Background                                                                                                                                                                 Since the founding of the Junior Red Cross in 1917 (see link above), youth and the Red Cross have been partners. Today, the involvement of young people with the Red Cross is more important than ever. Our goal is to provide young people with meaningful opportunities for education, training, and volunteer/community service so that they remain a part of the Red Cross family throughout their lives. Young people up to age 24 make up 40 percent of all Red Cross volunteers.

Disaster Services
Young people are trained to become involved in all areas of Red Cross Disaster Services, including community disaster education, disaster preparation in their local community, and disaster response through Red Cross disaster action teams and youth disaster corps.

International Services
Young people learn about other cultures by assembling Red Cross school chests and by learning about international humanitarian law and its implications worldwide.

Health and Safety Services
In Red Cross HIV/AIDS education, first aid, CPR, aquatics, and water safety classes, young people are being educated about leading healthier, safer lives as well as being trained to serve as instructors, lifeguards, and peer educators.

Armed Forces Emergency Services
Young people provide volunteer service to the Armed Forces community in clinics, hospitals, and medical centers on military installations around the world, and at VA hospitals.

Other Youth Opportunities
Young people are involved in other areas of the American Red Cross. There are opportunities that are related to school and college and Internships, as well as openings in Leadership Development and Community Services.

School-Related Activities
Fund raising, organizing blood drives, providing international assistance, and learning about such things as disaster preparedness and HIV/AIDS prevention and education.

Leadership Development
Participating in clubs, councils, and local boards as well as in leadership development camps or centers and on national Red Cross advisory and policy-making groups.

Community Services
Community activities can include cleaning up streets, planting trees, and organizing food drives. Young people also serve as mentors to peers and younger youth on substance abuse prevention, teen pregnancy prevention, environmental awareness, violence prevention, and other major youth issues.