Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 27/99) - Those involved in the St. John Ambulance Brigade know exactly what to do when someone needs immediate medical assistance. After all, they have had 900 years to practise and perfect their methods.

With the coming of the year 2000, the order of St. John will have been in practice for 900 years. That's a huge legacy to live up to and a new wave of young adults are hoping to uphold the responsibility.

A group of 12 Yellowknife youths ages 11-15 will be enrolled as cadets and become assistants to the St. John Ambulance adult brigade if they pass all their requirements before their enrolment ceremony Jan. 31. The youths have been working their way through the requirements program since September and were anxious to write their first aid test last weekend to become certified in Emergency First Aid.

If the youth pass the test they will be the only cadets enrolled in the Yellowknife division of St. John Ambulance. The cadets have run short of members this year as previous cadet members discontinued their involvement this fall. The crusaders, which make up the 16-21 age group of St. John Ambulance, currently have no members or youths in training.

The Yellowknife division of St. John Ambulance has been around since the early 1980s, and the organization plans to expand to the communities of Dettah, Rae Lakes and Ndilo this fall.

The territorial commissioner of St. John Ambulance, Ponchit Santos, said the cadet fraction in Yellowknife has had a proud history.

"At one point there were 28 cadets in the '80s," said Santos. "Our cadets became the junior champions (in the first aid competitions) in Canada."

The training, which is acquired through St. John Ambulance's junior, cadet, crusader and adult brigade, offers not only the opportunity to learn first aid skills but teaches everything from leadership and winter survival to computer literacy. It can even open up doors into emergency response professions.

"You have the skills and the background that will give you a better chance if you want to pursue the line of emergency response," said Santos.

Twelve-year-old Sarah Hanna, who was anxious to write her first aid test for cadets on Sunday, said it was her involvement in St. John Ambulance which has encouraged her to think of different career choices.

"I have considered becoming a doctor or a nurse, but that's a long ways away yet," said Hanna. "I hadn't really thought about it much before (becoming involved in) this."