Community education workshops for children, teens and young people
Youth workshops: Helping young people build essential life skills
Our free educational workshops cover a range of topics including building resilience, first aid, wellbeing, and migration. Available to ages 10 to 19, explore what young people could achieve.
Free workshops for primary and secondary schools and youth groups
Free workshops for young people in schools and youth groups, aged 10-19, covering humanitarian and wellbeing topics. Our youth workshops teach vital life skills including confidence, resilience building, and developing empathy for others.
British Red Cross educators developed these workshop sessions to reflect UK curriculums and issues experienced in the community.
What's involved in a youth workshop?
Our workshop topics for young people and teens include first aid, empathy and migration, and coping with challenges.
Each workshop differs slightly depending on the topic and delivery type, but all follow the same structure.
Introduction: The educator will explain how the session runs and what your group will do.
Practice: This will change depending on the topic, but it will be a chance for the group to try practical exercises and youth training to help build their skills.
Discuss: Everyone in the group will have the chance to discuss and share their views if they are comfortable to do so.
Reflect: Everyone in the group can share how they felt about the workshop and what they learned with the educator. Your educator will also recommend what they can do next to continue with the topic.
First aid
In this youth workshop, students learn essential first aid skills. We help them to build the confidence and willingness to help someone in an emergency using everyday objects. Learners will also learn where to find support for their own injury or illness.
Time length: 60 minutes
Group size: 5 to 35 participants
Delivery: Online, face-to-face (eligible groups only)
If you are an individual looking to learn first aid online, check out our Learn first aid skills page.
For additional teaching materials on the topic of first aid, see our Teach first aid page.
Book now
Online workshop
Book an online first aid workshop for schools, youth groups or any other group below.
Face-to-face workshop
Face-to-face workshops are for groups in communities that need them the most. Find out if we’re able to deliver a face-to-face workshop in your area or book a session.
Looking for first aid workshops for adults (ages 19+)? Click here.
Empathy plus migration
A workshop to learn about the experience of migration and reasons why people may have to leave home. Students will focus on developing empathy by putting themselves in the shoes of others and engaging in stories of migration. The workshop helps students challenge assumptions about migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.
Time length: 60 minutes
Group size: 5 to 35
Delivery: Online, face-to-face (eligible groups only)
For more free resources and classroom activities, see our Refugees and migration teaching resources page.
Book now
Online group workshop
Use our simple online form to book a free online workshop for your school class or group.
Face-to-face group workshop
Our face-to-face workshops are offered to groups in communities that need it the most. Find out if we’re able to deliver a face-to-face workshop in your area or book a session.
Coping with challenges
This resilience-building workshop uses experiential learning to help young people learn resilience-building skills that help them cope better with the challenges they face. Learners will:
- explain how people can cope with challenges using the four pillars of resilience
- understand the relationship between connections with others and resilience
- feel confident to apply what they have learned to better cope with challenges
Group size: 5 to 35
Time length: 60 minutes
Delivery: Online, face-to-face (eligible groups only)
Book now
Online workshop
Use our simple online form to book a free online workshop for your school class or group.
Face-to-face workshop
Our face-to-face workshops are offered to groups in communities that need it the most. Find out if we’re able to deliver a face-to-face workshop in your area or book a session.
Free classroom resources for teachers
Alongside our live workshops available to use online in schools, we also provide teaching resources you can download and use in your classroom. Suitable for ages 5 to 19, the resources cover:
- first aid
- disasters and emergencies
- humanitarianism and the Red Cross
- International Humanitarian Law and conflict
- refugees and migration
- kindness and wellbeing
- newsthink (current news events)
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Sign up to our mailing list and receive new teaching resources straight to your inbox. Stay updated with our online teaching resources and offline education including free educational workshops, and downloadable resource packs.
Frequently asked questions
Who can take part in a youth workshop?
How can students take part in a workshop?
