Free educational workshops
Find out about our free face-to-face and online training workshops for adults and youth that offer effective, easy-to-learn education in an informal style.
Learn new skills with our free, educational workshops
The British Red Cross designed these free, educational workshops to help you learn vital life skills and build resilience. We cover a range of wellbeing and humanitarian topics and our training workshops can range from creative problem-solving to practical first aid training.
Please note: These educational workshops are not accredited courses. For accredited first aid courses, suitable for health and safety training for work or to support you in everyday life, visit Red Cross First Aid training.
Adult workshops (aged 19+)
Youth workshops (ages 10-19)
What's involved?
In the sessions, you will engage in activities, group work, and discussions with others.
It is an opportunity to learn and enhance personal skills like coping and problem-solving.
Workshops at a glance:
- available for adults and children aged 10+
- 60 to 90-minute sessions
- online and face-to-face options
- qualified and experienced educators
- no cost to users
Why choose a Red Cross workshop?
There are many benefits of attending an education workshop. They can help you with:
- building confidence and self-esteem
- coping with changes and managing challenges
- approaching problems affecting you and your community
- improving communication and empathy skills
What we’ll provide you
- trained British Red Cross educators who are experienced in teaching workshops and providing a rewarding and enjoyable session
- well-researched and effective approaches to teaching sensitive topics
- workshops tailored to learning needs such as English as a second language, or mental health worries
- support from the British Red Cross team
Delivery types
Online:
Online video workshops allow you to connect with us from wherever you are. It's a great chance to learn new skills and speak to others from a comfortable and secure place.
Face-to-face:
Our British Red Cross educator will come to your location and give the workshop in person. They are available for only the most vulnerable and in-need groups within the community.
Who can take part?
Adult workshops (ages 19+)
Individuals: single booking where the individual joins a group with others.
Delivery: Online
Groups: Organised group e.g. community or recreational group (min 5, max 15 attendees).
Delivery: online, or face-to-face (for eligible groups only)
Youth workshops (ages 10-19)
Groups: School groups, organised youth groups e.g. community or recreational groups (min 5, max 35 attendees)
Delivery: online or face-to-face (for eligible groups only)
Testimonial
"I found the leader of the session really good because he gave relatable and realistic examples of when you might need to give first aid. I also think discussing the barriers to first aid was really important."First aid workshop participant (adult)
The session was excellent. The children faced challenges (and conquered them!) in a safe, supportive environment. As they were having fun, the feelings of anger, anxiety, upset, or fear that may usually appear when challenges arise were not present. They could calmly consider what action they could take to solve the problem, even having fun while doing it!Coping with challenges, youth workshop
FAQ's and helpful questions
- What is a "community education workshop"?
- What skills will I learn and why are they important?
- How much do the workshops cost?
- What type of support do you offer learners?
- What's the difference between an individual and group workshop?
- I am looking for a workshop near me, what's the availability of a face-to-face session?
- Will I get a qualification for completing the workshop?
- How long is a workshop?
- Who can take part in a workshop?
- What level of education will I need?
If you can't find the answer to your question, please contact the Business Development team at RedCrossEducation@Redcross.org.uk or call 0344 412 2734
What is a "community education workshop?"
The British Red Cross' Community Education program aims to promote learning and social development work with individuals and groups in communities across Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England. Our workshops, which champion learning around issues of mental and physical health, as well as humanitarianism, are just one way in which the Community Education teams offers support.
What skills will I learn and why are they important?
At our workshops you can learn vital skills that can help support you in everyday life. Here's what they focus on:
Building resilience - bouncing back from difficulties, quickly and successfully.
Coping with adversity - being able to manage problems and challenges.
Managing wellbeing - learning ways to look after your mental health.
First aid - Learning what to do in life-threatening emergencies to help others.
These skills will help support you and provide you with the tools you need to tackle problems you and your community may come up against in everyday life.
How much do the workshops cost?
There's no cost for the education workshops meaning those most in need can access support. These are funded via donations to Community Education. If you would like to assist us in providing education for more people, donate here.
What type of support do you offer leaners?
There are three different delivery methods of workshop, face-to-face, online, or telephone. This ensures that educational workshops can be accessed by those in need. We also provide workshops in Welsh (Cymraeg). We also can help those with additional needs, including those that have English as a second language.
Please get in touch with us either by email or telephone, if you are interested in a workshop in Cymraeg or need additional assistance.
What's the difference between an adult "individual" and "group" workshop?
Adult workshops can be joined as an individual or as part of a group. Individual bookings mean a booking for one person, who will join a workshop alongside other individuals and are available as online and telephone delivery only. A group booking means an organised group making a booking together (attendee size for youth groups 5 to 35, adult groups 5 to 15). This could be an organised group such as a sports or recreational team. Our workshops are available online, face-to-face, and by telephone delivery.
I am looking for a workshop near me, what's the availability of a face-to-face session?
Educators are based in all areas of Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland and will travel to your preferred location to deliver the face-to-face workshop. The availability of face-to-face workshops depends on several factors including your location as well as your level of need. To check if you're eligible for a face-to-face workshop and book a session here, or contact our team directly.
We're working hard to ensure there are as many opportunities as possible to take part in a face-to-face session in all areas of the UK, however when that's not possible, we have the online and telephone workshops.
Will I get a qualification for completing the workshop?
The workshops are designed to build personal skills and learn valuable insight into topics and issues affecting you and your community. Rather than a formal qualification, each workshop has a set of learning objectives that can be achieved by completing the entire session. If you take part in a first aid workshop, we can provide a certificate of learning you can fill in yourself, but this does not meet any workplace requirements. For accredited first aid courses, please visit British Red Cross training.
How long is a workshop?
On average, the workshops last between 60 and 90 minutes and vary in length depending on the topic and delivery. For exact timings please check our individual workshop pages.
Who can take part in a workshop?
We want to provide support for as many people as possible. Currently, anyone over the age of 19 can take part in our Adult workshops, this includes individuals who want to join in with a session and organised groups (5 to 15 attendees). Our workshops for young people under 19 are available for groups only (5 to 35 attendees) and must be booked via an adult organiser for example a teacher, educator, or youth group leader.
What level of education will I need?
There's no level of education required to join a workshop and you don’t need any knowledge of the topic before your session. If you require additional assistance to take part, please contact our Business Development team who will be able to help support any learning needs.
Help communities cope in a crisis
Your donation will help us reach those who need it most through our free online resources and workshops building live-saving first aid and wellbeing skills.
Get in touch
If you have any specific questions about the workshops or want to enquire about eligibility for a face-to-face group workshop, please contact us via e-mail or telephone.
Contact details
Email us at RedCrossEducation@Redcross.org.uk
Or call us for all enquiries on 0344 412 2734
Important documents
Please find below relevant documents you will need to be aware of before taking part in your workshop.
Do you have a question about this page or want to give us feedback? Visit our Contact us page.