CCA Previews ’19: Red Cross Youth Chapters

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By Sheikh Hafsa (19S03O), Chairperson

Want to do service but not only service? Red Cross Youth Chapters (RCYC) is the right place for you! We are not only actively involved in serving the community, but also in learning life skills that can help save lives! Unlike its uniformed group counterpart, RCYC provides you with various opportunities to serve the community – not just as a volunteer but also as a part of the organization committee in service events.

Of course, joining RCYC comes with a set of responsibilities and commitments, but coupled with the freedom of choice, those responsibilities can be fun and manageable. RCYC members volunteer at service centres on a weekly basis which include the Good Shepherd Student Care Centre (GSSC), National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and Meals On Wheels (MOW) through TOUCH Home Care. That’s not it because if your passion lies in serving a different group in the community, you can choose new organisations to work with as a batch.

*RCYC NKF Volunteers at Volunteer Appreciation Day at NKF*

Besides weekly service sessions, RCYC members meet up for General Meetings (GMs) every Wednesday from 2pm to 3pm where we discuss upcoming events and opportunities. During GMs, our Welfare Committee organizes fun bonding activities, while the First Aid Committee organizes First Aid Refreshers to ensure that no one is ever out of touch with First Aid skills and knowledge. Occasionally, we head down for Batch ViAs during GMs. These ViAs can be organized by anyone and with any organization. For example, this year, we made our way to Willing Hearts in November and next year, we will be working with Down Syndrome Association in January. Our GMs are often fun-filled and provide many opportunities for bonding and interaction. Furthermore, as we encourage members to organize ViAs on their own, many of these ViAs are not made compulsory for everyone, allowing members to choose which ones they would like to participate in.

As everyone gets to choose the beneficiary they would like to work with and the events they would like to take part in and organize, no two individuals in RCYC have the same service journey. Furthermore, being a small CCA, we are a closely-knit family where everyone walks the journey together with commitment not just to the CCA but also to its members. Undoubtedly, that is what sets us apart from the other service CCAs in Raffles.

Together with these weekly engagements, RCYC members are also involved in the planning and execution of our annual Blood Drives and Bone Marrow Donation programme which provide a platform for members to involve the school in giving back to the community.

*One of our members wearing the Blood Buddy costume at July Blood Drive 2018*

Since RCYC is a CCA affiliated with the Singapore Red Cross, there are many nationwide and international opportunities provided to us by the Red Cross HQ. For example, the Humani-thon where individuals from all over Singapore came to recognize, accept and interpret formidable humanitarian issues such as social exclusion.

*Our members at the Humanithon with their facilitators*

Some of our members also participated in Project R.I.C.E, which is a Food Aid Programme with the aim to alleviate food insecurity in Singapore through the distribution of food items and other daily necessities to beneficiaries.

*Our members at the supermarket phase of Project R.I.C.E*

However, as mentioned earlier, joining RCYC does not just entail service opportunities as we equip members with First Aid skills. Upon joining RCYC, you will have to attend a compulsory Standard First Aid Course at HQ, after which you will be able to provide First Aid Coverage in school-based events such as Fencing Competitions and Team Raffles Games. There are also external opportunities such as First Aiders on Wheels (FAOW) at East Coast Park, Sentosa and Pulau Ubin.

*The First Aid Post in East Coast Park where we participate in FAOW*

To sum it up, upon joining RCYC, you can expect to be involved in the following:

Weekly service sessions at your chosen service centre
Weekly GMs every Wednesday from 2pm to 3pm
First Aid opportunities at school-based events and FAOW at the least
Various HQ opportunities
Ability to plan your own ViAs

If you’ve ever thought of serving your community and making a difference, RCYC is the place for you. So what are you waiting for? Join RCYC and be a part of our family!

If you would like to know more about us, visit us at our booth during Open House! And if you want to pick up First Aid skills and interact with our members, join us at the January Induction Programme First Aid Workshop.