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Foreword It is with great pleasure that I present the Young members perceptions of St John Ambulance Australia: A youth-led organisational SWOT analysis report which is a result of a consultation held in September 2016 with young members of the organisation from around Australia.

The findings from this consultation will be used as a tool to inform the priority areas for the St John Ambulance Australia National Youth Strategy (2017–2020). This report will also be communicated to key stakeholders of the organisation, including young members, the National Cadet Group and other relevant national groups.

The Australian Youth Advisory Network (AYAN) of St John Ambulance Australia would like to thank the participants of the 2016 Boundless Summit for freely giving their time, ideas and opinions in this consultation.

It is young members’ dedication and passion about their organisation that will help St John in being a leading organisation in youth engagement and in creating a sustainable organisation both now and into the future.

Matthew Orton Team Leader Australian Youth Advisory Network

Young members’ perceptions of St John Ambulance Australia: A youth-led organisational SWOT Analysis

Introduction In September 2016, the Australian Youth Advisory Network (AYAN) 2016 Boundless Summit saw thirty young members from Queensland, Victoria, the Northern Territory and New South Wales come together on the Gold Coast to participate in professional development, networking and consultation opportunities.

In ascertaining young members’ perceptions of how St John is faring with regard to its young members, consultation participants were asked to consider:

• their views on the organisation at present

• where they would like to see St John in the future

• barriers that may prevent the organisation making progress.

This was facilitated via an organisational SWOT Analysis. In a world café-style exercise, participants were broken up into four groups where they were able to give their insights, experiences and ideas regarding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats regarding youth participation in St John.

Data was analysed and grouped into key themes. The findings of the consultation follow.

Findings Development opportunities Within the youth development program, participants felt that St John provides our young members with a wide range of professional and personal development opportunities. These opportunities are not just of a clinical nature but also have a non-clinical basis, such as:

• leadership training • awards • proficiency courses, and • other activities that build character and increase resilience in our

membership (for example, confidence, multi-tasking, time management, team work, and social skills).

Cadet first aid competitions warranted a special mention in developing both personal and professional development skills.

All of these opportunities open doors with respect to career and educational pathways. Some participants suggested that providing an opportunity of helping young people to showcase the skills and abilities developed as a result of participating in St John programs, would be beneficial for potential employers and educational institutions.

Employers don’t know what a Grand Prior’s Award is, or the Skills and Attributes. Only St John people do. It means nothing to them. Participant

Participants identified that some of our training and leadership opportunities for young people are skewed in their availability, which is a barrier to participation. The organisation would benefit from investing more in technology-based platforms (e.g. e-learning and educational videos) as a method of delivering some aspects of the youth development program and training more broadly, to ensure flexibility and maximising engagement by young members.

In addition, it was identified that some members felt that Cadets are bored with their workbooks, and using technology and incorporating more practical, scenario-based learning delivery methods would better engage young members. For example, one member suggested the use of video learning followed by practical, scenario-based learning (such as those scenarios used in Cadet first aid competitions). Boring workbook training leads to uninteresting training nights and loss of engagement by Cadets.

The recent rationalisation of the Cadet Proficiency Course program was seen as a negative move, one that limits the ability for non-clinically based skills development of our young members. The participants felt that the personal development focus of the Program is being lost to the first aid elements of the organisation.

St John is more than first aid. Participant

Another strength of the personal and professional development opportunities afforded to young people by St John, is that of young members engaging with the organisation and giving time in service. It is perceived that the organisation gives back to members with training qualifications and skills that equip them for life.

St John provides the opportunity to receive qualifications that would usually cost a lot of money. Participant

Some participants noted a trend of new members coming to the organisation to get free first aid training, and then leaving after receiving their certificate. This is to the detriment of divisions that have put a great deal of time and effort into developing the new member. One suggestion for countering this is to ‘teach first aid for the long haul’ by incentivising first aid learning and thus encouraging new members to stay longer (e.g. initially charging for the completion of the first aid certificate and if you give a year to St John, we will reimburse the cost of your first aid certificate).

