The Young Responders programme is the latest initiative developed by St John Ambulance to provide young people aged 14 – 25 years with the first aid skills and knowledge they need to respond appropriately to health-related incidents. The Young Responders Programme has been made possible by funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and awarded through Postcode Innovation Trust.
StreetGames in partnership with St John Ambulance trialled the three 2 hour sessions focusing on physical first aid, mental health first aid and street violence first aid across six Holiday Activity and Food club venues.
Young Responders is designed to explore context-based scenarios that are relevant to the lives of young people, teaching them key skills to recognise risk and safely manage their own health needs, as well as those of their communities.
Young people that completed the sessions came away with:
- First Aid Skills – Seeing the value of first aid in daily life, learn principles of compassionate care, the recovery position and CPR
- Safety and Wellbeing – Recognising danger and ensuring the safety and well-being of themselves and others
- Seeking Help – Understanding when it is necessary to seek help and how to do so successfully
- Incident Response – Acquiring the knowledge and skill to respond appropriately to an incident
- Community Development – Learning skills that are relevant to the lives of young people and their communities
As a result of the partnership developed with St John Ambulance over 194 young people have been trained in first aid during their summer holidays.