Singapore Red Cross Youth
The Singapore Red Cross Youth (RCY) is a Uniformed Group for Primary School and Secondary School students. It has a membership of about 1500 Links (Primary School Students) and about 2500 Cadets (Secondary School Students) as of January 2015. There are currently 41 Link Units, 43 Cadet Units and 10 Chapter Units. A non-uniformed wing – RCY Chapters & Youth Members are inclusive of the RCY.
 | |
| Abbreviation | RCY |
|---|---|
| Motto | Humanity in Our Hands |
| Formation | 1952 |
| Type | Uniformed Group |
| Headquarters | Red Cross House |
| Location |
|
Director | Mr. Sahari Bin Ani |
| Affiliations | Singapore Red Cross Society |
| Website | https://www.redcross.sg/red-cross-youth/about-red-cross-youth.html |
History
The Red Cross Youth was formed in 1952, with Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) having its first cadet unit. The Red Cross runs school-based youth programmes and is a Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) recognised by the Ministry of Education as an avenue for Character and Citizenship Education in Singapore schools. The Red Cross Youth has two programmes – one for the Primary School children (Link Programme) and another for Secondary School youths (Cadet Programme). The organisation of youth activities under this approach has produced good results with both the Link units and Cadet Units, enthusiastically pursuing a series of activities ranging from social/recreational to community programmes.
Red Cross Youth Chapters (RCYC or RCY Chapters), previously known as the Red Cross Humanitarian Network (RCHN) was incorporated into Red Cross Youth from 1 July 2011.[1]
Structure
The Singapore Red Cross Youth comes under the command of Singapore Red Cross Society with the following appointments:
| Appointment | Incumbent |
|---|---|
| Patron | President of the Republic of Singapore |
| Chairman | Mr. Tee Tua Ba |
The Singapore Red Cross Youth is also organised in a National Headquarters level with the following appointment:
| Appointment | Incumbent |
|---|---|
| Director | Mr. Sahari Ani |
Incentive Badges Scheme
The objective of the Incentive Badge Scheme is to encourage Link and Cadet members to take an interest in subjects outside their normal academic curriculum and to widen their interests by carrying out these activities during training. Such activities may also be organised by their respective Zones. Certain activities are also organised by Red Cross Headquarters.
The different badges are as follows:
Cadets Members
Achievements
- President's Youth Award
- Director's Award Badge
Proficiency badges
- First Aid (Bronze,Silver, Gold)
- Youth Ambassadors' Blood Programme (Bronze, Silver, Gold)
- Red Cross Knowledge (Bronze, Silver, Gold)
- Red Cross Service Learning (Bronze, Silver, Gold)
- Disaster Management (Bronze, Silver, Gold)
- Youth Leadership (Bronze, Silver,Gold)
National Education badges
- Total Defence (Bronze, Silver, Gold)
- National Day Parade
- Singapore Youth Festival
- National Camp
- National Heritage
- SANA Anti-Drug and Inhalant Abuse
Fundamental badges
- Foot Drill
Enrichment badges
- International Friendship
- Link-Cadet
Link members
Core Subjects
- Basic First Aid (Foundation, Formative)
- Basic Red Cross Knowledge (Foundation, Formative)
- Youth Ambassadors' Blood Programme (Foundation, Formative)
- Red Cross Service (Foundation, Formative)
UG Fundamental Subjects
- Basic Outdoor Activities (Foundation, Formative)
- Basic Foot-Drill (Foundation, Formative)
Achievements
- Director's Award Badge
Non-Core Subjects
- Environment Education (Foundation, Formative)
- Health Education (Foundation, Formative)
- International Friendship
- Performing Arts (Foundation, Formative)
- Sports Education (Foundation, Formative)
Annual Events
Red Cross Youth hosts a variety of major events, performances, competitions and programmes. The events are as follows:
| Type | Programme/Event |
|---|---|
| Competitions | First Aid Championship, Fostering Leadership And Resilient Endeavours (FLARE), Disaster Risk Reduction Championship (DRRC), Ambassadors of Blood donation Competition (ABC), Trailblazers Championship (TC) |
| Training | Modular Workshops, Warrant Officer's Programme, Unit Specialist Programme, Volunteer Instructors' Programme, Unit Officers' Programme, Volunteer Officers' Programme |
| Celebration/Recognition | Awards & Recognition Day, World Red Cross Day Celebrations |
| Others | Red Cross Youth Challenge, Linkamania Camp, Youth Officers' Sharing Session, Overseas Humanitarian Programme, International Youth Exchange Programme |
Uniform
Rank structure
Appointment Ranks
1These are Appointment Ranks appointed by The Singapore Red Cross Society Council.
Deputy Director1
Director1
Appointment Ranks & Staff Officers (Secretariat)
2These are Appointment Ranks appointed by The Red Cross Youth Steering Committee.
Assistant Director2
Coordinating Assistant Director2
Senior Assistant Director2
Auxiliary Staff Officer
Staff Officer
Senior Staff Officer
Head Staff Officer1
Divisional Officers
3These are often Senior Officers who are no longer holding appointments in office or conferred an Honorary Officer role, e.g. former ADs, Coordinating ADs, Senior ADs, DDs and/or Director.
