For many Boholano families, summer means beach trips, family outings, and long, carefree afternoons.
But this year, the Philippine Red Cross – Bohol Chapter is adding something new to that picture: life-saving skills in the hands of the province’s youngest citizens.
The Philippine Red Cross – Bohol Chapter is proud to officially launch the “Summer Safety Institute 2026”, a youth-centered summer program designed to equip children and teenagers with essential life-saving skills, water safety awareness, and emergency preparedness training.
This is not just another summer camp.
Through the Red Cross Youth and Safety Services units, the Red Cross developed this initiative to provide meaningful and productive summer learning opportunities for young people aged 6 to 17 years old.
The goal is simple but urgent: build a generation that knows what to do when seconds count.
The program is divided into two categories: the Junior Program for children aged 6–12 and the Teen Program for participants aged 13–17. Each group will learn through age-appropriate modules that balance classroom basics with real-world drills. Training courses include Junior and Senior First Aid, Learn-to-Swim, Accident Prevention, and Road Safety Awareness. In First Aid, participants will practice bandaging, wound care, and how to respond to choking, burns, and fainting.
The Learn-to-Swim component focuses on survival floating, safe entry and exit techniques, and recognizing water hazards common in Bohol’s rivers and coastlines.
Accident Prevention and Road Safety Awareness sessions will teach kids how to spot risks at home, in school, and on the street, from electrical hazards to pedestrian safety.
Aside from hands-on training, participants will also receive package inclusions such as a Junior First Aid shirt and cap, MAAB/SafeCard membership, keychains, and internationally recognized certificates. These tokens serve as both motivation and memory, reminding each graduate that they carry skills that matter.
Emman Pilayre, top officer of the Philippine Red Cross, Bohol Chapter believes that teaching young people how to respond during emergencies and prevent accidents at an early age helps build safer and more resilient communities. When a child knows how to call for help properly or stabilize a classmate’s sprain, the ripple effect reaches families, schools, and barangays. Beyond skills training, the program also encourages discipline, confidence, teamwork, and volunteerism among the youth.
Participants will work in small teams, learning to communicate under pressure and trust each other’s roles during simulated emergencies. Instructors from the Red Cross Youth will guide them, sharing stories from actual field responses to show why every lesson counts.
Online registration is open from May 4 to 11, 2026. Slots are limited to ensure quality instruction and one-on-one coaching during practical exercises. The Accident Prevention session is scheduled on May 18, followed by First Aid training on May 20–22 and Learn-to-Swim sessions on May 25–29, 2026. Each session builds on the last, giving participants a progressive, confidence-boosting experience.
To encourage early enrollment, Red Cross is also offering a ₱500 discount for the first five participants who register under any Junior or Teen Program package.
Red Cross is inviting parents and guardians to enroll their children and become part of a community that is always first, always ready, and always there. For many parents, the program offers peace of mind knowing their kids can respond, not panic, when accidents happen. For the youth, it’s a chance to spend summer not just having fun, but becoming someone others can count on.
For inquiries and registration, interested participants may contact Ms. Mai-mai Ruiz, CSR for Red Cross Youth, through mobile number 0946-113-3215, or reach the Philippine Red Cross – Bohol Chapter through bohol@redcross.org.ph and its official Facebook pages.
