Youths

Sead: Young War Victim Now Teaches Humanitarian Principles
Red Cross volunteers come from all walks of life, but they come to the Red Cross for one reason: to serve their neighbors locally, nationally, and globally. Sead came to the United States in 1993 from Yugoslavia after suffering serious injuries in a mortar attack on his school in Srebrenica--his blindness is a permanent reminder of the brutal conflict in Bosnia. Now 19 and a high school senior, he volunteers at the Orange County Chapter in Santa Ana, California, for Youth Services and International Services programs.

Sead first got involved with the American Red Cross as a recipient of family tracing services. Separated from his family during the war, there was no way he could communicate by telephone or mail to find them. The Red Cross got in touch with people in the area who could help, and they were able to locate several members of his family. (His father is still among the missing.) Sead felt greatly indebted to the Red Cross for helping him and so many other people of Bosnia.

When Sead started volunteering at his Red Cross chapter he did office work. Then he started to speak to other volunteers and young people about his personal experiences and his varied work with the Red Cross. Now he volunteers as a youth HIV/AIDS volunteer educator, and is receiving training in international humanitarian law. He was on the staff of the Leadership Development Camp for two years, and has been involved in many disaster drills.

"It is wonderful to have a sense of helping others," says Sead. "My own family was affected by crimes against humanity and I want to help and speak out against those atrocities. It pleases me to know through my training as a youth volunteer, along with other youth, that the services we provide today are important, and skills learned today we can contribute again as adults."

Sead feels that as a youth who has experienced many things most of us have not, he has a lot of perspective to offer to others. He has had to adapt to a lot of changes in his life, and people are inspired by him: "They see that a blind person can do it, so they realize they can do it, too."

The young immigrant says that he will be a part of the Red Cross "forever," and that he wants people to know that "the Red Cross is not only about giving blood; there is much more!" Sead recommends that other young people get involved with the American Red Cross because "It keeps us busy with worthwhile activities." He feels that youth are not only the leaders of the future, but they can, and should be, the leaders of today. He convinces youth that they can do things just as well as anyone else can. "These young people are special because they want to give something to society. We all work together side by side in a cohesive group to get things done."

And, he promises, "It will give you a special feeling all your life."

Jessica: Volunteering- Bringing a Warm Feeling to Your Heart
These past five years as a youth volunteer for the American Red Cross have brought me my best friends and my most meaningful experiences. I first joined my local chapter's (American Red Cross of the Susquehanna Valley) Youth Council as part of a clown troupe. I quickly saw the many possibilities for volunteering offered by the organization and decided that youth at the chapter should have access to more of these. That summer I attended a Leadership Development Center (LDC) where I learned leadership, communication, group dynamic skills, and more. I was asked to join the staff of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter LDC later that year. This position has given me the opportunity to offer youth the same opportunities I have as a member of the Red Cross. I have enjoyed administering the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, training new staff, teaching the core classes, and teaching first aid and CPR to youth.

As a CPR instructor both at college and at LDC, I enjoy preparing people to respond in emergencies and hope to inspire others with stories of my "real-life" experience using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to save a life. Seeing a pregnant woman leave my class feeling confident that she will be able to help her baby in an emergency is just one example of the many ways volunteering at the Red Cross brings a warm feeling to my heart.

In 1995, as president of my chapter's Youth Council, I implemented a Youth Teaching Youth program. We started the program using the Red Cross Home Alone curriculum. The program has now expanded to include a number of Red Cross courses and has reached thousands of local youth. The chapter was awarded the President's Award for Excellence in Youth Programs (now called the Elizabeth Dole Award for Excellence in Youth Programs), with the Youth Teaching Youth program as one of its main projects.

During high school, I also served on the chapter's Board of Directors. During the 1996 floods in central Pennsylvania, I was the liaison between my chapter and the local headquarters set up by the national Red Cross Disaster Services. In 1997, I was appointed to the National Youth Council as the Mid-Atlantic representative, and in 1998, I became the vice-chair of the Council.

I stay busy while balancing my time between college at the University of Pittsburgh and my volunteer work with the Red Cross. The American Red Cross has become a permanent part of my life and I look forward to the years ahead and the many wonderful Red Crossers I will meet.