Assessing the links between first aid training and community resilience 11 strong resilience features. British Red Cross’ types of environment that the study suggests focus on young people/schools, therefore, are conducive to growing resilience features. is an important strategy to facilitate the growth of young people’s resilience using first aid as a vehicle. 4. recommendations/ways forward 3. conclusions 4.1 Disseminate the findings of this survey in accessible and creative ways and to a range 3.1 This study has identified linkages between of audiences both internal and external to features of community resilience and first aid the British Red Cross. training. While it is not possible to establish a causal relationship, we do identify significant 4.2 Explore the targeting of training to existing relationships between features such as ‘communities’. Qualitative data suggest that willingness and confidence to administer those who attend as a group feel more first aid and constituent elements of resilience comfortable together and thus learn more, such as social connectedness, community and there is a sense that they could work efficacy, learning and the spread of learning/ together in an emergency. Additionally, the knowledge/skills. training should be targeted at social groups rather than groups defined solely by 3.2 We have also identified that the context and geography, as this is where we see most frequency of training are significant factors impact.1 where community resilience features are present. In other words, in those people 4.3 Offer repeat training to first aid trainees in trained together and repeatedly we find light of the benefits raised herein, and given heightened measures of the resilience the fact that confidence is known to dissipate elements tested for. after a time. 3.3 We have found significant evidence to suggest 4.4 A further examination by the first aid and that willingness is not an outcome of first aid Research, Evaluation and Impact teams of training. Put another way, first aid training those resilience features that appear to per se will not increase our willingness to influence willingness (in particular) and administer first aid in an emergency. confidence – that is, social connectedness However, confidence to administer first aid is and community efficacy. an outcome of first aid training, although this wanes with the passing of time. 4.5 Continue to focus on first aid training through youth and schools as a way of 3.4 Age appears to be an important factor – targeting young people and creating an young people (19 and under) exhibited lower environment in which they can grow their levels of the resilience features measured in own resilience. the study than those over 19, suggesting this age group may be a one for greater focus. 4.6 Apply caution when labelling/defining communities as ‘vulnerable’. Many of the 3.5 The study suggests that the current first communities defined as vulnerable in this aid approach – in particular CBFA – has study did not see themselves in this way. significant potential to support the development of resilience, especially when 4.7 Explore how the messages of positive administered within the context of social benefits can be best communicated to groupings and repeated training. The findings potential beneficiaries with the aim of also support the current CBFA approach as encouraging a greater uptake of first aid a means to reduce inequality (of access), and training. promote a beneficiary-led/tailored approach to delivering the service. 3.6 One way forward for the first aid 1 As of November 2011, the Research, Evaluation & Impact and First Aid department, therefore, is to ensure that Education teams are carrying out a second research study to further examine the relationship between being trained together as a community training increasingly happens within the and the links between first aid training and community resilience. This research will examine additional factors such as type of course, type of community, and proportion of community members trained.