RRC

RED RIBBON CLUB (RRC)

Our College Inaugurated RED RIBBON CLUB ON 28TH January 2011. Mrs.Geetha, District Manager, RRC, Pudukkottai inaugurated the function in the presence of our correspondent Mr.R.C.Uthayakumar.

Vision

Red Ribbon clubs are envisaged to instill among all the students in the educational institutions values of service, develop healthy life styles, and increase access to safe and adequate quantities of blood to all the needy by promotion of Regular voluntary blood donation. Apart from this, RRC aims at harnessing the potential of the youth by equipping them with correct information on Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Nutrition and Reproductive & Sexual Health and building their capacities as peer educators in spreading messages on positive health behaviour in an enabling environment.

The specific objectives of the programme are:

• To instill life skills into youths to live better and healthier life.
• Increasing the capacity of the education system in teaching, training of various basic health aspects and helping the adolescents and youths for achieving positive health
• To ensure that every college going youth in the state is equipped with conceptual knowledge about various basic health aspects which he may possibly encounter during his life.
• To motivate youth and build their capacity as peer educators and change agents by developing their skills on leadership, negotiation, and team building.
• To promote voluntary non-remunerated blood donation among youth.
• Promote Regular voluntary blood donation by young people and increase access to safe and adequate quantities of blood.
• To develop essential skills to cope up with the adverse conditions pertaining to health specifically, supporting young people…
• To know their healthcare needs better.

The programme is being implemented through Non Governmental Organisation in coordination with Universities’ trained RRC Incharge/ Programme Officers (Lecturers) and peer educators. Non Governmental Organisation will train the nodal teachers and peer educators with initial support from trained resource persons The nodal teachers and peer educators will take interactive classroom sessions with students across all targeted colleges.

These sessions will be based on five issues those are as follow;

Five important Health issues for Health Promotion

• Healthy Life Style and Stress & Strain free Enviournment,
• Drug Addiction,
• Blood Donation Promotion,
• Life skill Development and good eating habits.
• Reproductive & Sexual Health including RTI/STI and HIV/AIDS,

The sessions will be participatory and seek to address the concerns of youths on growing up through role-play, brainstorming and discussion. They will also address myths and misconceptions that young people have about health and reply to queries of youths by using the Question Box.

• Formation of Red Ribbon Club advisory committee in college.
• Selection of two lecturers (Preferably one male and another female) for Red Ribbon Club.
• Oversee and participate in the implementation of Red Ribbon Club Programme, including development of youth interactive programme, implementation, and evaluation of activities.
• Provide technical support to NGO and RRC incharge/Programme Officer to develop youth friendly and youth focusing IEC materials.
• Facilitate NGO representatives in implementing RRC programme effectively.
• Establishment linkages with other health services to increase assess of youths to them.
• Support in developing capacity of faculty to understand adolescents /youths’ mental, reproductive and sexual health Problems and provide students enabling environment to cope with them.
• Motivate students to donate blood regularly.

Role of Programme Officers (Lecturers) in Red Ribbon Club Programme

Principal will identify two lecturers from every college for Red Ribbon Club Programme as Programme Officers/Incharge RRC (preferably one male and one female). S/he is the teacher at the Institution designated as NSS Programme Coordinator, who should also be given their responsibility of the RRC in the capacity of Programme Officer. In the institutes where NSS is not available the head of such institution and advisory committee will be requested to designate one of the teachers as Programme Officer for RRC.

The PO will work closely with the RRC/NGO to reach out to RRC members and other youth in the institution through RRC volunteers.