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Jamie's story: a young life-saver

Young first aiders with resus dummy - close up©Info

Fifteen-year-old Jamie Carter saved the life of his friend’s brother by emailing vital resuscitation advice from an internet chatroom.

Jamie, a fully trained Red Cross first aider, kept his cool when his friend told him his brother had suffered a drug overdose. He provided step-by-step instructions on giving CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until an ambulance arrived.

Martin Tilbury, youth development manager, said: “This was a fantastic humanitarian act. There is no doubt if Jamie had not been there, this person would have died.”

A dynamic approach

“Young people often find it hard to talk about issues surrounding HIV,” said 21-year-old Kelly Lewington. But Kelly and her friends Carmel and Clea found that using drama, as a way of exploring what can often be a sensitive subject, was very effective in raising awareness of the virus.

The group organised a number of drama workshops with young volunteers, tackling issues such as stigma and discrimination. Kelly said: “I found working with other young people really rewarding and inspiring and we all learned so much from each other.”

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