View in browser Monthly Newsletter July 2021 News from the Volunteer Swap First Volunteer Swap opportunity in Finland After 17 months of pausing the Volunteer Swap programme, our Finish member offers the first opportunity for volunteers to travel to the Rantamaraton in Espoo. The two-day racing event with routes leading along the seaside of the city takes place the weekend of the 18th September. Our Finish member provides medical coverage and first aid to the runners and spectators and can welcome five volunteers of the JOIN network in support of the team from the 16th to 20th September. Find the details of the event along with the required COVID-19 precautions here. News from the Network Joannici Poland receives ambulance car from Johanniter Austria On 14th July, an ambulance car was delivered to Joannici Dzielo Pomocy from Austria. Since 2013 the vehicle was in use at Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe Österreich. After registration, it will join the fleet of our Polish member. The vehicle was brought by a member of the Johanniter Order and the national board of Joannici, driving it from Johanniter-Center-Nord in Vienna to the headquarters of Joannici in Dzięgielów. Additionally, our Austrian member provided several FFP2 masks to be delivered to Poland with the car. The ambulance was purchased via the resources of Joannici and an earmarked donation. News from the Members Germany: Over 1700 Johanniter aid workers active in flooded regions A record rainfall caused severe floods in Western Germany and spread destruction, with many people injured and dead. In the affected regions, many people have no access to primary care. On 20th July, the Johanniter regional association moved its mobile health station to the site to provide medical assistance. With the help of this mobile station, up to 50 people can be treated every hour. During the night, Johanniter set up two medical contact points on site to close the gap in care. Johanniter also helped with a rescue dog team to search for injured and missing persons. Accompanied by an emergency doctor, the squadron combed the area along the riverbanks. In the coming weeks and months, Johanniter will continue to assist people in the most severely affected regions in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. Read more (in German) here. Austria: Johanniter implement the action ‘Vaccination Boat’ On 15th July, Johanniter Austria started a new action called ‘Vaccination Boat’, which brings a team of medical professionals to follow the course of the river Old Danube in Vienna on weekends and spontaneously stop at different locations to vaccinate people who decide at short notice. As soon as the vaccination station is set up with tables, sunshades, and medical infrastructure, those who decide can be vaccinated only requiring an e-card. On average, 12 - 16 people can be vaccinated per hour, depending on the duration of the consultation and the questions of those willing to be vaccinated. On a weekend, up to 340 people can be vaccinated. Read more (in German) here. Nederland: Johanniter recruits volunteers for holidays Johanniter Nederland has been organising holidays for people who need assistance for almost seventy years as one of its main activities. While the demand for these holidays rises, it has become increasingly difficult to find enough volunteers to supervise these holidays. Our Dutch member received a subsidy from the national government, which will be used to recruit young volunteers and to develop a mobile app for current and new holiday volunteers. Continue reading England: Annual Report 2020 Our English member has published its Annual Report of 2020 providing a comprehensive picture of its activities during the pandemic. Looking back on the eventful year, St John people have volunteered on the frontline, in support functions as well as remotely to support the wellbeing of all citizens. St John Ambulance created a Wellbeing Network for the charity and many volunteers who were unable to engage with their normal activities have helped increase the reach of fundraising. To maintain its essential support, St John Ambulance dynamically developed its online workplace training in physical and mental health first aid and help almost 40,000 people in businesses, schools, and the wider community refresh vital skills during the lockdown and return to work. Read the detailed report of 2020 here. England: St John Ambulance launches ‘Ask Me’ campaign On 14th July, St John Ambulance unveiled its new brand campaign called ‘Ask Me’. Despite thousands of people interacting with St John, many do not completely understand all that the charity does; about its volunteers, or the wide range of services they provide. Therefore, outdoor, radio and digital advertising has been designed to make the public stop and think about the many vital roles St John Ambulance plays in people’s everyday lives. Over 2,000 posters and billboards feature portraits of volunteers and patients with quotes inviting the public to ask them about their real-life St John experiences. Find out more online via the Ask Me page. European Projects Press release for MED1stMR project The JOIN Office and Johanniter Austria participate in the Horizon 2020 project MED1stMR with 17 partners from research institutions, medical first responder organisations, business and technology companies. As the project commenced with the Kick-off Meeting in the past month, the press release has been published detailing the planned training of medical first responders in mixed reality environments. This aims to improve their situational awareness, resilience, and effective performance in medical emergencies in highly complex and unpredictable situations. The MED1stMR training solution will increase confidence in action, enable faster reaction and improve coping strategies of medical first responders. JOIN will be responsible for communication, exploitation and dissemination of the project’s results over the project run time. Continue reading Johanniter International Rue Joseph II, 166, 1000 Brussels, Belgium join.office@johanniter.org Unsubscribe