Children across the region are taking part in life-saving lessons so they know what to do if someone is stabbed.
First aid classes are being taught in secondary schools to give children the skills they need to cope in an emergency.
As well as learning about knife wounds, young people are being shown how to help if friends are under the influence of drink or drugs or if someone is having a heart attack.
St John Ambulance recently spent a day at Belmont Community School in Durham, where young people were taught about applying pressure to stem the flow of blood from a wound and using a school tie or tights as a makeshift tourniquet.
Read next: Calls for knife crime to be on school curriculum as MP says meeting signals 'wake up call'
They also got to practise chest compressions on dummies as part of CPR training.
Assistant headteacher Rachel Duarte said: “The sessions have gone really well and I have been pleased with how engaged and enthusiastic the students have all been.
“It is an important topic in the current climate and they value knowing how to behave in an emergency situation.
“It is one of the things we don’t necessarily cover in other areas of the school and I think they enjoyed being able to get up and get some practical hands-on experience.
“They are vital skills to have because when you are in society you never know when you are going to be that life-saver.”
St John Ambulance is working with the Northern Echo which launched the North East Knife Crime Taskforce this year in response to shocking fatal stabbings among teenagers in recent years.
With more killings across the country in the last week, knife crime has now reached epidemic proportions.
The Northern Echo is calling for knife crime awareness to be included on the National Curriculum.
Durham City MP Mary Foy, who attended the sessions in the school, said: “These sessions are really important. We know the tragic consequences of carrying a knife so initiatives like this are really important, not only so that young people are aware of the dangers but also so they know how to deal with somebody if they have been stabbed or attacked.
“It gives these young people the tools to maybe save somebody’s life.”
Get the latest news from across the North East and North Yorkshire with a subscription to The Northern Echo for just £1 for 1 month for a limited time only here
Read next:
- How the tragic deaths of North East stabbing victims could shape knife crime policy
- Open letter to Prime Minister for action on knife crime
- Powerful video shows County Durham mum singing to her murdered son on death bed
Pauline Bartley, is the programme manager of Young Responders, the innovative street first aid programme being delivered in key areas in the North East, West Midlands and London by St John Ambulance.
She said: “Young Responders is a free resource, teaching young people vital first aid skills for situations they may find themselves in, from how to look after a friend who may have been spiked, or had too much to drink, or even stabbed.
“We have delivered Young Responder to more than 7,000 young people and we’ve seen an incredible surge in first aid confidence after the sessions.
“We’d love to hear from more schools in the area and are looking to deliver the free sessions in County Durham, Sunderland, Newcastle and Teesside.”
Young Responders booking information can be found on St John Ambulance website.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel