Only 1.87% are blood donors but youth contribution has increased to 27% (2016)

One unit of blood can save three lives and blood demands have increased to 15 units of blood per hour or 400 units of blood a day. The blood-donating volunteer numbers in Singapore come from a small minority as only 1.87% of the residential population donate. If you are healthy and eligible, this is a definite way to contribute. It’s easy now with four blood centers and numerous community drives [link].

Impressively though, youth contribution has increased – 27% of blood donors are below 20 years of age, which is a massive increase from just 0.5% in 2004 and up from 5% in 2007. Youth (15–24 years) make up some 12-13% of the resident population in Singapore.

More facts on the HSA webpage (updated 11 Dec 2017). I wonder if the dip in dengue cases this year provided some relief on the demand.

This Feb 2017 poster from the Red Cross Singapore webpage provides a useful summary of the main facts:

Click for PDF

Sat 13 Jan 2018 The 1st Biodiversity Challenge: Human-Wildlife Co-existence (open to all)

Biodiversity Friends Forum is a project I work on with NParks’ National Biodiversity Centre un der the Biodiversity Roundtable of Singapore. It began with the forum in August which helped us connect with individuals interested in nature and the environment.

That kicked off a mentorship and fireside chat series and from those interactions, we decided a “Careers in Conservation” workshop was necessary in November. The third event now unfolds, from Minister Desmond Lee’s challenge to youth to tackle a current issue: human-wildlife co-existence. This is all possible because of Linda Goh’s team of Mika Tan, Joy Wong and Goh Pei Shuan at NParks who do the heavy lifting. I am catching up with them now that exams are over!

This event is suitable even if you have little or no knowledge – simply learn during the sessions, get up to speed with some reading, and enjoy the visits with experts in the field. It will be quite the eye opener!

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In January 2018, Biodiversity Friends Forum will launch the first Biodiversity Challenge: Human-Wildlife Co-existence, an idea for introducing youth to the issues which was mooted by Second Minister for National Development, Mr. Desmond Lee, after the first forum in August.

Did you hear about our otters turning up on Changi Airport’s tarmac or read about wild boar sightings or hear about critically endangered sea turtle hatchlings at East Coast beach? What do you do when you encounter wildlife in urban settings? How can we manage human-wildlife interactions in Singapore?

Learn from experts and implement ideas, join us on a journey to solve a Biodiversity Challenge on human-wildlife co-existence!

The first step starts here:
BFF Biodiversity Challenge: Human-Wildlife Co-existence
Seminar and Workshops: 13 Jan 2018, Saturday
8:30am – 4pm
Venue: Function Hall, Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens
Limited spaces, register by 5 Jan! http://www.bit.ly/hwc2018

Suitable for all students in JC, ITE, polytechnic; undergraduates, fresh graduates or young working adults (aged 16-30) interested in human-wildlife interaction issues in Singapore. No prior knowledge required.

For queries, email: Biodiversity Youth Singapore at biodyouthsg@gmail.com.