The Red Cross Youth is one of the six major services of the Philippine Red Cross. Its mission is to educate and empower the children and youth in the spirit of Red Cross through constructive training and effective leadership, and provide opportunities for directing and harnessing their energy and idealism into worthwhile humanitarian activities.

History of Red Cross Youth in the Philippines When the Philippine Branch became a Chapter of the American Red Cross on December 4, 1917, it included the Junior Red Cross (JRC) among its activities. The director of education who was elected chairman of the JRC, directed the work of 6,000 children in JRC in the schools of Manila. JRC activities included the sewing of comfort articles and making surgical dressings for soldiers at war and planting vegetables in school gardens.

From 1922 until the outbreak of World War II in 1941, the JRC dental service became the major program with school children contributing 30 centavos each as their annual membership fee and in return they received an American JRC pin. By 1941, there were 184 dental clinics all over the country. A total of 898,333 children were inspected, 495,086 of which had defective teeth and 108,035 given treatment.

In October 1946, the JRC dental service was formally turned over to the government. From then on, it has become an integral part of child health in the Philippines.

After the liberation, the first JRC enrollment campaign under the new Philippine Republic was conducted in October 1946. Enrollment of elementary school children in the JRC was on a group basis. Schools join by class or section with a membership fee of PHP2.00 per class.

In 1948, the Philippine Junior Red Cross Magazine was published with Mrs. Loreto Paras-Sulit as editor and at the same time director of the Junior Red Cross. Activities carried out in schools were along the lines of health, service, and international friendship. The decade of 1961–1970 recorded an increase in the JRC enrollment from 3 to 4 million members from 12,000 public and private elementary and secondary schools.

The adoption of the program for college students on January 28, 1969, solved the problem of young people who would want to continue serving through the Red Cross after graduation from high school. It aimed at developing the spirit of humanitarianism and social service through active and direct involvement in Red Cross activities.

Another new important program which was approved by the board to include not only school children but also young people both in and out of school until 25 years of age. The change in name of the program from Junior Red Cross (JRC) to Red Cross Youth (RCY) was approved by the board on March 31, 1970.

From December 28 to 30, 1974, the 1st National Red Cross Youth Congress was held at the Hall of Mercy of the PNRC Manila Chapter Building with the Theme: "Voluntarism: A Force in Nation Building." The Congress elected Mr. Ruben C. Angeles of Zamboanga City as the 1st National Red Cross Youth Council President. It was not until November 1998 that the NYC President was seated as a member of the board of governors, the highest decision-making body of the Philippine National Red Cross, having then NYC President Crescente Abragan, representing the Red Cross Youth in the board. Soon after, the board approved having elected Chapter Youth Council Presidents seated as a mandated member of the chapter board of directors, thereby representing the interest of the youth in the local level.

In February 2000, the board of governors approved the assignment of October of every year as the Red Cross Youth Month. In December 2000, the National Youth Council celebrated its 25th Founding Anniversary.

On August 12, 2003, the United Nations in the Philippines recognized the Red Cross Youth as one of the Five Outstanding Youth Organizations Awardee.

October 2003 saw the launch of the first batch of the Ten Outstanding Red Cross Youth (TORCY) and by October 2005, the first batch of the Outstanding Chapter Youth Council Award. In June 2006, PNRC spearheaded the South East Asia National Youth Leaders' Summit (SEANYLS) electing then NYC president, Gov. Carlos Benigno S. Gallardo, as its chairman.

Fast forward, August 2016 when the Philippine Red Cross's board of governors appointed Gov. Novey Robert Dolde to be the first NYC president to chair the Youth Committee of the governing board.

Through DepEd Order No. 38 Series of 2005, the department of education recognized the Red Cross Youth as a co-curricular club in all schools and in 2008, a memorandum of agreement was signed with the department of education, Commission of Higher Education (CHED), Philippine Association of College and Universities (PACU), Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in strengthening the establishment of Red Cross Youth Councils in the different schools and colleges as well as updating the Drug / Substance Abuse Education (in the case of PDEA).

Most recently, through DepEd Order No. 53 Series of 2015, the department of education granted the issuance of Service Credits to all Red Cross Youth Advisers participating in Red Cross Youth activities thereby strengthening all Red Cross Youth Advisers in their participation in empowering their youth volunteers.

