For the past 20 years and in various roles with national education charities I’ve had the privilege of working with young people in a variety of environments, from alternative provisions to homelessness. This experience has given me a broad range of insights as to the challenges our young people face and the multi-faceted and complex pressures schools and teachers are under and it informs my work to design and scale solutions that can create real and lasting change in young people’s lives.
St John Ambulance led the charge for making first aid mandatory in schools with its ‘Every Child a Lifesaver’ campaign. As a result, first aid has been part of the curriculum in England since 2020, but we want to go a step further. Our vision is for every student to be first aid competent by the time they leave school.
Why? From our perspective, it is quite simply a vital skill for them and their communities. But what does it mean to them to be able to save a life?
Exploring this in depth revealed some surprising answers. Taking our cue from these, we have gone on to develop a very different youth programme, unlike any other St John has ever run.
