Jemima and Amy from Sunderland University teach their first session at Farringdon Academy
‘Fresh off the press’, Jemima and Amy have recently joined the charity and have just finished teaching their very first lifesaving skills session as volunteers for Little LifeSavers.
The session was delivered in Sunderland at Farringdon Academy and this incredible power team have taught another 60 schoolchildren how to perform hands-only CPR, bringing the charity’s grand total of ‘Little LifeSavers’ created to 20,738.
Jemima and Amy, first off, THANK YOU so much being such fabulous volunteers for the charity - you have brought such a huge amount of enthusiasm and energy to the role. Can you tell us how you are feeling after delivering your first session this morning?
After delivering the first session, we felt a mix of excitement and fulfilment. It was rewarding to see the children so engaged and eager to learn CPR. Although, we were a little nervous at first, since it was our first time teaching a class, we quickly noticed how well they were absorbing the information. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and we are really looking forward to the next session.
How did the sessions go this morning and what were your highlights?
The session this morning went really well. We were so impressed with how engaged the children were throughout the class. One of the highlights for us, were the insightful questions the children asked, such as whether choking manoeuvres and CPR would differ for babies and the elderly. This showed that the children were thinking critically about how to apply what they had learned in real-life situations.
What did you do to prepare for your sessions today?
Before the session, we refreshed our knowledge of the two-person volunteer model and reviewed the training videos on the Little LifeSavers website. Fortunately, Jemima and I each already possess a set of manikins, and therefore did not need to organise for their transfer.
Did you find the school and children welcoming and keen to learn?
The school was incredibly welcoming from the moment we arrived. The staff were very supportive, ensuring we had everything we needed to run the session smoothly. As previously mentioned, the children were eager to get hands-on and asked many insightful questions. The atmosphere was very positive, and I felt like everyone was genuinely excited to be part of the learning experience.
How would you describe our onboarding and training processes and set up and what advice would you give to a prospective volunteer thinking about joining the charity?
The onboarding and training process is very straightforward, and the Little LifeSavers staff are very supportive, answering any questions. For anyone considering joining the charity, you do not need any prior first aid training, as everything you need to know is covered in the training videos. For healthcare students and professionals, teaching CPR is an excellent way to maintain clinical skills and contribute to your continual professional development.
Can you tell us a little about your backgrounds, how you heard about the charity and what drove you to sign up?
We are both student paramedics from the University of Sunderland. Amy discovered the charity online when researching how to get involved with promoting bystander CPR. She then raised awareness of the charity with fellow students, which is how Jemima got involved. Her driving force was wanting to provide the lifesaving skills she wasn’t afforded the opportunity to learn when she was in school.
How does volunteering fit around your studies and your other commitments?
Volunteering with Little LifeSavers is flexible as it’s not a weekly or even monthly commitment. There is no pressure or expectation of us. Since schools contact us via the online portal to request session, we can choose to accept or decline based on our availability, making it easy to fit around our studies and other commitments.
Thank you again both again for all your support, we hope that this case study will demonstrate to other students or members of the public looking for a volunteer opportunity, how fun and easy it is to volunteer for Little LifeSavers.
Little LifeSavers teaches Basic Life Support (BLS) Skills and CPR to children from ages 9 – 13 within school in term-time. There is no fee for the training. However, if your school would like to fundraise for our charity, then this would be gratefully received.
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