Around Trompsø

After a weekend of working one needs to relax a little bit. If you are in a different place from your own  then there it is necessary to see what is in that area before you go back home because you will always have good memories of that place.

On Monday morning after the winter camp we all dressed up for the cold weather then we went out to see the beautiful city of Trompsø. We went in to the city to see the city. We also went to the mountain where one can see the whole city .We had a lot of pictures to take because everyone wanted to be in the picture alone with a background of the beautiful view.

After visiting the mountain we went to the Polaria and we were fortunate to see the seals being fed and we also went to see the movie that was showing in the cinema about northern lights. After a day of walking and sightseeing we finally went to Temmy’s one of the volunteers’ place where we were invited together with Anne for dinner.  We had a good dinner and after dinner we went for a movie in the evening. It was a very good day for us. The following day was a home go day and it was so sad to part ways with our counter delegates but still we were waiting for another time when we would meet again one more time in Bergen.

So as we continue with our journey we are still planning for the delegates to come to Bergen. Continue watching this space because it is not long before they come.

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WINTER CAMP IN at Haraldvollen

As we are moving on with our journey in Norway we are also having a lot to learn and we are also trying to share our experiences with other youths as much as possible.

On 1 March to 6 March we went to Trompsø for their annual winter camp at Haraldvollen which is 2 hours from the Trompsø city center. It was filled with fun and excitement as we were all looking forward to the camp and looking forward to meet new friends at the camp. The camp was running from the 2^nd to the 4^th of March. At the camp the first day was for introductions and getting to know each other. It was a social night. The following day in the morning and in the afternoon, we had the youth conference for the district and at the new constitution was read and adopted. After the reading of the constitution we had elections for the new district board. We were vote counters and observers. In the evening we had fun activities. The youth delegates were responsible for the team building exercises as well as social nights. Evenings were also characterized by a big rush outside to watch the northern lights usually around 11pm.

The following day we had presentations on Migration, International Humanitarian Law and Sexual health and Raid Cross. After a weekend of serious business we had to relax so we left for Haraldvollen for a 2 hour long swimming session, then we had a nice trip back to Trompsø with our wonderful driver who was always alert and communicating with us till we got to Trompsø 

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Hjelpe korps at Finse

One of the main activities that the Norwegian red cross is well known for is to rescue people who have been trapped in snow avalanches and doing first aid to the casualties so that they can proceed to the hospital for more medical treatment.  Inorder for this activity to be so popular and successful there is need to train a lot of people so that they can become a good resource group.

From Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 February we attended the Search and rescue course at Finse at with the Hjelpe korps group. It was very windy and very cold which are the best conditions for the search courses because they become very practical. We went out on snow scooters to see the man made avalanches that were made by scooters and that were supposed to be worked on by participants when they search for people who are trapped in snow. The courses were 9 days long.

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World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day Commemorations

On Saturday 5 May 2012 we managed to also be part of the big celebrations done worldwide under the Red Cross and Red Crescent with the Bergen Red Cross. We commemorated the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day at Torgallmenningen in Bergen. This was a bit early as the normal day is 8 May but due to the day being during a working week then we had the celebrations a few days earlier. The whole area was bee hive of activity as people were going round from tent to tent trying to see what was on offer.

There was the the showcasing of First Aid, Search and Rescue, the Red Cross Youth, ROFF, Self Defense and Red Cross Care group.  Also we had some flyers and materials being distributed to the public. All these had something to show the public. For the kids there was ice cream and a jumping castle. Despite the unpredictable weather, it was a good crowd at the big stand. Among other things also, there was a speech from the Mayor of Bergen read on his behalf and some live music to spice up the event and make it more fun. We were in the Red Cross Youth tents and in one tent we talked about Red Cross Youth and the other we had a sexual health mainly with condom demonstrations for the youth. They also had a chance to try and put a condom on a dildo without looking inside a box.

We had some special visitors like the Russ and 2 brides-to-be. The day events lasted till 3pm and it was a whole lot of fun. Overally it was a good day and all procedings went very well.

Sexual Health Course in Nordhordaland.

Sexual health is one of the most crucial things in health these days. As it is a crucial to the health of people so there is need to teach young people who are still discovering their sexuality how to be responsible for their health so that they practice safe sex and so that they reduce the risk of getting Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

On Wednesday 21 February Tanya went to Nordhordaland to meet the group and also to help in the presentation of sexual health course to the youths in the local branch. It was well attended with 5 girls and 15 boys. The presentation was mainly done by Marie Ones who is an instructor in the local branch. She presented it very well.

The course was characterized by some games and exercises that are related to sexual health and that would encourage people to use condoms. Tanya did the condom demonstration and finally the completion for putting on a condom. The youngsters were willing to participate and they were so excited about the topic

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Hordaland District Youth Workshop Weekend

April ended on a good and high note for Red Cross youths in Hordaland District. We had a workshop weekend from 27 – 29 April 2012. This was marked as achievement as it was a success. The venue was Mjølfjell Ungdomsherberge and a total of 28 participated from Voss, Stord, Bergen, Nordhordaland and Arna and Åsane branches.

In the weekend, we had a series of workshops which upgraded a lot of volunteers in the district. We managed to secure the services of other Youth Delegates as facilitators for various workshops as well as Eirik Lossius Iversen and Geir Benjamin Tengs. We had a good program and among the courses that were conducted were the Introduction to Red Cross Youth, First Aid, Raid Cross, Communication and Grunnkurs for Youth. This weekend was very good for those who were new volunteers and those who had missed the basic courses that each youth member should take when they become Red Cross youth.

On Friday we started with the Introduction to Red Cross workshop. This was done by Eirik and and Geir and it contined into Saturday. Later on Saturday, there was a First Aid course and Raid Cross running parallel. First Aid was done by Eirik again and Raid Cross was done by Basanta Abiral (Youth delegate from Nepal), Carlos Ballesteros (Youth delegate from Colombia)  and Brian Tatenda Gowodo (Youth Delegate – Zimbabwe). These two sessions where more practical, with the participants being the active ones. The day ended with Communication and a few social activities. The Communication workshop was conducted by Xiomara Cardozo (Youth Delegate from Colombia), Samista Manandhar (Yoth Delegate from Nepal) and Tanya Mukonde (Youth Delegate from Zimbabwe). On the last day we had Grunnkurs for youth and this was conducted by Eirik and Geir.

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Overally the week was great and we had very good participation from the participants and they enjoyed it. This is one successful workshop that the district can put in the bag and be proud of as it goes a step further in enhancing our youth volunteers in the organization. We hope this will be something the district will continue to build on.

Red Hand Day

While other children are going to school playing with other children and feeling the warmth of their parent’s love at home other, children are on the battle field using guns and fighting and killing other people. As Red Cross youths we have had some campaigns to stop the use of children as soldiers by collecting signatures of red hands from other young people who do not support the use of children as soldiers.

On Saturday the 24^th of February we had the Red Hand Day at the Red Cross activity house with the Bergen Red Cross youths. We had an open house and we were giving free coffee and muffins and we showed the people some movies about child soldiers to the people who came.  We managed to raise some money to send to the former child soldiers in Liberia by collecting some donations from people in the city center. Although it was done on the 12^th of February it does not necessarily mean we will stop having campaigns we will continue doing it for the benefit of other young people out there in the battle field.

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