two psychosocial support teams to Calais and Madrid to provide practical help and emotional support to Britons trying to return home.

May – the Big Red Cross Bus

We toured the UK with the world’s first all-in-one mobile charity shop and volunteering centre. For two weeks, starting on 31 May, over 2,000 people shopped on our bus and 200 people signed up to volunteer with us.

June – highlighting destitution of refugees and asylum seekers

A British Red Cross poll showed that one-in-four British people still believe asylum seekers come to Britain to claim benefits. The survey results were published ahead of Refugee Week, an annual UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events celebrating refugees’ contribution to the UK.

We also launched a report highlighting the dire hardships facing destitute asylum seekers and the urgent need for a more humane asylum system. The report – Not gone, but forgotten – showed that many refused asylum seekers survive on only one meal a day, are unable to work, are homeless, and rely on charities like the Red Cross to survive.

July – Kyrgyzstan unrest

When ethnic violence broke out in southern Kyrgyzstan, we released £100,000 from our Disaster Fund to help the International Committee of the Red Cross scale up their humanitarian operation, providing healthcare, emergency relief items and forensic experts. An estimated 100,000 people – mostly women and children – fled to neighbouring Uzbekistan.

July/August – Pakistan floods

An estimated 20 million people were affected by Pakistan’s worst flooding for 80 years. The floods killed more than 1,700 people and destroyed crops, farms and food, leaving people facing months of hunger.

We sent teams of logistics and sanitation specialists to organise relief items, provide clean toilets and water, and deliver hygiene education to reduce people’s risk of disease.

After we carried out a survey that showed young people feel ill-equipped to deal with the emergencies they’ve faced, we launched the Life. Live it. campaign encouraging them to learn first aid. One way the campaign is engaging with teens is through giving away money-can’t-buy experiences. The first took place last week, when young football fans attended training sessions with Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United players.

October – recognising young heroes

We held the fifth annual Humanitarian Citizen Award ceremony, which celebrates the extraordinary achievements of young people from across Britain. The overall winner was 15-year-old Cameron Foster from Wigan, who has done countless sponsored runs, walks and abseils to raise thousands of pounds for specialist sports equipment for disabled people.

November – first anniversary of the Cumbria floods

Although many people have moved back into their homes and are rebuilding their lives, the voluntary sector is still providing a wide range of help. Our volunteers have been a consistent and much-needed source of support in Cumbria, making more than 835 visits and 2,200 phone calls to check on people’s welfare. 

December – It’s snowing again

We’re closing out the year the way we began it – by helping people struggling with heavy snowfalls, ice, and burst water pipes. We released money from our Disaster Fund to help the snow response in northern Scotland. Our volunteers have been out supporting the emergency services across the UK – from transporting people to and from hospital, to delivering medication to homebound people. And our volunteers in Northern Ireland have been delivering water to people after leaking pipes have left 40,000 people without a water supply.

Want to help your community, whatever happens in 2011? Find out about volunteering with us.

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