REPORT FROM THE I.Y.C – I.F.B.D.O
5th INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF YOUNG BLOOD DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS
(click on blue titles for individual reports from working groups and plenary)
The 5th International Forum of Young Blood Donors and Volunteers took place in Tallinn, Estonia from the 18st to 21th of August, 2005.
It counted with 50 participants from 13 Country Delegations: Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Romania, Singapore and Wales.
The report below is a sum up of workshops, activities and results achieved. The complete report of each workshop can be found with the IYC members.
August 18th
20h00 – Opening and market
The organisation thanked the participants and invited each delegation to shortly present itself.
After the presentations the Market started. Each Country made a stands with disclosure materials, and the participants had the opportunity to exchange information about their associations.
August 19th
10h00 – Workshops
The delegations presented what are their efforts in recruitment and discussed some possible solutions to reduce the costs of the activities. Here are some of the suggestions:
Website;
Street campaings;
Partnership with youth organizations;
Personal contact;
Promoting in schools; universities, army;
Informing what is the most needed blood type at the moment;
Mailing young in their 18th birthday;
Cooperation with the media;
Promoting different kinds of competitions and events;
Attracting celebrities to promote the cause;
Approaching people directly, using flyers;
Lectures in Universities,
A discussion was proposed, and the participants came up with these possible reasons that would make a donor not go back to the blood centre:
Time and effort put in the blood donation (how long it takes; location of the blood centre)
Treatment received during and after donation;
Deception when rejected.
Some solutions to solve the problems were suggested:
Use more blood drives;
Explain the details of donation and possible problems to the donor;
Take care during the donation not to warm the donor;
Be friendly;
Award regular donors after 05, 10, 100 donations;
Explain why the person is being reject, and the possibility of this person becoming a blood volunteer if can’t be a blood donor.
13h00 – Workshops
Blood Donation projects being done in our country for young people
A practical activity was proposed, the creation of slogans and posters to be used internationally by all IYC-IFBDO members during events. The posters were hang in the wall so that participants could evaluate and choose one in the last day. The slogan and poster chose was the one below;
When is the right time to start promoting blood donation among young people
The participants were divided into 2 groups. One group was to think about the advantages of starting to promote blood donation at early age (before 18) and the other group would defend the promoting of blood donation after 18 years old. In the middle of the discussion the groups were asked to defend the opposite view, trying to find new arguments.
After the discussions some of the arguments where considered as not true and the group reach the conclusion that starting an early promotion is good, as long as you take in consideration that
Children are not the main target of Blood Banks and should be target only if possible and if there is enough resources for it.
15 to 17 may be a good age to start the promotion because they can’t donate but they can already be good volunteers for the cause and will be soon donating;
You can’t over promote blood donation or you’ll risk "boring your audience" before they get to the age of really donating.
14h30 – Workshops
How to use new technologies to communicate and promote blood donation
A discussion was proposed and the participants came up with such important techonologies to promote blood donation:
Internet (use of links and banners; updated information; interests databases;
Mobile Phones (calls, sms)
MNS Messenger;
Computer games;
TV and media (partnerships)
World Blood Donor Day - 14th June (take the advantage of the day to different promotions)
How to create National Youth Committees under the existing organizations
The participants discussed the main problems they find to create a National Youth Committee in their Countries. Some steps were considered important to those interested in creating a National Committee:
1. Find someone to coordinate volunteers (good in listening, solving conflicts, coordinating)
2. Start projects to find/ gather young volunteers
3. Discover leadership and needed characteristics between young people recruited
4. Invite and support them to do projects for young people and start a Committee.
Considering that this is a important matter in the future of our organizations, the IYC and IFBDO. The group decide to present a proposal to the IFBDO President to ask the Country Members to support the creation of National Youth Committees in their Countries. To help in that matter the IYC will create a Guide based in the conclusions of this workshop.
19h00 – Social Program
August 20th
10h00 – Workshops
It was presented the Report about the IYC, telling its history and projects. After, the participants were invited to find new projects that could be done internationally and came up with two ideas:
A blood run. On the same day in all countries would run in the donor t-shirts and promote the blood donation. It could happen near the WBDD.
A circle of donation. Countries would give blood one after the other, making a whole day of donation around the World and a big event of that.
The suggestions for the IYC cooperation with IFBDO were:
Translations;
Organization of Youth Foruns;
Help in the Website and Fundraise;
Information Network;
Collaboration with other organizations.
The suggestions for the IFBDO to cooperate with the IYC were:
Incentive to create National Youth Committees;
Support the fundraise in local organizations of different Country Members.
13h00 – Workshops
In order to discuss the matter a trial was suggested. The blood donation was accused of not being worth and participants were divided to defend and attack blood donation.
The defence used as arguments the voluntary of the gesture; the use of the blood to save and improve lives; the improvement of the healthy of donors; the ethic behind it; and the responsibility donors have.
The prosecutor use as argument the problems to healthy transfusion can cause; the rejection of homosexual as discrimination; the use of the money to other human problems such as misery; the time spent in it that could be used for work; the lack of control where the blood goes; accidents donors may suffer before, during and after the donation.
After rejecting and explaining some of the arguments given, the jury decided in favor of the blood donation.
It was also highlighted by the moderation that most of those questions, arguments, accusations can be faced by each person during the promotion of the blood donation. So, it is important to keep in mind different point of views so that we can have better awareness about the blood donation.
15h00 – IYC Meeting
The representatives from all the Countries present discussed:
The IYC Rules of Procedure;
The Creation of National Youth Committees;
The Youth Forums;
The IYC Website;
New Activities;
Fundraising;
The details of the discussion can be seen in the meeting report.
19h00 – Social Activity
August 21st
10h00 – Plenary
A quick sum up of the event was made to all the participants and the official poster was decided. The organization thanked all young people and asked for the evaluation.
***The event was officially ended at 11h00 with the group picture***
Leticia Ferreira Mikkel Andersen Kadi Grichin
President Treasurer Secretary