Four (4) Major Objectives Inculcation of Humanitarian Values – the organization believes that the early development of humanitarian leaders lie in the inculcation of humanitarian values among its youth members. Instill the Practice of a Healthy Lifestyle – build a healthy community through youth participation and involvement in health promotion and education towards a stronger nation. Enhance Youth Leadership Skills through Service Delivery – to be active in community development by leading the delivery of Red Cross services in their capacity as volunteers. Advocate National / International Friendship – to promote camaraderie and unity, mutual respect and the spirit of international brotherhood amidst socio-cultural diversity.

The Red Cross Youth Pledge As a Youth Member of the premier humanitarian organization, I pledge to alleviate human suffering, protect life and dignity, to be a responsible citizen of the Republic of the Philippines, to conform with the objectives and policies of the Philippine Red Cross, its seven fundamental principles: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality and to be at all times be in the service for the suffering humanity.

Membership Red Cross Youth Member – any youth who has paid the annual membership dues for the Red Cross Youth. Red Cross Youth Volunteer – a member of the Red Cross Youth who has undergone basic orientation about the Red Cross Youth and the Red Cross in general.

Categories of Membership

Junior Red Cross (JRC) In other organizations, one maybe considered a member without paying any fee. In the Red Cross, the PRC considers as members those who contribute to the fund campaign and those who donate blood but their contributions are not considered as membership fee.

However, in the PRC Youth Program, one becomes a member after paying the membership fee (at present, general membership fee is P50.00). A JRC member may become a volunteer at the same time but a volunteer can not become a member unless he/she pays his membership fee.

The youth arm of the Philippine Red Cross has always been registered under a class enrollment concept. School authorities assist the Red Cross in the collection of membership fee in school, but proper coordination and series of meetings with DepEd officials, teachers and even the parents are to be done in order to the local Red Cross chapters to have opportunities to explain the components of the membership fee and where this goes.

Junior Red Cross members are elementary students whose age ranges from 7 to 12 years old. They are formed into school council with the active JRC Adviser as their guide and adult leader who facilitates and assist the council in recruiting, organizing and training JRC members in the school or institution.

Senior Red Cross Youth (SRCY) Originally, the Red Cross Youth High School belongs to the JRC category of the Red Cross Youth Program. There was no clear delineation of responsibilities nor with the activities. The program of the high school students were the same as that of the elementary students.

But then, this set-up was observed to cause a problem. The high school students are too old for program being offered to the elementary students and yet they are young for the activities being done by the college students. And so, the need to reclassify the high school students and create activities that suits their age level was identified and addressed by the PRC.

In January 1995, the board of governors approved the separation of the high school students from the JRC category. With that, they would no longer be called JRC members but instead Senior Red Cross Youth, a step higher than the JRC and a step lower than the College RCYs whose age ranges from 13 to 16 years old.

Senior Plus Red Cross Youth (SPRCY) Originally, SPRCY Red Cross Youth was supposed to belong on College Red Cross Youth but due to the implementation of the K-12 program on both private and public schools, the Philippine Red Cross created another program which is the Senior Plus Red Cross Youth. The Red Cross Program for senior high school, whose age ranges from 16 to 18 years old. There was no clear delineation of responsibilities nor with the activities. The program of the senior high school students were the same as that of the junior high school students.

College Red Cross Youth (CRCY) The Red Cross Program for college students, whose age ranges from 18 to 25 years old, was approved by the board on January 28, 1969. Its primary aim is to develop among the students the spirit of humanitarianism and social service through active and direct involvement in Red Cross activities.

According to information received by the Youth Bureau of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Red Cross program has grown much wider partly because new trends in educational methods favored participation of young people in action (i.e. learning through action) and recently also in planning and decision making and because young Red Cross members have gradually become more than just recipients of direct educational programs.

The Youth have identified themselves more and more with the ideas of the Red Cross, through learning about its principles and tasks. In view of this, they have become Red Cross volunteers of the same value as the adult members, for they come to the Red Cross not only to learn to get, but also to actively participate in the life of the Red Cross, to render services where needed.

But this was changed in 2018, the College Red Cross Youth shall be age range from 18 to 25 years old.

Community Red Cross Youth (CommRCY) Red Cross offers services not only to those in schools but also to the young professionals and community based youth. The program for Community Red Cross Youth was approved by the board on July 20, 1969. A Leadership Training Course was adopted and patterned after the LEAD (Leadership, Education, Ability, and Development) program of San Pablo City. The aim is to train the youth to serve themselves and their families through the Red Cross and use their time by learning a trade for their livelihood.

This particular category of the youth program was known before as the Out-of-School Red Cross Youth (OS-RCY). However, in a board meeting held on October 5, 1993, it was approved that there shall be a change in nomenclature: from Out-of-School to Community Red Cross Youth, whose age ranges from 7 to 30 years old.

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