How can students with additional needs be supported?
What size group can take part?
How does the workshop fit with the curriculums of Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England?
Will groups need to be supervised?
What level of education will attendees need?
What is expected from those taking part?
I’m having problems booking a workshop, what should I do?
Do students get a certificate or qualification for completing the workshop?
How can students' learning be supported outside of the workshops?
Who can take part in a youth workshop?
Our youth workshops are for children and young people between ages 10 and 19. Workshops can take place in school or an organised group within the community. They must be organised by a teacher, educator, or representative of an organisation. Groups must have a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 35 attendees for each workshop.
How can students take part in a workshop?
Youth workshops are available in online and face-to-face formats. The content and format of the workshop will be the same, but some aspects will vary.
Online
Online workshops take place via Microsoft Teams. You can use a smartphone, tablet, or computer for the online sessions - you just need a microphone to take part. Groups can access the online workshop either from home individually or from one location e.g. a classroom. You can book an online workshop by filling out the correct booking form.
Face to face
The face-to-face workshops involve our educator coming to an agreed location to deliver the workshop in person. All you will need is space for the group to work comfortably and safely. The face-to-face workshops are offered to groups in communities that need it the most. To enquire if we’re able to deliver a face-to-face session with your group and request a booking click below.
> Check availability and book face-to-face session
How can students with additional needs be supported?
If you have any students that require additional support, then please get in touch with our team. They will be able to advise on specific cases. This could include students with English as a second language, blindness/low vision, and deafness/hearing loss.
What size group can take part?
Groups for the youth training workshops must be a minimum of 5 and maximum 35 attendees.
How does the workshop fit with the curriculums of Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England?
Youth workshops are created to complement PSHE education and in line with the curriculums of Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England. Workshops in schools can be attended by students aged 10 to 19, covering key stages 2 to 5 in Wales, Northern Ireland, and England. In Scotland it covers P6, P7, and S1 to S6.
Will groups need to be supervised?
The workshop organiser (e.g. teacher/youth organiser) will need to be present for the duration of the workshop for both online and face-to-face delivery.
What level of education will attendees need?
There's no educational requirement needed for groups to take part in the workshop.
What is expected from those taking part?
The workshops are interactive and there's an expectation that groups will join in with activities and discussion. How much they join in is based on what they're comfortable with. If you have any concerns regarding group activities such as this, contact our support team who will be happy to advise how the workshop could proceed.
I’m having problems booking a workshop, what should I do?
We've tried to make it as simple as possible to book onto a workshop. If you run into problems or feel more comfortable speaking to someone from our team then please get in touch with us, either via email RedCrossEducation@Redcross.org.uk or call 0344 412 2734.
Do students get a certificate or qualification for completing the workshops?
The workshops are designed for students and young people to build personal life skills and learn valuable insight into topics and issues affecting young people and their community. Rather than a formal qualification, each workshop has a set of learning objectives that can be achieved by completing the entire session. If students take part in a first aid workshop, we can provide a certificate of learning you can fill in yourself, but this does not meet any workplace requirements. For accredited first aid courses, please visit British Red Cross training.
How can students' learning be supported outside of the workshops?
Alongside the workshop you can enhance your students' learning by using our Teaching resources. These have been designed for offline teaching in the classroom and cover humanitarian topics such as First aid, kindness, refugees and migration, and conflict and war. There are also Newsthink resources which are created in response to current news events that can be used to facilitate discussion with a humanitarian and neutral approach.
The teaching resources can be used before or after the workshop to broaden students' learning, or as a stand alone activity in the classroom.
Get in touch
If you have any specific questions about the workshops or want to enquire about eligibility for a face-to-face group workshop, please contact us via e-mail or telephone.
Contact details
Email us at RedCrossEducation@Redcross.org.uk
Or call us for all enquiries on 0344 412 2734
Do you have a question about this page or want to give us feedback? Visit our Contact us page.