IDEA OF DONORSHIP TOUCHES HEARTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE

Why idea of donorship attracts young people

- Temirzhan, tell us, please, about non-governmental organization “M-Drive”. Why an organization with car-like name develops donor movement?

- The NGO “M-drive” appeared in 2003 as a club of BMW car fans. Or rather we gathered with my friends – there were 5 of us – and started organizing moto races. We raced for several years and achieved some success. Moto racing is inseparable from the subject of safe traffic. And at a certain moment we decided to start promoting road traffic safety among young people. We travelled and agitated all over Kabardino-Balkaria. As our lives were closely tied to cars we saw a lot of road traffic accidents and got several ourselves. It happened that we gave blood to our friends injured in traffic accidents. And we saw that there was a problem with blood in the republic – too few donors.

- You decided to solve it?

- Yes, at first we started to donate blood regularly: 3 or 4 of us gathered and went to a blood transfusion station. But soon it became clear that we couldn’t solve the problem of blood donors’ deficit in Kabardino-Balkaria this way. Bigger campaigns were needed. We began explanatory work among young people – we told about importance of donorship and its use for the donors themselves. We started organizing regular donorship campaigns – at first there were dozens of participants and then hundreds. In 2010 we came up with an idea to hold a donorship campaign which would unite not only young people in Kabardino-Balkaria, but in other regions of North Caucasus.
By this moment there had already been Donorship Promotion Youth Council in the North Caucasus Federal District. We didn’t think much about the name of for the campaign and named it “Caucasian Donor”.

Temirzhan Baysiyev, head of the non-governmental organization “M-Drive” (the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria), member of Donorship Coordination Center of the RF Public Chamber, chairman of Donorship Promotion Youth Council in the North Caucasus Federal District

- Does this name have any special meaning?

- Absolutely! Lately, the word “Caucasian” has had a negative connotation in our country – we hear only “a Caucasian national”, “Caucasian captivity”, “Caucasian trace”, etc. It is hard for us who live in the Caucasus. So we tried to give this adjective new meaning tying it to one of the most dignified and respected words – the word “donor”. Young people from North Ossetia who liked cars just like we did were the first to support our initiative of “All-Caucasian” donorship campaign. Then a meeting of NGOs of the North Caucasus Federal District took place in Dagestan, where the initiative was widely approved. There we agreed to hold the “Caucasian Donor” every third Thursday of September.

- Why did you choose this day?

- As the campaign was mostly for students, we picked September. We thought it a great idea if students start their academic year with a good cause like that. The campaign was widely supported in the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District. The first “Caucasian Donor” gathered around 500 young people of the federal district. And in 2011, taking part in the RF Public Chamber round table on blood donorship we offered to grand the campaign a status of National Young Donor Day. The round table participants supported the idea and in September 2011 the first National Young Donor Day took place in Russia. In the North Caucasus Federal District alone about 800 people took part in it.

- Temirzhan, are you proud that the initiative of “M-Drive” was supported all over Russia?

- Of course, we are very pleased that the idea which had appeared in an ordinary courtyard in Nalchik had such a widely-spread reaction. It gives comfort. But I think that only campaigns are not enough to solve the problem of lack of donors in the country. Campaigns work out well to attract public attention to the subject of donorship. They stimulate people to go and give blood for the first time. But as we know if the donor does not show up at the blood transfusion station for the second time in halt a year, their blood is wasted, it does not come to those who need it. So it is more important to make the number of regular donors higher. We don’t need campaigns with that, but systematic influence on public consciousness.

- Do you know how to do that?

- I think we should start in schools – tell children about blood donorship, put in their heads an idea about importance and need of regular blood donation. I would stick a poster in a medical office in every school – “When you turn 18 you will be able to donate blood, but now tell everybody about donorship”. You should speak with young people about the fact that a donor is always a healthy person. Propaganda of healthy life style is also very important! Because today a huge number of young people are rejected being blood donors because of their bad health.

- What young people in Kabardino-Balkaria think about such propaganda?

- Today many people say that in our time girls and boys, not only in Kabardino-Balkaria, but in Russia in general do not think it necessary to bring use to the society, that they are individualists and egoists. I don’t agree. Yes, today’s young people are demanding. They want to get a lot from life. But they are ready to give as well. Most often they just don’t know where to give. Donorship is a great idea, a simple way to be of use for others, help those in need. This touches hearts of young people! They are ready to take part.

