Youth activities – information for volunteers
We warmly welcome young people to Red Cross volunteering! We value the participation and agency of young people in the Red Cross and give them space to participate in and develop the activities of our organization.
By involving young people in our activities, we are able to help even more people. It is the responsibility of each of us to ensure that young people become part of the Red Cross chain of help and that they feel well being part of our community.
We also organize diverse activities for children and young people, responding to local needs for help and action. Activities for children and young people can be organized by our volunteers of all ages.
Youth Volunteering
Finnish Red Cross youth volunteering is aimed at our volunteers under the age of 29. In youth volunteering, young people get to influence for a better society and develop the activities of our organization. In addition to activities specifically aimed at young people, we welcome them to join all Red Cross volunteering.
Strengthening youth agency in branches
Active and equal agency for young people in branches strengthens our local readiness to help and our ability to involve diverse people in our activities. Strengthening youth agency in branches requires a safe operating culture, engaging forms of volunteering, and ease of participation. Below are tips and materials for strengthening youth agency in branches.
Many upper secondary schools and higher education institutions offer various courses and content suitable for voluntary work, providing a way for students to get involved in volunteering. This collaboration is often meaningful and educational for both parties. Through smooth cooperation, the activities can become continuous and potentially attract permanent volunteers.
Through the pathway for youth activities, you can see all the various things 13-18-year-old volunteers can do in the Red Cross.
With the attached planning template, you can plan the recruitment of young volunteers in your branch.
Materials for activities with children and youth
Branches organize activities for children and youth of different ages according to local needs. Red Cross volunteers of all ages can organize activities for children and youth.
Instructions for working with minors
When working with children and young people, special attention must be paid to the rights and safety of minors as required by legislation.
When working with minors in certain situations and volunteer roles, the volunteer's criminal record must be checked. The responsibility for checking criminal records and ensuring a safe operating environment always lies with the organizer of the activity.
More information about checking the criminal record of volunteers can be found on this page.
In Finnish Red Cross volunteer activities, personal data of minors is collected for purposes such as events and activity groups. The Finnish Data Protection Act (1050/2018) sets the age limit for offering information society services at 13 years, which is why consent must be requested from a guardian when offering information society services, such as newsletters, directly to a person under the age of 13. The same principle regarding guardian consent is applied to the collection and processing of personal data of children under 13 in all our volunteer activities.
Finnish Red Cross (FRC) volunteers must make a child protection notification when the child's best interest so requires. The goal is to safeguard the child's future and development and to ensure the quality of FRC activities.
More information on making a child protection notification can be found here (in Finnish).
Translation feedback
Your feedback helps us improve AI-translated pages.
Page
🔗 —0 / 500 characters
Something went wrong — please try again.
Thank you for your feedback!
We'll use it to review and improve this translation.