Glasgow teens learn first aid through escape rooms and VR
The Young Minds Save Lives programme, run by the Scottish Ambulance Service and funded by NHS Charities Together, is co-designed with young people and provides them with knowledge and skills on how to respond in a medical emergency and preventative healthcare.
It also aims to raise awareness about future careers in health and opportunities for volunteering, while developing skills in when and how to access healthcare.
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It was piloted with S3 students from Shawlands Academy and Holyrood Secondary School, and has already helped more than 1,200 high school students increase their knowledge and confidence in responding to medical emergencies.
An evaluation conducted by the University of Glasgow reported impressive results from the initial pilot phase, including a 150 per cent increase in awareness of how to put someone in the recovery position, a 49 per cent increase in confidence in providing first aid to a penetrating wound, and a 30 per cent increase in confidence about responding to an emergency that might involve drugs and/or alcohol.
Arran Lambie, an S3 student at Holyrood Secondary School, said: 'I really enjoyed the Young Minds Save Lives programme as it was really interactive and we got to use mannequins and VR headsets.
"We also got to take part in an escape room where we solved mysteries using the information we'd learned and we had to work as a team.
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"It was a really good way to keep the knowledge in our heads and make it something that we'll remember forever."
Michael Dickson, chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: "We are delighted with the evaluation results and the brilliant feedback we've had from the schools, pupils and their families saying that the Young Minds Save Lives programme has been fun, engaging, informative and inspiring.
"We are currently delivering the programme to an additional three schools in Glasgow - Hollybrook Academy, which supports pupils with additional learning needs, St Margaret Mary's Secondary School and Castlemilk High School – and at the young people's request, we've added a mental health topic which was again co-designed with students to ensure the content addresses what they consider most important.
"The next step is now to secure ongoing investment which will enable us to roll the initiative out across the country."
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