Community engagement
©InfoTo widen the representation of staff, volunteers and service users from backgrounds including disabled people, young people and black and minority ethnic communities, we have established projects to engage with them across the Red Cross.
We work hard to identify and overcome any barriers to involvement and to gather evidence of the community’s needs.
Some of the specific ways we try to engage communities include:
- holding meetings and events in alternative venues such as community centres
- having a presence at events such as disability conferences, youth networks and events aimed at black and minority ethnic communities
- creating publicity featuring people from all communities and which is available in accessible formats such as audio tapes and a range of languages
- publicising information to a wide audience through the specialist press, voluntary sector, and professional black and minority ethnic business networks
- delivering information through more creative resources such as community radio stations
- building partnerships and networking with community groups and equality networks
- working with other parts of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – for example, working with the Bangladesh Red Crescent to help with work in the UK.
Accessibility
©InfoAs an organisation committed to providing impartial care to people when they are most vulnerable, it is essential the Red Cross takes every possible step to ensure that everyone is within its reach.
We actively reach out to under-represented groups when recruiting new employees and volunteers and when promoting the services we deliver to the community.
We do everything we can to make our services and volunteering opportunities accessible to everyone, including young people. For example, we have set a target that at least 12 per cent of all volunteers are aged 25 or under, which should make the organisation more approachable.
Research
To try and make sure we reach anyone in need, we carry out research into vulnerable, excluded and under-represented groups in society, working with many partner organisations to do so. In this way, we are able to build relationships with different communities and maximize limited resources to improve our reach into under-represented communities.
Inclusive first aid
This approach has already had an impact on how we deliver our services. In January 2007, we launched a unique first aid programme, designed to work with groups or individuals who may require a more flexible approach to learning first aid skills, such as disabled people.