Background

In response to the disaster of SARS in early 2003, Hong Kong Red Cross launched the School Health Ambassador Program in primary and secondary schools in order to promote health and hygiene awareness. At first, HKRC focused on personal and environmental hygiene as our program theme promotion knowledge of flu prevention and providing basic health check for teachers and students. Since 2006, HKRC have introduced AIDS education and other health and safety information as education topic and used games as a mean so that the message of protecting life and knowledge of disaster preparedness were distributed, and strengthen community resilience in crises and emergencies. Up to 2018, over 200 schools in Hong Kong participated in this programme.

Aims

1. With participated schools as a platform, School Health Ambassador are to promote healthy lifestyle and safety awareness via peer education model.
2. To advocate trained school health ambassadors to provide health check and health education services in schools in order to arouse health awareness among students and teachers.
3. To promote an understanding and mastering of health information and disaster preparedness knowledge by introducing and health and safety education topics such as, HIV/AIDS, blood donation and first aid.

Contents

Participated schools/units would need to launch health station/ regular health-check service inside the school or in their respective unit. With the organization of School Health Ambassador, it is recommended to launch health stations 3 times a year to provide health information, interactive games and health checks for teachers, parents, students or people living in the community. The health and safety education topics/ themes developed and changed annually, including HIV/AIDS, blood donation and first aid etc. Meanwhile, the participated schools could apply school talks to promote health and safety related topics in their schools and communities.

Professionals introduce the method of use of equipment for School Health Ambassadors.

School Health Ambassadors helped schoolmates to measure their blood pressure and registered their health information.

School Health Ambassadors helped schoolmates to measure their body fat and explained the procedures.

Students actively involved in an interactive game during a health talk.

School Health Ambassadors conducted an experiential activity of "Young and Alcohol Free"

Staff introduces the procedures of running a health promotion booth

 

Recent Development

Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC) has been collaborated with School of Nursing, St. Teresa's Hospital with the establishment of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2018. HKRC offered School Health Ambassador Train-the-Trainer workshop for the students from School of Nursing, who in return deliver health check training and on-site health talks for the participated schools. Not only it aims to equip School Health Ambassadors with the knowledge to deliver school-based services, but also contributes to around 20 health talks annually for strengthening disaster preparedness among the public.

With the collaboration with Centre for Health Protection, new health theme "Young and Alcohol Free" has also been developed to raise the participants' awareness on alcohol-related health risks.

HKRC Youth and Volunteer Department, Blood Transfusion Service, School of Nursing, St. Teresa's Hospital and Centre for Health Protection also co-organized training courses from time to time to guarantee the stakeholder's better understanding on the project as well as an enhancement of service quality.

 

 

HKRC, Centre for Health Protection and School of Nursing, St. Teresa's Hospital conduct regular Train-the-Trainer workshop.

"Young and Alcohol Free" health theme was introduced cooperating with Centre for Health Protection

 

 

School Health Ambassadors conducted an experiential activity of "Young and Alcohol Free".

Professionals introduced and demonstrated the knowledge of first aid for School Health Ambassadors