Most young people were sleeping in, hanging out at the mall, or spending time with friends, but some local youth spent their entire Saturday at the Central Maryland Red Cross being trained in how to respond to an emergency.

An enthusiastic group of nine area teens was trained in CPR and First Aid on November 18, 2000. Why did they do it? Well, the reasons varied-some wanted to earn service hours and boy scout badges while others just wanted to learn how to save a life. But, they all did it for one main reason: to become Instructor Aides with the American Red Cross.

The Instructor Aide program is fairly new at the Central Maryland Chapter. The role of the Aide is to help certified Health and Safety Instructors teach community classes. Once trained, Instructor Aides commit to help out with at least four community classes over the next year, and recruit one other person for the program.

Currently, there are 21 Instructor Aides in the program, and they serve in all counties across the Central Maryland region. Once an Aide turns seventeen, he/she is eligible to become a full-fledged Instructor. David Jackson, an Instructor who trains youth to become Instructor Aides, said, "The Instructor Aide program is a great opportunity for younger volunteers to become actively involved in a meaningful way and to really make a difference in their communities. Not only will they help others, but they will develop skills which will serve them for the rest of their lives such as confidence, leadership, public speaking, and organization