Young members would like to see more opportunities for youth:

• consultations • conferences • professional development, and • networking events (especially more nationally facilitated events for young

members, such as Boundless).

Young members, particularly those aged 18–26, need more opportunities from the organisation.

Youth engagement Participants felt that the organisation is generally meeting the needs of our members regarding engagement. That is, the majority of participants felt that our organisation provides a supportive environment within divisions that gives young people the room to:

• grow • develop • be supported by their peers • network • develop new friendships.

Some members commented on the fact that for many, St John provides an opportunity for young people to grow with the organisation.

Further, participants enjoyed the travel opportunities that come with being a member of St John, such as attending:

• NatCamps • International Cadet Camps, and

• overseas volunteering opportunities (such as the Timor-Leste Projects and other international development projects that are administrated by the Australian Office).

Participants would like to see more of these opportunities made available.

The first aid skills and experience gained from first aid learning and attending duties is seen as a big opportunity for members interested in a career in the health sector. A strategy identified by participants for better engaging members interested in health careers, was to have Health Care Professional (HCP) Days, where a member may observe a professional ‘in action’. This style of learning should be offered to all members, not just HCP students.

Young members would also like to see more opportunities to receive certificate-based training that will support them in their careers (e.g. management development, more health care options) as well as support in identifying career pathways.

Young members felt that the existence of the national representative body, the Australian Youth Advisory Network, was of huge benefit to young members—AYAN can provide a forum where their opinions are heard and valued, and not lost within the chain of command.

Participants felt that the St John chain of command (e.g. rank) is a strength of the organisation. The chain of command structure allows for young people to talk to people in ‘higher’ positions—an opportunity that would not be afforded to young members in many other organisations.

Conversely, participants identified that there is a lack of formal mentoring opportunities available, which compromises the development of young people into leadership roles. Young members are keen to access leadership opportunities, and it was felt that a mentoring program would aid in helping young members progress through the organisation.

In addition, it was the view of participants that there is a lack of opportunities for advancement of young members. Participants agreed that at times there appears to be a ‘who you know’ culture rather than a merit-based process, and that there is a lack of transparency in decisions made around appointments and promotions.

Lastly, St John would benefit from developing episodic or project-based volunteering experiences specifically targeted at young people. Our young members are experiencing extensive pressure to give more hours to the organisation but given their lifestyle or circumstances they are unable to give more—one state reported that if a member has not achieved 60 hours of service, their membership is now revoked. It was identified that St John Ambulance Australia should explore more flexible volunteering practices, better publicising alternatives to volunteering with Event Health Services. The consultation provided evidence of an ever-growing need for volunteer organisations to adopt more flexible volunteering practices for young people which is in line with current literature in this field of study.1,2

Brand and reputation Young members identified that St John Ambulance Australia has a strong brand, story and reputation within the community and the first aid sector. We have the unique ability of developing good relationships with the local community through events and first aid training. This also gives the organisation the strong ability to attract and maintain over 16,000 volunteers.

Brand and reputation was identified as a key strength of the organisation, however it was also identified something that the organisation would benefit from taking better advantage of. For example, participants identified that there is a strong need for consistent and coordinated recruitment and marketing strategies nationally, particularly in raising awareness to the public of the existence of our youth program(s), and our volunteering opportunities more broadly.

“St John has power to influence people; but no one knows about our youth program.” Participant

Participants felt that if St John had a coordinated marketing strategy, the organisation would be better positioned in the marketplace both with respect to volunteering and first aid training and products. A coordinated marketing strategy would set the organisation apart from our competitors.

Participants felt that one of the biggest threats to the St John youth movement is other youth development organisations (e.g. Scouts, Surf Life Saving). Members perceived other organisations as:

• having a strong and consistent focus across jurisdictions • well-resourced, and • clearly promoting the value of their young members to the community.

