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the american red cross
Mission Statement: The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers,
guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International
Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people
prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
The Red Cross Movement was founded
in 1863 by Swiss businessman Henri
Dunant. After learning of the Red Cross
Movement during a trip to Europe in the
1870s, Clara Barton brought the idea to
America and founded the American Association
of the Red Cross on May 21,
1881 in Washington, DC.
Today, the American Red Cross shelters,
feeds and counsels victims of disasters;
provides nearly half of the nation’s
blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills;
and supports military members and their
families. The Red Cross is a charitable
organization—not a government agency—
and depends on volunteers and the
generosity of the American public to
perform its humanitarian mission.
The International Red
Cross and Red Crescent
Movement
The Seven Fundamental Principles of
the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement are:
Humanity
Impartiality
Neutrality
Independence
Voluntary Service
Unity
Universality
The American Red Cross is one of 186
Red Cross and Red Crescent societies
around the world. These national societies
work together on a number of issues
under the International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC). The International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC), a separate organization,
helps protect victims of war
and internal violence in a neutral and
impartial way.
The three emblems of the International
Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
are the red cross, the red crescent
and the red crystal.
Youth Involvement
The American Red Cross has involved
youth and young adults in its lifesaving
work as volunteers, blood donors,
fundraisers and financial donors since
1881. Recognizing the importance of
youth contributions, President Woodrow
Wilson created the Junior Red Cross on
September 15, 1917, greatly increasing
the young volunteer base.
Today, twenty-nine percent, or 169,312,
of American Red Cross volunteers are
youth or young adults. Youth is defined
as younger than age 18, and young
adult is defined as between 18 and 24
years of age. Young people are engaged
in all aspects of the American Red
Cross, from serving on disaster action
teams, teaching health and safety courses,
holding positions in governance and
leadership, donating blood and recruiting
other donors and raising funds for
community and international initiatives.
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About the National
Youth Council
The National Youth Council is a dynamic
group of young volunteers and
adult supporters that advocate for the
interests of youth and young adults in
the organization. The Council focuses
primarily on building the capacity of the
American Red Cross by helping Red
Cross units engage youth and young
adult volunteers, establishing and
maintaining a youth leadership structure
and showing adult leaders how to best
serve the youth and young adult population.
It does this through conducting
several projects that increase youth and
young adult involvement in the organization,
provide fundraising resources to
help youth raise money for Red Cross
causes, establish leadership opportunities
for young people at multiple levels
and increase awareness about youth
and young adult volunteerism.
The National Youth Council is supported
by the Office of the National Chair
of Volunteers (ONCOV). It works in
tandem with the Youth and Young Adult
Programs and Services department of
ONCOV to partner with other units at
national headquarters, those working at
the regional level, and local Red Cross
chapters, Blood Services regions and
Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) stations.