Order of St John explained

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 578, 21 March 1995, Page 14

Order of St John explained

The Order of St John provides a range of services and activities. Following is a summary of them. (See Page three for an article about the formation of a local St John' s group.) Training The training arm of the order of St John comprises members who are trained as instructors to teach first aid and related subjects to members of the community and in the workplace. First aid courses have recently been fully reviewed and a new complete modular training package developed. The training package is supported by videos and a first aid manual especially written and produced in New Zealand by the Order of St John. Some of the courses offered by the training department are basic life support (cpr), three hours; emergency first aid — 6, 8, 10 or 12 hours; standard first aid — 16 hours; and work place first aid 20 hours. Courses can be tailor-made to suit the requirements of any specialist group or to meet the needs of any particular industry. The Order of St John is registered as a private training provider with New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The Order of St John also offers competitively priced first aid kits to the public and the work place. Industries are offered a re-stocking and auditing service for their first aid supplies. Services People can become members of the adult division from age 15 years onwards. Within the division there are five sections which have differing minimum entry criteria: • First aid. With a minimum of a current standard first aid certificate people can consider joining this section which has an objective of providing first aid services for various events from football to rock concerts and a myriad of activities in between. A section programme provides a mixture of fun activities with more advanced first aid training and can provide a basis from which people can join the ambulance arm. • Health Care. A current health care certificate can enable people to join this section which has an objective of assisting in domiciliary care for the ill or infirm, and even supporting people and families where a member has a terminal illness. As per the first aid section a programme mixes fun activities with more advanced training, • Training. Generally accessed by people already members of St John, the objective for this section is to undertake the training requirements of personnel associated with the previous sections. People generally are also members of

one or both of the other sections. Some of these personnel (instructors) also become instructors for St John's public education courses and are paid for that work. • Community care. At a time when people are needing to be more self reliant, community services are being reduced or withdrawn, the objective of this section is to provide support for those who are in need. Complementary to existing community organisations, these groups are self styled in terms of defining what services are needed and, with the support of the area committee, setting out to fulfil this need. This hastaken the form of providing access to specialised vehicles to enable those who are disabled to get to particular destinations, prison visiting or providing transport for those who need to get to outpatient clinics at a base hospital. There is no entry qualification required. • Resource. For those who do not have an interest or capacity for providing services direct to the public but are interested in supporting those who are, this section is for any person handy with an aspect such as vehicle maintenance, carpentry, secretarial work or book keeping. Not bogged down to a strict schedule, the hours put in generally reflect one's capacity to contribute. Membership of the Community Services is not automatic. Apart from the obvious dedication to service for others, the order calls for discreet, caring and sympathetic people who are prepared to work in a group. Youth division In common with other youth organisations such as Girl Guides, Boys Brigade, Air Training Corps etc, St John's youth programme is focused on enabling young people to develop their full potential and become good adults. This requires good leadership and planning as well as a range of activities aimed at stimulating and capturing the interest of young people at a level appropriate to their age and ability . There are three levels of membership and activity based on age range: 8 to 1 1 , 1 1 to 14 and 14 to 17 years but with leaders staying until 21 years and beyond. A primary focus is on a degree of first aid knowledge and aptitude in keeping with age and individual ability to learn, However, as with other youth organisations, camping, road safety, citizenship and many other activities are planned for with training programmes constantly being reviewed and updated. There is also a lot of fun and games. Badgers A comparatively new innovation for St John, Badgers is for the six to 10 year olds with emphasis on fun and creativity much more so than structured learning, This can lead to them joining the youth division when appropriate.