St John Youth Festival

Media Release

9 April 2009

St John Youth Festival 

Youth from throughout New Zealand will focus on first aid, healthcare and general life skills when they compete in the National St John Youth Festival and Competitions from 16 to 21 April in Napier.

In the competition phase of the festival cadets aged between 13 and 17 will compete both in teams and as individuals and be judged on their ability in leadership, medical knowledge, team work and life saving skills. 

“Competing in teams and as individuals provides our cadets with the opportunity to develop skills and work together from an early age,” explains St John Central Region Youth Manager and Festival Coordinator Richard Hitchcock.

St John Youth is a member-based, uniformed, co-educational programme for six to 18 year olds. Currently more than 6,000 people participate in the programme in New Zealand. St John Youth provides a safe and secure environment where young people can learn first aid, health care, self discipline, and general life skills.

“The ethos behind St John Youth is developing skills, building self-esteem and a feeling of belonging, all concepts that are attractive to young New Zealanders,” he says.

Prop’s, make up and patients will be used in every phase of competition to recreate realistic accident and medical emergency situations.

“A lot of work goes into staging realistic scenes so that competitors react in a way that mirrors how they would respond in actual accidents and medical emergencies,” he says.
he week long event is set to attract hundreds of competitors and supporters from throughout New Zealand.

“Cadets put in hours of training in preparation for competitions. They work very hard and are proud of what they do. Our youth programme aims to prepare them for life with so they are confident in any situation. The most rewarding part for me and other adults in St John Youth is watching these kids develop and grow in the programme.” Mr Hitchcock says.

The National St John Youth Competitions and Festival run from 16 to 21 April in Napier. Members of the media and public are invited to attend the competition phase of the festival on Marine Parade (beside the National Aquarium) on 18 April between 9am and 3:30pm.

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