Further, participants felt that St John would benefit from keeping in touch with members after they leave the organisation, as a method of encouraging young members to return at a later stage. Participants were of the view that young people leave the organisation for various reasons, but if they have a positive experience, they are more likely to return at a later stage. This positive experience could continue beyond their exit to the organisation, such as through periodic contact advising them of volunteering opportunities available in St John, or other ways they can help the St John cause.

Culture Participants felt that for the most part St John has a good or healthy culture with members highly dedicated to the organisation and the St John first aid cause.

Of high concern for participants, however, was the view that a culture of:

• nastiness • bullying, and

• gossip

exists in some places. In particular, it was identified that social media platforms can be used for bullying and undermining authority. Some participants felt that Health Care Professionals often use their position to undermine less clinically skilled or qualified members. Participants agreed that HCPs do not provide opportunities to participate in clinical practice, or may exclude them altogether—invariably leading to young members not listening to HCPs. Participants felt that the organisation needs to send a much stronger message about bullying to members, and provide education around what bullying is and the impact on victims (and St John).

It was also noted that St John is generally good at seeking feedback (e.g. via consultation), but has a poor track record in implementing recommendations by members. In November 2009, the National Board endorsed Youth Participation Principles for St John Ambulance Australia. Despite these Principles, and particularly in the past 24 months, participants identified that our organisation’s ability to include young people in decision-making forums and in leadership roles (such as on boards or in committees) has been poor. This, according to participants, results in an organisation that is not listening to or meeting the needs of young members— subsequently there is youth disengagement from the organisation.

Further, participants felt that our organisation is not providing opportunities for integration between Cadets and adults, including lack of education for adult members around the role of a Cadet and the Cadet’s scope of practise. This leads to barriers for young members attending events and obtaining real-world and hands-on experiences (which is what many young people sign up for). There is a perception that adults are very uncomfortable with Cadets on duty, and stigma exists around Cadets being unable to effectively treat casualties— often despite having the same qualification as many adults, or clocking a greater period of time in the organisation.

Additionally, participants suggested that there are significant problems in the transitioning of Cadets to adult divisions and more State/Territory support is required to better facilitate these transitions. These factors are believed to contribute to problems in young member retention in St John.

Participants identified that the verbal language St John uses may contribute to this stigma, such as the use of the terms ‘Cadet’ and ‘youth’. ‘Cadet’ is seen as a differentiator that perpetuates inequality in opportunities and treatment between adult and young members. The term ‘youth’ is historically associated with negativity such as:

• delinquency • recklessness, • unreliability, and • young people are not fully developed individuals (and therefore have lesser

status).3

Participants do not understand why St John could not simply refer to young people, at least internally, as ‘members’.

Poor succession planning was identified as a threat to the success of the organisation, with more needing to be done to ensure that succession planning occurs.

If I left, my division would fall over. It’s a big weight on my shoulders—a lot of pressure. Participant

Further, members believe that St John lacks organisational diversity and could do much more to engage members from all communities in Australia. It was perceived as important that St John’s membership be reflective of the Australian population and the communities the organisation serves.

Noncompliance with policies, procedures and standards was raised as another issue—such as ignoring child protection policies.

Why are members allowed out on duty if they haven’t done the training? This is a risk to both young people and St John. Participant

Lastly, participants saw St John’s current political environment as problematic and a barrier to organisational progress. Participants believe the current corporate focus is to the detriment of the volunteer side of the organisation. Participants felt that the organisation and its members are afraid of change, and an intent to change is not well communicated by State/Territory and national bodies, including the reasons around why change is necessary. This leads to resentment of the corporate entities and a perception that the corporate entity is bullying volunteer members.

Communication Participants identified that St John would benefit from better embracing current and trending communication methods such as social media and forum based communication.

In addition, participants identified that there are big problems in organisational communication at all levels. For example:

• problems in communication between divisions to members • lack of communication from the organisation’s corporate bodies around

decisions that affect volunteer members • almost absent lack of communication between the National Office and

members.

Few people even know about AYAN. Participant

Embracing better communication methods was seen as a big opportunity for the organisation. For example, better communication would help members:

• better understand the qualifications of Cadet members • better understand the rank system • facilitate better dialogue between adult and young members • help adult members understand the role of Cadets on duty, and • facilitate member awareness around the opportunities available to them.

