President McAleese joins young Red Cross members for special birthday event

The National Youth Forum of the Irish Red Cross sees hundreds of young people, aged from 5 - 17 years who are members of the Irish Red Cross, gathering to celebrate the birthday of the Red Cross in Ireland and plan for the future involvement of more young people in the organisation. The forum takes place at the D4 Hotels, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

The Chairman of the Irish Red Cross Youth Working Group, Darren Ryan, said: "We are delighted that the President is joining us for this very special youth event in our 70th Year."

The President is by virtue of her office, President of the Irish Red Cross.

"As we consider the appalling suffering of children in many parts of the world in the run-up to the UN day for children - Universal Children’s Day - we must also look at what we can do to engage and channel the massive energy and ideas of our own young people here in Ireland,"

Young people, Mr Ryan noted, are joining the Irish Red Cross in greater and greater numbers, with a large increase in youth membership this year on last year.

.And the Irish Red Cross is also expanding its horizons, providing more activities for younger children (aged 5 to 10) and targeting areas of social deprivation and isolation through the development of greater numbers of branches in outlying rural areas.

"We aim to double the growth in young people joining us as members next year through the development of an exciting and relevant array of activities and recognised awards in conjunction with the President’s own award scheme in Gaisce. We would appeal in particular to school authorities and to parents to encourage their children and teenagers to get involved with the Red Cross and other voluntary groups as active social engagement costs little to the individual but can contribute hugely to local communities and to society at large," concluded Mr Ryan.

For further information contact: Aoife MacEoin. National Communications Officer. 087 - 998 3788.

Notes to the editor

• Interviews with Irish Red Cross spokespeople can be arranged in advance or on the day.
• Pictures from the event will be supplied by Maxwell Photography
• Online resources will be available at www.redcross.ie Irish Red Cross on Facebook, Flikr and YouTube
• Additional background notes are provided below

Irish Red Cross: National Youth Forum Facts & Figures

1. The Irish Red Cross celebrates 70 years of history this year. This is also the year that marks the 150th anniversary of the battle that inspired the international foundation of the first Red Cross in Switzerland and subsequently the first-ever rules of war - the Geneva Conventions. The Conventions were subsequently updated after WW II and this year also marks the 60th anniversary of that.
2. The National Youth Forum sees young people - aged from 5 upwards - attend a conference that will consider - in an age-appropriate way - serious current issues such as what "humanity" means to them, the impact of our increasingly multi-cultural and diverse society, issues that affect people living with HIV/AIDS and what an organisation like the Red Cross has, and can, achieve to improve society.
3. The Irish Red Cross has branches in every county in Ireland, some 145 in total amounting to some 6000 members. New members are always welcome.
4. Young people who join the Irish Red Cross can be active members of their own communities in the knowledge that they are part of a wider global force for good - the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement which has 97 million members working to improve the lives of people in 186 countries around the world.
5. The first time the Nobel Peace Prize was ever awarded, it went to the founder of the Red Cross, Henry Dunant in 1901 who pioneered the care of wounded soldiers from all sides on the battlefield of Solferino, Italy. The organisation has since been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on a further three occasions, making it the single-biggest recipient of the award.
6. The Irish Red Cross has directly associated with some of the most illustrious faces of national and international history and will host a synopsis of this at the forum. These people include film stars Audrey Hepburn who was helped by the Irish Red Cross and Princess Grace of Monaco who visited Irish Red Cross projects with children on her state visit to Ireland as well as writers, Neville Shute (A Town Called Alice) and Samuel Beckett who volunteered for the Irish Red Cross.
7. Caring for children at home and overseas has always been at the heart of Irish Red Cross activity. Here in Ireland, the Irish Red Cross set up specialist TB prevention units for vulnerable children and organised a rescue-mission of German and other children immediately after WWII under its famous Operation Shamrock. Internationally, the Irish Red Cross directly funds services to AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children in Africa (Malawi) and also, through its association with the International Committee of the Red Cross, supports many activities to protect children caught up in wars.