How can I promote health as a Red Cross volunteer?
Would you like to help people make choices that support their health? Our trained volunteers promote health by sharing information and talking to people.
How to become a health promotion volunteer
The Red Cross’s health promotion volunteer activities are open to everyone. Most volunteer roles in health promotion have no entry requirements, and we will train you for your tasks. The most important things are the ability and enthusiasm to interact with people, as well as the opportunity to devote time to volunteer work. Our Health Points also offer volunteer opportunities suitable for healthcare professionals.
We supplement the health and social services provided by the authorities and refer people to further help as needed.
Learn about volunteer opportunities in health promotion and join us!
How can I promote health as a Red Cross volunteer?
The Red Cross has more than one hundred Health Points all around Finland. The points provide free and anonymous discussion support on health matters. People can visit the points to discuss issues such as coping, nutrition, exercise and substance use, and have their blood pressure checked.
As a Health Point volunteer, you will listen to the visitors, share health information and direct them to the health centre or other services as needed. Additionally, the Health Points may host lectures or themed events related to health. Some Health Points are stationary, while others are mobile.
The volunteers at the Health Points are healthcare professionals or individuals with an interest in health promotion. The Red Cross will brief you on your duties. Volunteers do not perform any medical procedures.
Most Health Points are open once a month or more often, up to once a week. You can devote as much time to the activities as you like.
The Red Cross Safety Coaches organise events on preventing accidents at home and during leisure time. As a Safety Coach, you do important work, as most accidents happen at home and during leisure time.
No prior knowledge or skills are required to serve as a Safety Coach. You can gain the skills needed to become a Safety Coach by completing the Safety Coach training course, which will help you develop your skills in accident prevention.
The training covers topics such as the prevention of falls and slips, risks associated with sharp and hot objects, the prevention of poisoning, drowning and fire-related accidents, and the importance of lifestyle choices in improving everyday safety.
Safety Coaches can use these same topics in the events that they organise themselves. Events can be organised in many different ways.
Our volunteers train people using substances in helping skills at places such as housing units and meeting places. The goal of the training sessions on drug death prevention and first aid is to prevent deaths resulting from drug or alcohol poisoning.
These free, low-threshold training sessions last 1–2 hours and teach participants how to identify and prevent life-threatening situations caused by intoxicants, call for additional help, assist an unconscious person and stop bleeding with temporary tools, among other things.
We will train all instructors for their tasks. The most important qualities for volunteers include good interaction skills and flexibility. It is an advantage if you have basic first aid skills and know something about the lives of people who use intoxicants.
Would you like to promote health at events in your area, such as school graduation celebrations or fairs? Or talk about health-related topics at service homes and educational institutions?
Volunteers in health promotion activity groups strengthen the functional capacity of their local communities by talking to people of different ages at various events and in everyday settings. The activity groups can focus their efforts on areas such as health promotion or substance abuse work, depending on the needs of their local area.
As a member of an activity group focused on substance abuse work, you will support young people in various life situations and help reduce substance use and any associated negative effects. You will meet young people at events such as school graduation celebrations and music festivals, visit educational institutions and work together with other operators in your area.
An activity group is a great place to meet other volunteers and work together to improve the well-being of your community.
Read more about health promotion activity groups in different regions