One St John Participants feel that St John, internationally, is one big family (One St John) that provides a sense of belonging to a much bigger movement and worthier cause. However, at the same time, participants suggested that standardisation across the nine entities should be a priority for the organisation. For example, participants raised the issue of being unable to easily transfer their membership from one jurisdiction to another, having to reapply or complete training requirements again.

I could transfer to another state tomorrow and the program would be completely different—even the uniforms and branding would be different. Participant

It was noted by participants that our organisations seem to be moving further away from standardisation and the ‘One St John’ ideology and there is much room for improvement. The members felt that there needs to be greater consistency in the way that our Event Health Services volunteers represent the organisation e.g. some members wear the St John Black and Whites (traditional uniform), others, the Baggy Greens (operational uniform)—this also includes Cadets when attending events. Whereas it was noted that having well-established policies and procedures is a strength of the organisation, there is a need for universal policies and procedures across jurisdictions.

Red tape During the consultation, the participants identified that the large amount of organisational red tape is barrier for our membership. Participants agreed that the lengthy processes in joining are problematic—participants jokingly referring to the time it takes for things to be processed and finalised as happening on ‘St John Time’.

Participants also discussed:

• problems with the length of time it takes to become an active member with regard to training (e.g. some training is only offered twice/year, and if you cannot make those weekends, you cannot participate);

• the length of time between joining and being able to go on duty

• a lack of flexibility and delivery options in training offered, and

• the lack of resources available to divisional managers to be able to engage volunteers.

Training delivery Currently within our organisation, there is a heavy reliance on training, development and administration processes occurring via a paper-based process and face-to-face methods. Participants felt that St John is lacking in the ability

to effectively utilise technology to benefit our members and streamline such processes. In particular, it was identified that there was a lack of e- or web-based learning opportunities to accommodate the needs of young members. For example, a standard course may take two full weekends face-to-face, rather than one day with e-learning (that can be completed at the member’s own pace and in their preferred time) plus an extra day in face-to-face assessment.

In addition to the lack of e-learning for training, there was a wider discussion around training. Participants raised a specific example of the need for new content for the Junior and Cadet First Aid Workbook resources—the workbooks are considered a ‘tired’ method of delivery. A need was also identified for more and better training resources and equipment in divisions, to adequately and effectively deliver the quality of training required by the Organisation.

We don’t even have enough bandages for the members we have for training exercises. Participant

It was also identified that the majority of our organisation’s current administrative processes are through paper-based systems, and we could be more progressive and introduce online processes. For example, one state reported using digital Patient Record Form (OB12s).

Participants also advised that more support on how to teach members is needed, particularly in supporting members with disabilities and how to manage problematic behaviours.

Organisational direction Many participants identified being scared or concerned about the organisation’s current direction. Participants’ felt that there is a perceived lack of organisational direction—each entity is pursuing its own goals and unique direction. This fear also relates to the future of our Cadet movement in several jurisdictions, participants were worried that with two jurisdictions already abolishing the Cadet program and several others considering other pathways to the current program, that there may be no Cadet program in years to come.

Participants identified a lack of consultation with the membership regarding organisational direction. This directly related to the corporate body not consulting with volunteer members before making a decision. The members want to be included in decisions. The participants also raised concerns around the increased focus on being a corporate entity and not acknowledging the effect that this may have on our volunteer workforce.

Young participants were of the view that there is a focus on short-term, rather than long-term, strategies.

Some participants advised lack of funding and resources at divisional level making it difficult to deliver the Cadet program and thus retain the interest of members—and consequently divisions being shut down due to small numbers.

