CCA Previews ’22: Red Cross Youth Chapters (RCYC)

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By Joash Lee (22S03K), President, Raeeda (22S06A), Vice-president, Annabelle (22S03M), Secretary

Have you ever wanted to be a hero? Save a life here, rescue some kittens there? Don’t let our lack of capes fool you; everyone at Red Cross Youth Chapters is a hero in their own right! And here’s how you can be one too.

As you embark on your final lap in Junior College, numerous decisions await you at every turn. You may be wondering: what exactly is in store for you here in RI? If you are drawn to a CCA that develops your character and deepens your social competencies and skills, while making a positive difference in your society, then Red Cross Youth Chapter (RCYC) is the right CCA for you!

Saving lives, one bandaid at a time!

Over the course of their Chapters journey, RCYC members are taught Standard First Aid (SFA) skills and valuable life-saving knowledge, ranging from the bandaging of common wounds and injuries to handling heat-related accidents like heat stroke. We even learn the Heimlich Maneuver, administered in response to choking casualties. Be assured, it is not a rare sight to see an RCYC member exclaiming “Tying tourniquets is my lifelong passion!”

Do you know that the immediate application of CPR and AED can greatly increase the chances of survival to 60%?

During the First Aid course (complimentary and compulsory!), you will be given the opportunity to carry out CPR and utilise the AED in various scenario-based simulations. There are numerous hands-on activities where you can translate first aid knowledge into practical situations and practise to become more proficient at it.

Being a hero doesn’t need a cape!

In RCYC, members are given extensive opportunities to plan and organise school and community-based initiatives and outreach programmes. These activities provide members with the platform to reach out and work with beneficiaries in various welfare organisations of their choice. This gives members an enriching and meaningful experience when giving back to society.

For instance, RCYC has been in close partnership with the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the Good Shepherd Student Care (GSSC). Over the past few years, RCYC members have interacted with dialysis patients and visited beneficiaries at Ren Ci Hospital, spreading kindness and joy wherever they went. Care packages are just one of the ways we show our love and appreciation to our beneficiaries.

Apart from external programmes, RCYC has also engaged in various school-based outreach initiatives. Project RedHearts, one such example, set up a school-wide donation drive that eventually led to care packages for all the RI cleaning staff, accompanied by hand-written notes in 4 different languages. Not only could our members display compassion, but also the general RI population!

*Canteen board advertising Project RedHearts*.

RCYC has been actively involved in planning and organising blood donation drives in school biannually, which has been a lasting tradition in RCYC. Despite the pandemic, we continued such efforts by encouraging Rafflesians and the larger community to donate blood via the online platform; through social media. This year, RCYC members designed informative Instagram posts to address the common misconceptions as well as the details of blood donation.