Spotlight on St John in Derbyshire (St John Ambulance)

Member Name: werewolf2

Product:	St John Ambulance
Date:	06/09/07 (132 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: learn first aid

Disadvantages: can be addictive, may be boring for some youngsters who prefer TV or computers

ST JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGADE
We are part of an organisation that teaches First Aid, among other things, to people aged 5 plus.

Our Division is divided into 3 smaller units, and is called a Quadrilateral Division. {This is because it was originally split into 4 sections with separate sections for Care/Nursing and First Aid and each section was then further split in two according to gender. This no longer applies}. The current 3 sections are:
1. Badgers (for the 5 to 10 year olds who can stay on till 11, to complete Super Badger Award)
2. Cadets (for the 10 to 16 year olds, who can stay on till 18, to complete Grand Prior award)
3. Adults (for anyone aged 16 plus).

Anyone who joins at an overlap age is encouraged to join the older group, e.g. a 10 year old would join Cadets not Badgers.

All sections wear uniform at Remembrance Parades and other functions in our area.

New members are always made welcome. For more details about Derbyshire St John Ambulance divisional information, contact 01246 200272.

BADGERS

In our unit we have a Badger Leader (who is also Divisional Officer) who runs the Badger Sett with the help of 2 Assistant Badger Leaders and a Badger helper.

Badgers can learn First Aid and other subjects once they have completed a Welcome Paw award in the first 6 weeks of joining, by then working towards Badger Awards - learning about 12 out of a possible 15 subjects, which includes First Aid, Caring, Communicate, Active (games), My World, Safety, Creative, and Healthy.

Once 3 subjects are gained, a Bronze Paw Award is presented and for every 3 additional subjects they receive a Paw Award until gaining 12 when they are awarded the Super Badger Paw Award. If there is time, a Badger may work to obtain all 15 subjects.

9-year-old Badgers who have been present for one term can become “Follow Me” badgers to gain more responsibility (e.g. helping Leaders, becoming a Badger Buddy for younger badgers). It also enables them to learn more about Cadets and they are entitled to wear Follow me badger markings (shoulder flashes called epaulettes).

They can meet other Badgers at special events e.g. Badger Bashes (craft days) and Bonanzas (overnight stays) and some see Bertie Badger, the national Badger mascot.

This youth work is done voluntarily and all the activities are games, activities, crafts, etc with a learning theme, e.g. Gurgle game teaches a Badger how to open an airway, Chinese whispers teaches how to correctly and accurately pass a message.


CADETS

Our Divisional Superintendent, and another Divisional Officer, run the Cadet Unit, assisted by any other member, as required.

Cadets complete a First Aid qualification and they can learn up to 24 subjects, for their Grand Prior Award.

In order to obtain this Award, they complete Cadet Proficiency subjects, which come in 3 levels. If they choose to do a subject at Level 1 or 2 for their Bronze Award, they can reuse it at a higher level for their Silver or Gold awards, but if Level 3 is used for their Bronze (or Silver) award, it can not be reused. To obtain each award (Bronze, Silver or Gold) they need to complete 8 subjects per award (but these can be repeat subjects). Subjects include Knowledge of the Order, Casualty Simulation/Make-up, Radio Communication, Map-reading, and Sign Language.

They have to attend First Aid or Caring Duties at local events, as part of their training and to obtain Service Hours shields, which can be worn on their uniform.

There are sometimes countywide events e.g. camps, County Competitions or training events.

ADULTS

The Adult unit assists the youth sections and completes training in a variety of topics e.g. First Aid, Automated External Defibrillator (AED), Child Protection, Manual Handling and Caring for the Sick at our Church Hall or County Headquarters, Chesterfield in the evenings or weekends. Occasionally we do training/exams at other locations with other units.

Young Adults (aged between 16 and 25) can also study for other awards including the Sovereign’s Award and the Amalfi Challenge Award.

Older cadets (16 plus) and adult members must have a Criminal Records Bureau check and attend local duties e.g. Bonfire Night displays, fairs/fetes, 5 a side football, blood donor sessions, and Stainsby folk festival.

We sometimes cover first aid duties at many surrounding areas in Derbyshire including for example Chesterfield, Tibshelf, and Clay Cross and have members from these areas. We are sometimes asked to attend meetings, training sessions or events further away, e.g. Chesterfield and Derby football matches or the London Marathon!

MEETING DETAILS

We (i.e. our Division) meet once a week in a local church hall in a Derbyshire village and the charge is £0.75p per week (first week free). Uniform is provided for our Division for all age groups free of charge, and swapped as necessary. We do a lot of fundraising as each division is responsible for its own funds. We are a charity and get no government funding and are not part of the NHS.

Every year our Division have a “Coming Back” party in January (a fancy dress themed evening), an outdoor games evening in July, yearly presentation nights, and monthly uniform nights on the first meeting of every month. All members take part in First Aid and other practical work, which may involve practising and demonstrating on each other.

Summary: St John Ambulance based on my Division