Dear Red Cross and Red Crescent Young friends,
I would have liked to be with you in Vienna today, but due to the overlapping commitment for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Health and Care forum in Geneva I was not able to do so. Despite of this, I did not want to miss this opportunity to address my best wishes to you all the ECM opening ceremony!
This year, I have celebrated 50 years of active work in this great organisation. In fact, I have been involved in the Red Cross since I was 8 years old. In Italy, I was chairman of the Red Cross Youth for several years in the seventies, and strongly supported its development. Moreover, these efforts have been widened to the international level when I joined the IFRC Youth Commission and stayed in it until the early eighties. This is to say that I know well the role of Youth in the Red Cross and Red Crescent, I value it and I deeply trust its potential to make the world a better place. However, for you this is more challenging, because the world is quickly changing and adaptation to these changes has to be quick!
When I was in the Youth Commission, we tried to let Youth participate in the official Red Cross and Red Crescent meetings, and I am glad to see that in these last years you have made good progress in this sense. Moreover, I appreciated your efforts to go from quantity to quality, and in fact two weeks ago, we, at the Governing Board, adopted the Youth representative profile proposed by the Youth Commission to move forward on better IFRC governing bodies.
Such participation should represent an entry point for youth opinions, an opportunity to bring fresh ideas and innovation, to make the Red Cross a more innovative and attractive organisation! However I still have to listen to some people saying “the fact is that the Red Cross is old.” I know that this is not completely true, but this is the image we give to the outside world! Therefore, we have to acknowledge the importance of communication both internally and externally. Who better than you to do so?
Two weeks ago in Geneva, I was pleased to see the presentation of new communication tools, such as the discussion forum on FedNet to improve communication within the International Federation members. I hope the Youth will start using this more and more to keep in touch from opposite sides of the globe, with your languages and your style!
During this ECM I hope that you will become more familiar with the International Federation structure and functioning and that you will feel the importance of having a Youth Commission who can gather, represent and bridge your opinions from the regional to the global level. The system is there, use it!
I wish to see the impact of your participation at all levels of the National Societies, the International Federation and more widely, in our Movement. It is up to you now! Please, keep me informed of your ideas, ambitions and decisions. Don’t be afraid of difficulties, have the courage of your ideas and fly high!
If necessary, put pressure on your National Societies to have their doors more open to young people. Please do it! If necessary, beat sometimes your punch on the table, in order to strengthen your role in your National Societies. Please do it!
My spiritual father in the Red Cross, Charles André Schusselet, who was director of the Youth Bureau in the 60s, has always said me: “ Jamais démissionnaire!” Please, keep this slogan strong in your minds. I wish you success, empowerment and refreshed motivation to play a more active role in the present and the future of our Federation.
Yours sincerely,
Massimo Barra
IFRC Vice-President for Europe