Login
The Action
The team decided that their work needed to focus on 3 main areas - awareness, education and influencing change.
More than 736 surveys were distributed in the school and outside and the results were startling and a little bit concerning – a serious lack of knowledge of one’s blood type, apathy around blood donation/receiving blood, lack of donation due to no clinic in close proximity, not knowing who could donate. These findings strengthened the team's determination to pursue getting a donation clinic in the area.
They cooperated with the school community, SPHE and science teachers and the IBTS in Cork. Local GPs, Paramedics and emergency personnel were interviewed. They also worked with Beara GAA board and all six local GAA clubs. The GAA, Family Resource Centres and other bodies such as Fire Brigade, RNLI, Coastguard, various clubs and community groups, local employers helped them reach a target of collecting details of 200 possible donors.
The project team sought advice, guidance and research from Irish and international organisations including the Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation (Netherlands), the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, NHS Blood and Transplant Blood Service (United Kingdom), Héma-Québec (Canada), New Zealand Blood Service , South Africa National Blood Service , German Red Cross and French National Blood Service. They interviewed local GPs, paramedics and emergency personnel and worked with local GAA clubs to build a register of over 600 potential blood donors.
In Beara Community School there were 3D red drops displayed in all six year group areas and a 3D display in the main area raising awareness of the project and their aims.The team designed a board game based on snakes and ladders on changing young people’s mind-set around blood donation and the importance of thinking positively about donation.
