Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, is urging young people to adopt a culture of giving blood regularly, noting that more persons are needed to give blood routinely to help save lives.
The minister was addressing the mixer for the first cohort of student ambassadors to be inducted into the ‘You’re Somebody’s Type Blood Donation Youth Ambassador’s Programme’, held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew on Monday.
The initiative is being undertaken through collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) to increase awareness about the importance of regular blood donation.
Senator Morris Dixon said Jamaica must move away from waiting until someone is critically ill and requires blood before mobilising donors.
“We have to do much more in giving blood donations and you, as young people, you’re going to have to start this revolution in Jamaica where we do it more often,” she said, noting that Jamaicans are frequently asked through WhatsApp messages to donate blood for persons in urgent need.
She encouraged the students to make blood donation a routine act of community service, pointing out that their efforts could have an impact beyond the persons they directly reach.
“You are saving lives when you do it,” she said, adding that a student may influence another person to donate, who may, in turn, encourage someone else to give blood.
“It still comes back to you,” the minister said, while encouraging the young ambassadors to continue serving in their schools and communities.
Senator Morris Dixon also described students as leaders and said the country needs more young people who are willing to give back. She congratulated the ambassadors for accepting the responsibility and encouraged them to continue participating in school clubs and other activities that contribute to their communities.
Meanwhile, student of Immaculate Conception High School, Elena Chin, said the programme had helped the students to understand the human impact behind every request for blood.
“Behind every unit of blood needed is a person, a family, and a story,” she said, noting that blood shortages can affect surgeries and other critical medical care.
She said testimony shared during the event demonstrated how blood donations can restore opportunities and improve quality of life, adding that she hoped recipients could return to school, work and their passions.
She said the ambassadors have accepted a responsibility to educate their peers, challenge misconceptions, use social media and start conversations about blood donation in schools, communities and families. She said the students intend to use creativity, teamwork, dedication and leadership to build a culture in which donating blood is viewed not as an occasional act but as a regular service to others.
– JIS
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