Other interviews

29.11.22

Interview with Irina Lositskaya

The first person the donor interacts with is the nurse. Not only professionalism is very important, but also personal involvement. Laureate of the All-Russian competition of professional skills Irina Lositskaya, operating room nurse, chief nurse of the Blood Center of the FMBA of Russia, told how to combine these qualities, what depends on it and why ethics issues have become so relevant in the age of high technology.

31.10.22

Interview with Alexandra Vnuk

The base for the laureate project of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency of Russia Blood Center «On the Pulse of Life» are education, information, loyalty. Alexandra Vnuk, head of the donation development department of the FMBA of Russia Blood Center told us how to implement them on a large scale and in relation to various target audiences of the donor community.

12.09.22

Interview with Svetlana Mishina

The Ulyanovsk Regional Blood Transfusion Station uses non-standard creative approaches to promote donation among young people. Its interactive project Donor-Party significantly increased the number of young donors during the year, and helped many of them overcome their fear of donating blood. Svetlana Mishina, pr-manager of the Ulyanovsk regional blood transfusion station, tells about the project, received a well-deserved award at the All-Russian competition of professional skills of the Blood Service in the nomination “Time to do adult things”.

15.08.22

Interview with Natalia Asanova

Thanks to student groups the Mordovian Blood Service attracted thousands of new donors and established large-scale work with the youth of the republic. The results of this joint work were highly appreciated by the jury of the All-Russian Competition of Professional Skills of the Blood Service. The project "Donor student teams" became a laureate in the nomination "When hearts beat in unison." Together with Natalya Asanova, pr-manager of the Mordovian Republican Blood Transfusion Station we discussed the support of student teams as a guarantee of success.

14.06.22

Interview with Natalia Sidorova

The growing interest of young people in social work is visible in many regions of Russia. High school, university students and graduates are willing to volunteer and get their first professional experience by helping others. Blood donation is one of the most honorable and popular areas of such social activity. This was told to us by Natalia Sidorova, head of the information and social support department for youth of the "Regional Youth Center" of the Kaluga Region.

23.05.22

Interview with Marina Sheludko

For volunteers, the donor movement is not only participation in blood donation campaigns, but also a big school of social work. By entering into the donor path, the guys cultivate high moral principles, learn to manage socially significant projects. This was told to us by Marina Sheludko, head of the Volunteering Support Center of the Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical University.

21.03.22

Interview with Anna Terentyeva and Alexey Sevryugov

The St. Petersburg student organization "Blood Drop" is a one-of-a-kind talent foundry for the volunteer movement of donors. They coordinate and inspire the efforts of like-minded people in many universities of St. Petersburg. Everyone who contacts them about blood donation receives support. The Curators of Blood Drop Anna Terentyeva and Aleksey Sevryugov told us more about the project.

01.02.22

Interview with Tatyana Suslova

Tatyana Alexandrovna Suslova, head of the Molecular Biology Diagnostics Department in the Chelyabinsk Regional Blood Transfusion Station. She became the best doctor of the Blood Service in the category «Doctor of the Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory» of the Blood Service Professional Excellence Competition 2020. Tatyana Alexandrovna is not only a practicing immunogeneticist, but also a theoretician: Tatyana Aleksandrovna shares her knowledge with students at the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and General Biology of Chelyabinsk State University. Among her many professional merits is the participation in the development of Chelyabinsk as one of the leading transplant centers in Russia.

13.01.22

Interview with Natalia Popkova

The video clip with the hymn of the Sverdlovsk donors «We are with you of the same blood» and the «Team game» project with the football players of the Ural club became winners of the All-Russian Competition of Professional Skills by the Blood Service. Natalya Popkova, Deputy Chief Physician for Organizational and Methodological Work of the Blood Transfusion Station of the Sverdlovsk Region, Chief Freelance Transfusiologist of the Ministry of Health of the Sverdlovsk Region and the Urals Federal District, told about the work on projects, which unites sports, art and blood donation.

15.12.21

Interview with Oksana Kozhemyako

Regional institutions of the Blood Service are not afraid to experiment — they create volunteer structures, entrust young employees with responsible work to attract new partners and donors. One such example is the Youth Council, which was formed at the Khabarovsk Regional Blood Transfusion Station. The head physician of the station Oksana Valerievna Kozhemyako told us about several successful projects of the Council, which became laureates of the All-Russian competition of professional skills of the Blood Service.

