Louise Cripps, Head of Development Programmes, reflects on her recent visits to St John Ambulance Canada and St John Wales, sharing insights from leadership meetings, training sessions, and experiences connecting with colleagues across the global St John family.
At the beginning of March, I had the privilege of visiting St John Canada, where I met with CEO Martin Granger and joined one of their senior leadership team meetings at their national office in Ottawa. It was eye-opening to have a front-row seat to the variety of workstreams they lead, and to hear about both the challenges they face and the successes they celebrate.
I heard from team leaders about their work partnering with government and local NGOs, running community programmes, and responding to emergencies. I began to understand the complexities of creating impact at scale and the dedication required to support communities effectively.
Earlier in February, I had a similar experience with St John Wales, attending their senior leadership team meeting. I was once again struck by the incredible work being carried out in different environments. Both Establishments deliver the St John mission in unique ways, but are united by a shared vision.
It is this shared vision that underpins the creation of the St John Resource Hub, a space designed to support the delivery of our mission and bring together the family of charities working to lead globally in First Aid and medical responses to community healthcare needs. The Hub allows all St John people to share best practice, lessons learned, and tools and templates with colleagues across the world.
During my visits, I explained how the Hub was developed in partnership with St John people to support all levels of staff across the 44 Establishments. I encouraged everyone to promote usage of the Hub within their teams, share resources, and provide feedback to make it even more useful to St John people at all levels across the #OneStJohn family.
I also shared updates on the launch of our new Small Grants Fund and plans for the expansion of the Mother and Baby Programme, while learning how operations function in each Establishment. More importantly, I had the chance to meet the individuals who make each St John unique, understand their teams, and start building relationships across the organisation.
In Canada, I also travelled to Toronto to join First Aid and Instructor Development Training for the Americas region, meeting colleagues from across the Caribbean. Their enthusiasm was palpable as they learned from expert trainers and from each other, building new relationships and bringing to life the spirit of #OneStJohn.
These visits reinforced my understanding of St John, while our environments may differ, the shared mission, collaboration, and dedication of St John people are what truly make our work extraordinary.
