Berlin students learn life-saving CPR in groundbreaking school initiative

A new initiative called Staying Alive is teaching Berlin students vital first aid skills. Around 200 pupils from grades 7 to 10 took part in a special training day focused on CPR and resuscitation. The project, backed by the Berlin-Brandenburg State Working Group for First Aid, aims to prepare young people for emergencies.

Henri Bauckhage created Staying Alive after finishing high school. Over two years, he developed the programme to encourage more bystanders to help in emergencies across Germany.

At a Berlin school, students practised hands-on techniques like chest compressions and rescue breathing. Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) joined the training and officially supported the initiative. Her involvement highlights the project's growing recognition. The long-term plan is to make life-saving training a standard part of school education. While exact figures are unclear, few German schools currently offer similar first aid programmes. Organisers hope *Staying Alive* will change that by expanding access to essential skills.

The training day gave students practical experience in responding to cardiac arrests and other emergencies. With backing from local authorities and first aid experts, the project could soon reach more schools. Its success may depend on wider adoption in curricula across the country.