Collaboration with the upper secondary school in Akaa

The aim of the collaboration is to give young people the readiness and courage to help someone in need when the situation requires it. Additionally, the aim is to offer them a chance to find a readiness to act, a sense of caring and courage. At the same time, it is an opportunity to present the branch's diverse hobby and activity opportunities to the city's young people.

This operating model reaches a significant number of young people. There is always someone who gets inspired to join the activities!

The concept consists of recurring lessons on a three-year cycle, in which every upper secondary school student encounters the Red Cross three times during their studies from different perspectives.

The topics are:

• first aid
• civic skills
• mental wellbeing.

The dare to help yourself and others event is therefore organised annually in the autumn, when all upper secondary school students are still present. Akaa upper secondary school has about 160 students, and they all always attend the event at the same time in the school's auditorium. The event lasts the length of one upper secondary school lesson, i.e. 75 minutes.

Implementation in collaboration with local actors

The practical implementation of the teaching session has varied depending on which actors have been involved in carrying out the collaboration. On first aid situations, collaboration has been carried out with, among others, the Häme district, Viiala theatre and the branch's own first aid group. On civic skills, collaboration has been carried out with, among others, the police and the rescue services, and on mental wellbeing with the Akaa parish.

At the end of the teaching session, the students' learning has been tested with a small competition, for example using a Kahoot game, and the winners have been rewarded with a bag of sweets and a Red Cross gift product.

Everyone benefits from the collaboration

"The I dare to help myself and others project has proven to be a genuine win-win event. In a very cost-effective way, we as a branch have reached a considerable number of young people, the young people have gained necessary and concrete knowledge and skills, the speakers have had a sizeable audience ready to listen, and for the school the auditorium lessons have been an interesting change of pace.
It is easy to get started by contacting the principal and presenting the purpose and objectives of the project as well as the content of the first lesson. The operating model can also be applied well to lower secondary school.

Every event has taught us something new for the next time. So far we have carried out five lessons, one full series of three topics, and next autumn the second cycle will also be complete," says Arto Hyöty from the Akaa branch.

The upper secondary school has also been pleased with the long-term collaboration. "Akaa upper secondary school has benefited from the collaboration with the local Red Cross branch in many different ways. The collaboration supports the wellbeing, health and safety of the school community and complements the upper secondary school's educational mission. Already at the early planning stage, we set out to create an operating model that can withstand possible changes in personnel, and the collaboration has indeed become an important and established way of working," says Juha Alenius, principal of Akaa upper secondary school.