Red Campaigners hope to raise blood donation rate
High school students campaign for blood donation on Sinchon Culture Street in western Seoul [kim eung-chan]
“We understand why, as we rely on students for blood donations,” said a nurse surnamed Dang from the Sinchon-Yonsei Blood Donation Center in western Seoul.
“We have difficulty getting enough blood in the vacation season from January to March. This year is no exception,” Dang explained. The number of blood donations made by teenagers and those in their 20s accounted for 73 percent of the 2016 total. Total blood donations from those aged 16-19 and 20-29 were 848,826 and 1,082,396, respectively.
Compared with 2015, last year saw a significant change in the number of donations made by those under 30, with a 1.9 percent decrease among teenagers and a 2.2 percent decrease among those in their 20s. Ahn Mun-ho, an official at the Blood Service Headquarters, said that “If the low birthrate problem is not solved, the average number of donors will decrease by 125,000 every year for the next five years. It is important to increase the participation of teens and those in their twenties because the elderly cannot cover the decline of the younger generations. A social consensus and institutional strategy is definitely needed to vitalize the elderly blood donations.”
The KRC Blood Services have been working to secure a sustainable blood supply and foster a culture of blood donation. They have been focusing on a project targeting the younger generations. Since 2012, the KRC has organized teams of high school students to serve as Red Campaigners. Red represents both the color of blood and the passion of the young people. The 2016 Red Campaigners were composed of 823 students in 58 teams across the nation. They gain a positive awareness of blood donation and deliver a message about the dignity of life through voluntary donation.
The Red Campaigners do a range of activities, including promoting Blood Donation Day (the 13th day of every month), the promotion of blood donation, the production of user-created content and social media promotion.
In an effort to develop a social consensus on blood donation the KRC Blood Service has been operating a blood donation supporters program targeting university students. The eighth Blood Donation Supporters Program consisted of 15 teams at 75 university students from across the nation.
They are involved in a range of activities such as increasing the number of female and middle-aged donors and encouraging online and offline campaigns and promotions targeting the general public.
The year 2016 marked the eighth anniversary of the Blood Donation Promotion Contest, which was held to raise awareness of blood donation, expand the pool of blood donors, and promote a culture of blood donation in Korea. The themes of the contest were “My blood donation and transfusion story.” And “Correct the negative perception of blood donation.”
BY kim eung-chan [cedric_16@naver.com]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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