Assistant Divisional Officer
Divisional Officer
Senior Divisional Officer
Youth Officers & Zone Volunteer Officers
4Granted to Teacher-Officers who have completed the Unit Officers' Programme (UOP).
5Granted to Teacher-Officers In Command, or Volunteer Officers who have exhibited competent leadership. This is the highest possible rank an Officer can be promoted to.
Youth Officer4 (Teacher-Officer)
Senior Youth Officer5 (Teacher-Officer In Command)
Assistant Head Of Zone
Head Of Zone5
Volunteer Instructors & Volunteer Officers
6Granted to Volunteer Instructors who have passed the Volunteer Instructors' Programme (VIP).
7Granted to Volunteer Instructors, aged 21 and above in the year of promotion, who have completed the Volunteer Officers' Programme (VOP).
Assistant Cadet Officer6
Cadet Officer
Senior Cadet Officer
Principal Cadet Officer
Assistant Volunteer Officer7
Volunteer Officer5
Senior Volunteer Officer5
Cadet Members
8Ranks that ceased to be issued.
9This is the highest possible rank a RCY Cadet can be promoted to.
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Lance Corporal (LCP).jpg)
Corporal (CPL).jpg)
Sergeant (SGT).jpg)
Staff Sergeant (SSG).jpg)
Warrant Officer8 (WO)
Senior Warrant Officer9 (SWO)
Link Members
Link Bronze Star
Link Silver Star
Link Gold Star
Volunteer Instructors (VI)
Volunteer Instructors (VIs) are usually graduated cadets of various RCY units who wish to continue rendering service to the organisation, at the school and/or headquarter level. Volunteer Instructors are required to undergo the Volunteer Instructors' Programme (VIP) organised by Red Cross Youth Headquarters. Trainees will undergo training to equip them with knowledge and skills to be an instructor in Red Cross Youth. All Instructors are required to obtain the Standard First Aid Certificate. When trainees successfully pass out from VIP, they will be appointed the rank of Assistant Cadet Officer.
Duties of a VI includes:
- Assisting the Youth Officer (YO) in preparing the unit's training work plan.
- Assisting in conducting training and organising of activities within the core curriculum of the RCY.
- Assisting in the organisation of activities for the respective district.
- Providing proper guidance and counselling to cadets and links, as well as to take charge of their welfare.
- Attending meetings at unit committees as a co-opted member to provide advice and expertise.
Awards & Recognition
Lanyards
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Lanyard are awarded to cadets with outstanding performance in terms of leadership and/or skills in the following programmes/events. Lanyards are usually worn on the left shoulder as shown above. However, if a cadet attains more than one lanyard, he/she can only wear one.
| Programme | Duration | % of cohort |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Specialists' Programme | Nov–Dec | 10 |
| Unit Leaders' Programme | May–June | 10 |
| Red Cross Youth Challenge | Dec | 10 |
Long Service Awards
Long Service Medals & Ribbons are awarded to Red Cross Youth Volunteers as an appreciation for their active contributions in Singapore Red Cross Youth.
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Medals are worn on the left side of the uniform, in accordance with the order of precedence. Full-sized medals are worn with the Red Cross Full Uniform. The medals are worn centrally on the left side of the uniform showing the obverse face. The base of the medals should be just above the pocket button. If more than one medal is worn, they are shown full-faced and suspended side by side in precedence order with the highest award placed first from the right (nearer to the heart) of the wearer. If more than 4 medals are worn, the highest award is shown full-faced while the others are overlapped.
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Ribbons are worn without the orders, decorations and medals. They are worn immediately above the left chest pocket flap. The latest rewarded ribbon is worn on the wearer’s right (nearer to the heart) and in the top row when more than one row is worn. Ribbons are worn to a maximum of three in a row. Ribbons in excess of this number are to be worn centrally above the completed row.
The UnI Channel
To allow the cadets to stay connect with Red Cross Youth and interact with other cadets. In 2009, Red Cross Youth publicity team launched a Facebook group and blog, both named The UnI Channel. The blog provides regular updates on Red Cross-related issues such as works of ICRC and IFRC to provide cadets with additional information pertaining to the work of the Red Cross. Besides factual information about the Red Cross, the blog would also discuss problems regarding unit management, teamwork and youth-related issues. Moderators would also put up photos of recent RCY events that have occurred (like the ones mentioned above). The blog has achieved high readership since its launch in 2009, as of August 2015, it has over 623,000 views.
The UnI Channel also include a UnI Youtube Channel and a Facebook account which contains photographs of various events that happen within the Red Cross Youth Spectrum. More recently, they launched Twitter and Instagram accounts to update readers on the Red Cross Red Crescent scene, both locally and internationally. The UnI Channel was further improved and currently in use - rcyouth.com. This serves as a platform for all stakeholders to view and download RCY training materials and relevant information for reference.
School Units
Schools are categorised into 4 zones. Below are the zones and their respective schools.
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3
Zone 4
List of RCY Chapters in Singapore
References
- "Singapore Red Cross Society". redcross.sg. Retrieved 7 June 2019.