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Summer School: Making the Best of a Disaster
In one week, 20 teenagers learned a lifetime of skills
By Sharon J. Alfred and Alison Pino, National Headquarters
Thursday, July 26, 2007 — Many primary and secondary school students around the country are taking classes in trailers, the result of rapidly growing student populations that have overwhelmed existing facilities. In Arlington, Virginia, earlier this month, 20 teenagers took this trend to a new extreme—they attended classes in the back of an American Red Cross emergency response vehicle (ERV).
The classes were part of the Youth Disaster College, an intense, week-long training to teach high-school students about Red Cross disaster services, especially sheltering and mass care feeding operations. The participants gained hands-on experience in setting up cots and arranging other supplies used in a shelter and assisted with an actual mass feeding at a local church. They also received instruction in CPR and first aid.
In addition to receiving some instruction while in the ERV, the students also took classes at the Arlington County Chapter’s offices. They viewed films and watched PowerPoint presentations on managing a shelter's disaster resources, recognizing the symptoms of shock and sudden illness, and controlling the bleeding and bandaging the wounds of injured persons.
Positive Impressions
Although most of the teens are from the Washington, D.C. area, one student came all the way from upstate New York to attend the college. Bryan Sostowski was staying with his aunt and uncle in Washington when he learned of the program. He said he really wanted to be a part of it so he could learn invaluable lifesaving skills.
Sostowski got what he wanted, earning certifications in first aid and CPR. He also participated in the mass care and feeding exercise, working together with his classmates to set up a proper shelter and feed a large group of people, just as would occur during a real disaster situation.
“For three days we learned how to run a shelter, and then we got to actually do it,” he said. “That was pretty cool.”
His fellow college attendees agreed that the Disaster College was worth their while.
“This program is especially great for teenagers because it helps us mature in a professional way and allows us to get trained,” said another participant, Rahiba Noor. “Not many people our age get to receive this training.”
The Disaster College instructors also came away with positive impressions.
“I had a pretty high standard for what I wanted them to accomplish, and they blew me away,” said Ginny Stubbs, a full-time disaster volunteer at the Arlington County Chapter, who helped supervise the instruction.
Lifelong Volunteers
Julia Wright, public support officer for the chapter, said that word of the Youth Disaster College was spread through flyers, posters, an internet site and e-mail correspondence. Funding was provided by the Arlington Community Foundation, the Kiwanis Club of Arlington, and the Friedman, Billings and Ramsey Foundation.
The grant proposal that obtained funding for the college was written by a team of six youths—David Kahan (the lead writer), Alice Lee, Elizabeth Quintana, Ben Hubbert, Eunice Wu and Kathy Wu. The teens, from different schools in the Arlington area, consulted a grant writing advisor, researched the grant, and developed and submitted the proposal.
“The chapter thought it would appeal more to the foundations if we, as students, wrote the proposal,” said Hubbert, who also participated in the program.
When asked about future plans for the program, Wright said she envisions it becoming an annual summer event at the chapter if funding is obtained. She said everyone involved in orchestrating this year’s program was pleased with its overall success and were impressed by the youth participants’ notable work ethic.
“I hope all these students become lifelong Red Cross volunteers,” she said. “They have the confidence and ability to walk into any Red Cross Chapter and volunteer for disaster services.”
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
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