Editor-in-Chief Nia Simeonova presents KCL St John Ambulance Society, a nominee at the King’s College London Students’ Union (KCLSU) Awards 2024. With the awards set for tonight (28 May) at the De Vere Connaught Rooms, Roar will introduce its readers to some of the distinguished nominees.
KCL St John Ambulance Society (KCLxSJA) is a student group aiming to teach first aid to students and increase the level of preparation of the wider King’s College London (KCL) community. It is part of the leading first-aid charity St John Ambulance. This year, they have been nominated for ‘Group of the Year’ and ‘Committee of the Year’ at the KCLSU Awards.
The group’s main mission is fostering community first aid in a way that is meant to make confident helpers out of people who would normally be bystanders with little knowledge of how to help. After providing thorough training, KCLxSJA gets its newly qualified first aiders out in public.
The London Marathon, Hackney Half Marathon and the London Pride are just a few of the events they cover. Even sports fans may often find themselves helping at Stamford Bridge or Twickenham Stadium.
At King’s, the society has provided assistance at the Great King’s Run and the Macadam Cup. Some of their other initiatives include the newly piloted Women’s History Month awareness sessions and the collaborations with KCL Make A Smile Society and KCL Paediatrics to provide focused first aid sessions.
Mohini Karhadkar (Mo) is the society’s outgoing president and unit manager. She has been with KCLxSJA for four years and with St John Ambulance for over eight. “Having that kind of sense of giving back to your immediate community with KCL students treating KCL students” is one of the inspiring aspects Mo outlines.
In the last couple of years, the society has grown and developed significantly. In 2022, Mo was the only first aider present at the London Marathon. In April 2024 there were 13 KCL students providing first aid at the same event. That is one of the highlights Mo is most proud of: “There are people who are engaged, who are volunteering, and they’re giving back to our community, like our wider London community.”
And rather than a short-lived success, Mo is confident that the incoming leadership will continue on the same path.
“I think for me, having been in kind of a key committee position for the past two years, the main thing that I really care about is sustainability, and it’s making sure in the sense that this society should outlast me”, shares Mo.
The nomination has been a recognition of their work as a volunteering society:
“There is a lot of work that our students are doing, not only within St John, but within just generally the volunteering aspect, and there are so many projects that are being run, that it’s great to be able to bring more and more attention to that.”
The message that KCLxSJA are hoping to spread is that anyone can get involved in providing first aid, regardless of their field of study: “You don’t have to be a medical student… it’s a good thing for everyone to be able to learn that new skill”.
Learn more about KCL St John Ambulance Society on their Instagram or sign up for their Tuesday training sessions. We wish them luck at the upcoming awards!
Keep up with Roar’s coverage of the 2024 KCLSU Awards on our Instagram tonight, 28 May from 5:00 PM.
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