Recommendations Based on the findings, the following recommendations are made:

1. Development opportunities

a) AYAN and the National Cadet Group (NCG) investigate the merit of a member ‘passport’ for potential employers and educational institutions that detail a member’s achievements and that provides explanatory notes for awards and achievements.

b) AYAN and NCG investigate areas of the youth development program that would benefit from e-learning and instructional videos, and make recommendations to the National Training Manager.

c) The NCG consider revitalising the Junior and Cadet First Aid Workbook content, and developing ways of making it more interactive.

d) The NCG review the current Cadet Proficiency Program and consider reintroduction of more courses that are non-first aid based.

e) State/Territory St John entities consider incentivising obtaining first aid qualifications for new members to encourage them to stay with St John.

f) AYAN and NCG consider how St John can better facilitate youth participation in decision-making.

2. Youth engagement

a) AYAN and NCG investigate travel opportunities for young members (e.g. international development opportunities).

b) The NCG consider encouraging divisions to implement HCP Days so that young members can observe HCPs in action.

c) NCG investigate what opportunities exist for certificate-based training (e.g. health professional and management).

d) NCG investigate how more support can be provided to young members to identify career pathways.

e) AYAN investigate the need for a national Youth Mentoring Program.

f) State/Territory St John entities review appointment and promotion policies and procedures to ensure ethical transparency and accountability, and thus avoid the culture of ‘who you know’.

g) AYAN to further investigate the opportunities for project-based and flexible volunteering opportunities for young people in St John.

3. Brand and reputation

a) St John Ambulance Australia investigate opportunities for consistent and coordinated recruitment and marketing opportunities with regard to the youth program.

b) St John Ambulance Australia investigate national opportunities for a strong and consistent youth development program.

c) State/Territory entities investigate the feasibility of further correspondence with members after they leave St John, as part of maintaining a positive St John experience.

4. Culture

a) The National Training Quality Group consider the development of an educational resource regarding zero tolerance attitude to bullying and harassment within our organisation.

b) St John Ambulance Australia consider ways young members can be included in leadership roles, and encourage State/Territory entities to do the same.

c) The NCG develop resources and an internal marketing campaign to better educate adult members around the role of Cadets and their scope of practice.

d) The NCG investigate how the organisation can better facilitate the Cadet-to-adult transition process.

e) AYAN to investigate the preferred terminology for young people and make recommendations to this effect.

f) The NCG investigate how succession planning can be formalised in the youth development program.

g) The organisation’s human resources managers consider strategies for increasing organisational diversity.

h) The organisation’s human resources managers consider strategies for increasing compliance with child protection policy.

i) State/Territory entities consider how they might better engage volunteer members in organisational decisions that affect members.

5. Communication

a) The National Board of Directors consider how to strengthen organisational communication.

b) AYAN to advocate for regular presentations by young people to the Leadership Team/National Board .

c) AYAN to promote Spotlight and the Board newsletter through the AYAN Facebook page.

6. One St John

a) AYAN to advocate for standardisation across all aspects of St John Ambulance Australia.

7. Red tape

a) St John Ambulance Australia to map the average member-joining-journey in order to understand the volunteering experience and thus design strategies for any improvements.

8. Training delivery

a) AYAN representative(s) to meet with the National Training Manager to explore volunteer training delivery options and opportunities.

b) AYAN representative(s) to meet with the National Training Manager to explore revitalisation of the Junior and Cadet First Aid Program.

c) The NCG and National Training Manage consider assistance to members who teach members with special needs and who have to manage problematic behaviours of members.

Notes 1 Price Waterhouse Coopers (2016). State of volunteering in Australia. PWC: Canberra. Retrieved on 18

October 2016 from http://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/research-and-advocacy/publications/ 2 Volunteering Queensland (2010). Youth Leading Youth: A look at organisations led by young people.

Volunteering QLD: Brisbane. Retrieved on 18 October 2016 from https://volunteeringqld.org.au/docs/Publication_Youth_Leading_Youth.pdf

3 Hartinger-Saunders RM (2008). The history of defining youth: Current implications for identifying and treating delinquent youth. The New York Sociologist, 3, 88–90. The New York Sociological Association: New York. Retrieved on 18 October 2016 from http://newyorksociologist.org/08/Hartinger-08.pdf.