06.12.21

Interview with Lyubov Leonova

A creative project «5 principles of safe blood donation» informs donors about various aspects of regular donation of the Blood Center of the Leningrad Region. It took the Best Booklet category in the Not to Miss the Important nomination of the Blood Service professional skill competition. Lyubov Leonova pr-manager of the Blood center answered the questions about this project.

23.11.21

Interview with Khadizhat Tankaeva

Blood transfusion stations are increasingly and more confidently taking on the production of social advertising. With the help of their teams, they publish printed publications about & nbsp; blood donation, shoot game and & nbsp; non-game videos. One of the notable creative projects was the film The Warmth of Your Hearts, released by the Blood Transfusion Station of the Republic of Dagestan. About & nbsp; movie & nbsp; & mdash; laureate of the All-Russian competition of professional skills of the Blood Service & nbsp; & mdash; the head physician of the institution Khadizhat Tankaeva told us.

13.10.21

Interview with Tatiana Blagovidova

Saratov Regional Blood Transfusion Station took first place at the All-Russian Competition of Professional Skills in 2020 with the project "Thank you for help!" in the "Time to do adult deeds" nomination for "The best youth project aimed at promoting and developing voluntary donation of blood and its components". Promotion of blood donation among young people is one of the key activities of the blood service for the development of free blood donation. Tatyana Blagovidova, Deputy Chief Physician for Organizing Donation, will tell us about how this work is being done at the Saratov Regional Blood Transfusion Station.

20.09.21

Interview with Marat Khapman

The video "Minutes to give life", created by the Ulyanovsk regional station, is devoted to difficult questions: how a personal example of parents teaches children to save lives, how it helps to feel involved in the fate of people in need of donor blood, and why donation needs to be discussed at school. This year its authors became laureates of the All-Russian competition of professional skills of the Blood Service in the category "Don't miss the important". Marat Erikovich Khapman, a chief physician of the Ulyanovsk regional blood transfusion station, tells about how the project was created.

23.08.21

Interview with Anastasia Volchenkova

Twice a year, the Management Company of the special economic zone "Dubna" organizes and conducts Donor Days. Donor campaigns are attended not only by its and resident company’s employees but also from significant organizations in the city of Dubna. Anastasia Volchenkova, marketing and PR director of the joint-stock company “Special economic zone of technical-innovative type“ Dubna ”, tells about the specifics of donor actions.

30.06.21

Interview with Elena Gubanova

This year the project "Quarantine is not an obstacle to a responsible donor" by the Stavropol Regional Blood Transfusion Station became a laureate of the All-Russian competition of professional skills of the Blood Service in the category "Best poster" in the nomination "Do not miss the important." Elena Gubanova, PR manager of the Blood Service of the Stavropol Territory, talks about the project and the specifics of communication during the pandemic period.

12.05.21

Interview with Inna Sakhno

The donor movement of the Moscow University for the Humanities is more than twenty years old. Inna Sakhno is a Chairperson of the Student Council of the Moscow University for the Humanities. She told us about Donor Days and changes during the pandemic.

27.04.21

Interview with Anastasia Akhlamova

Students of the Moscow State Psychological and Pedagogical University actively participate in the student donor movement. Anastasia Akhlamova, one of the donor movement leaders of the Moscow State Psychological and Pedagogical University, a 4th-year student of the Faculty of Clinical and Special Psychology, told us about how it was possible to survive the introduction of restrictive measures during a period of increased epidemiological danger.

19.03.21

Interview with Gulnara Letfullina

It is always teamwork to organize donor actions and events. Gulnara Letfullina, chairman of the donor team "Nadezhda" told us about the organization, arose from a small group of like-minded donors at the A.I. Yevdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry.

19.02.21

Interview with Olga Valerievna Eichler

The Blood Service has been at front of the fight against coronavirus infection in 2020. The selfless work of doctors in clinics, the saving of patients - all this would be impossible without timely provision of medical institutions with donated blood. To achieve a common goal, it was required to restructure the work of the entire Blood Service in the shortest possible time, to find quick and effective solutions. Olga Valerievna Eichler, Head of the Department of Medical Support for Conversion and Extreme Work and the Blood Service of the FMBA of Russia, spoke about how the work was organized in this difficult time.