This article is part of the CCA Previews for 2016.
By Toh Si Ying (16S03N) and Alice Soewito (16S03B)
If you are a person who values life and the spirit of humanity, look no further – Raffles Red Cross Youth Chapter is for you.
Ever wondered what the worst nightmare for a Red Cross Youth Chapter member would be?
As a Red Cross Youth Chapter member, you’ll be part of the largest humanitarian organization in the world, founded based on the need to promote the spirit of humanity through ensuring respect for every individual and alleviating human suffering wherever it may be found through voluntary service.
And that is precisely why our members are provided a compulsory Standard First Aid Course (SFA) training to equip them with the necessary and relevant skills to preserve life and promote recovery. Upon completing the SFA course, members are certified as first aiders and serve first aid duties within and beyond the school. For example, members are encouraged to join the weekly First Aider on Wheels (FAOW) sessions where they are required to cycle around East Coast Park to provide first aid help for the public.
As a member of the Red Cross movement, Raffles Red Cross Youth Chapter provides various platforms for members to enrich their experiences. Weekly sessions are held on Wednesdays, from 2pm-3pm. Red Cross members come to discuss their service initiatives, further First Aid knowledge, learn the history, principles and humanitarian efforts of Red Cross thus far, reflect on the things they can do to contribute to the movement and take concrete steps to achieve them. Members are typically organized into committees (First Aid Committee, Batch Initiatives Committee, Blood Drive Committee and Welfare Committee) and are given the freedom and space to plan and execute activities that the committee is involved in. (If you’d like to find out why we italicized the word “cute”, join Red Cross ;))
As a service CCA, Red Cross members will be attached to a Voluntary Welfare Organization (VWO) for weekly service; currently, students can either interact with the elderly at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TSSH) or give tuition to primary school children at Good Shepherd Student Care (GSSC). Our key events include the biannual school-wide Blood Drive (the first one this year coming up on 12 February!) and World Red Cross Day celebrations.
We are connected to the world and feel a deep sense of empathy when disasters strike. For example, to help the victims of the earthquake that struck Nepal on 12 May 2015, Raffles Red Cross Youth Chapter organized a school-wide donation drive and encouraged staff and students alike to show their support for victims of the earthquake.
For those who desire depth and breadth in their Red Cross experience, a vast list of Red Cross HQ activities and events are available for members to participate in! Red Cross Youth Chapter members will indubitably be spoilt for choice, as the number of opportunities provided for them is tremendous. Shape your Red Cross journey through a large-scale first aid duty at the Para SEA games or participate in the annual National First Aid Competition!
Beyond First Aid, members can also equip themselves with necessary disaster response skills through the National Disaster Response Training course (whereby certified persons may be deployed by HQ to help overseas in the event of a natural disaster), or even go on an Overseas Humanitarian Project to lend a helping hand and foster friendships internationally! As such, the Red Cross experience would be a fruitful one; one that allows you to shape and explore your own interests in the multitude of unique opportunities provided for you.
If you are person who values the spirit of humanity, is highly passionate about community service and seeks to take ownership of a highly customizable experience, come down for an interview to join us! No pre-requisites are necessary, but a willing heart and mind. As Barack Obama has once said, “If you go out and make good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”
If you want first-hand exposure to First Aid, and if you would like to find out more about us, here is your opportunity –we present to you the First Aid Essence Workshop, a 3-hour elective conducted during the January Induction Programme! Look forward to real-life case scenarios, free bandages and a specially prepared set of First Aid notes that will definitely aid you when emergency strikes!
