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Children tell their stories at first aid classes in schools
An increasing number of secondary and primary schools consider first aid education important and request teaching materials or training from the Red Cross. What is it like to teach first aid to schoolchildren? And what do the students themselves think about it? In conversation with volunteer and education officer Marieke Weenink, first aid instructor Henry Zeeman, account manager secondary schools and MBO Suzanne Vermeer and marketeer for first aid in primary schools Kim Wissink.
"'OMG, what next.' You can see the students thinking it when you first enter the classroom," Henry says. He has just finished a seven-week first aid training course for secondary school students aged 13 and 14. "It's actually a kind of game you play. Young people at this age have a very different perception than older people, you have to see through that. A big challenge is the peer pressure they are under. Helping people is a bit crazy for them. If you’re in a group and you see that someone needs help, you really don’t want to be the only one who steps forward. That's just weird."
That's pretty cool
Henry continues: "When you work with a class for a while and you gain their confidence, you notice that they start to look at it differently. They see that they can make a difference: maybe this man or this woman will be all right now, because I interfered. And that's tough. That change in outlook is fantastic to experience."
Just call
With decorated classrooms, Red Cross drawings on the wall and children who can't wait to practice in real life, educator Marieke's job is often a bit easier than Henry's. "The primary school children are unapologetically enthusiastic. Of course there is hesitation in children to help others. We try to remove that hesitation during the lesson. You don't have to be afraid to help someone, even if you don't have a diploma. You can always do something. Some think they are too young to call 112, for example. I always tell them: even if you are not sure, just call."
Marieke:
“Some kids think they are too young to call 911”
Where is the AED?
Kim: "Above all, we try to make first aid accessible. You don't have to perform major medical procedures right away. That is quite an enlightenment for many children. Make it small. Even by keeping it small you can do big things." "Exactly," Marieke adds. "For example, I ask if they know what an AED is, if they have ever seen one and where. Often they do know: at the swimming pool or at their sports club. I then tell them that it helps enormously if you can tell them where the AED is. And that they might be able to fetch it if necessary."
First-aid-certified
"That's what first aid in education is all about," Suzanne explains. "Research has shown that willingness to help is very low among young people. They start filming, watching together or they run away. This is partly the peer pressure Henry mentioned, but it also has to do with them not knowing what to do. We want to keep the barriers as low as possible, offering classes at various levels for different groups of young people and children. We also approach subject teachers, for example from PE or biology, to include first aid in their lessons. In this way, we try to get a school fully first-aid-certified from two angles of approach." A new word that the guests around the table immediately embrace.
Kim adds: "We see it in the requests for lessons and also in the massive response to our 2019 petition to permanently include first aid in the education curriculum. Schools, teachers, society, everyone sees the importance of first aid. It's just that time is often lacking."
Kim:
“Teachers see the importance of first aid, but often lack the time”
Respect and attention
The big difference with courses to adults? "Young people throw their story on the table like this: here, this is it, do something nice with it," Henry summarises. "At the beginning of a course, no one has ever experienced anything nasty. But once the class feels familiar, the stories come out. They really respond to each other with respect. Nobody laughs, people listen attentively. A sympathetic ear, asking if they are all right, is quite normal for them. That too is helping people. I sometimes have to explain it to adults; young people understand it immediately.
Marieke: "It is wonderful to be able to talk for an hour about the Red Cross, our basic principles, and then very directly give the children something practical they can do themselves. Nice to see that the story continues when they come out of school and enthusiastically show their parents the bandages they applied. 'Mum, do you know what I did today?' You know they will remember this."
"Sometimes what you hear does shock you," Henry continues. "The other day I was talking about bleeding you can't stem. Suddenly a boy shouted that he had also experienced that when his father beat his mother and she had to go to hospital. Yes, then you have to switch gears, it's so intense. You want to pay attention and certainly not trivialise it, but you also don't want this story to take over your lessons. Something like that demands a lot from you."
Henry:
“A listening ear, just asking if things are OK - young people get that immediately”
You could have heard a pin drop
Kim and Suzanne had a similar experience when they watched a trained mentor give a first aid lesson to his students using Red Cross teaching materials. "One pupil told us that he called 112 when his father had a stroke. And that his father still needs care, which the boy largely takes care of. You could have heard a pin drop in the classroom. No one knew this, including the mentor. Afterwards, the mentor came up to us and expressed how valuable he thought this was. No other lesson lends itself so well to creating a safe environment where you can talk openly. A very impactful added value of a practical first aid lesson."