Central Asia youth represents Red Cross Red Crescent youth movement in five countries. They work with National Society programmes, run health promotion, do peer education in HIV and AIDS in health, work with disaster management, do dissemimation and build network within and outside their countries.

A very important event for the volunteers from the five countries, was the regional youth camp, where young volunteers gathered to share experience and knowledge for four days.

Here you can see some examples of the many health and care programmes that Central Asia Red Crescent youth are involved in, and that were part of the camp.

Anti-smoking action
Volunteers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan took action against unhealthy habits. They gave the offer to exchange one of their cigarettes for a comdom, to tourists staying in the hotel at Lake Issyk-Kul where the workshop took place. The volunteers talked to people to encourage them give one cigarette to get one condom and to quite bad habit and stick to healthy way of life. As a result, 183 people gave away their cigarettes, which were collected, teams received scores and all cigarettes were broken as a sign of victory over the smoking.

First aid refresher and practice
Red Crescent first aid facilitators designed the training/practice activities in an interesting way. They prepared tasks related to the training sessions, but participants did not know about the “real” situations the facilitators prepared.. The task was to come from one “station” to another where the “real” situations were “staged”.
Children learnt to work in team, coordinate actions, and protect themselves while saving others.
The “stations” with improvised emergencies included wounds, drowning, broken arms and legs, and burns. The “victims” were children and teenagers who were spending their holidays and stayed in the same hotel with the participants.
The participants followed the proposed route and demonstrated first aid practical skills. First aid instructors were present at every “station” to control how correct the first aid was a provided, and coordination of actions in team.

HIV/AIDS session
“HIV is a dangerous enemy because we can not see it," said Maral, youth coordinator from Turkmenistan. The volunteers understood that it is important to know about ways of HIV contraction and prevention, because everyone is at risk and knowledge helps prevent it. Children know that safe and responsible behavior helps to prevent spread of HIV.