Greater Manchester and Merseyside join forces to teach young people lifesaving skills

Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) collaborated with StreetDoctors to create the app which also teaches young people to stop a potentially life-threatening bleed.

The app, named StreetDrs Save Lives, is a fully interactive and trauma-informed course that provides inoovative digital training for young people affected by violence across the UK.

The app has already been used in care homes, secure units and in schools and has been adapted from StreetDoctors award winning emergency first aid.

Suitable for young people aged 11 to 25, the course delivers app-based peer-to-peer learning for self-learning or use in small groups.

A recent survey conducted as part of the Stop The Bleed day pilot in Greater Manchester found that 77 per cent of young people would like to learn more about how to stop a bleed.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “We are proud to have collaborated with Merseyside’s VRP and StreetDoctors on the development of the e-learning app, by working together we are able to share these important skills with young people across the North West.

“Young people at Unity Radio have provided helpful feedback through the development process and will be encouraging other young people that listen to their show to download the e-learning app and learn potentially lifesaving skills.”

Young people from Unity Radio trialled the e-learning app and provided feedback to developers, and will interview the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner and StreetDoctors Director of Operations about the app live on their Next Generation Youth Show on 20 June 2023.

As part of the Unity Radio’s partnership with the VRU which aims to raise awareness of serious violence and knife crime through a series of conversations led by young people.

Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for policing, crime, criminal justice and fire, said: “Obviously we hope that no young person is ever in a situation where they need to apply emergency first aid, especially because of a deliberate attack, but it is important that if they are, they have the skills to deal with it and potentially save someone’s life.

“Our work with StreetDoctors, and the recent pilot of the country’s first ‘Stop the Bleed’ day with national first aid charity citizenAID, show our commitment to equipping our young people with lifesaving skills.”

Martin Tilbury, Director of Operations at StreetDoctors, said: “At StreetDoctors we empower young people affected by violence with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to save lives and increase their understanding of the medical and psychological consequences of violence."

James Bayat, Education Coordinator at Unity Radio, said: “We are proud to be part of this awareness campaign to help teach young people how to save someone’s life.

“Unity Radio´s Next Generation Youth show focuses on keeping young people safe, and hopefully, the radio´s reach across Greater Manchester can help young people who are victims of serious violence.”

To find out more about StreetDoctors, visit StreetDoctors – Empowering young lifesavers

To find out more about Unity Radio, visit Listenback, The NGY Show Archives | Unity Radio