It took 10 years to become an overnight success story!
The BBC One Show featured my programme for primary schools as part of the solution to the decline in families giving consent to organ donation in the UK., which has fallen by 5% since 2021. But this was just one school—only 23,000 more to go in the UK!
Time and time again, it has been proven that one of the biggest deciding factors between those who donate and those who do not comes down to whether they’ve simply talked about organ donation with their loved ones (even just once) before they (or their loved one) pass on. The earlier these conversations happen within families, the better.
From our research through our partnering countries, families are far more willing to participate in these conversations when they are first raised by their children. With this in mind, empowering educators to further empower their students to know and talk about organ donation also has the potential to capture a considerably larger and influential audience and make an unprecedented impact, an impact that could be measured by NHSBT too.
Organ transplantation and donation were not included in the government’s health education mandate in the UK for primary schools in 2020. Why? Preventive healthcare starts with knowing how your organs and body work. It shouldn’t be an afterthought or done as a separate health programme; it’s part and parcel of their health conversation. Transplantation is a medical fact, regardless of our beliefs; and organ donation is a choice regardless of the change in laws. This demand is also not going away any time soon; chronic disease and obesity in children have been on the rise for some time now.
If you’re a parent or policymaker as concerned as we are, or as Jamie Oliver is about all the sugar in our children’s diets, then I’m sure you’ll appreciate your child knowing how their pancreas works so they can be better captains of their own health.
If you’re a parent or policymaker as concerned as we are, or as Jamie Oliver is about all the sugar in our children’s diets, then I’m sure you’ll appreciate your child knowing how their pancreas works so they can be better captains of their own health.
This is why I created the Orgamites Mighty Education Programme, a FREE global organ donation and health education programme for children aged 5-11. It uses educational resources, tools, toys, and tech to inspire and equip more students, teachers, and families everywhere to talk more about organ donation, and to take better care of their bodies, each other, and our world.
Brought to life by a team of life-saving organs found in each one of us, the Orgamites are also known as the ‘mighty organs’ because they represent the organs most needed for donation and transplantation. Focused on empowering children (via the grown-ups in their lives) to become captains of their own health, the Programme also aims to help address some of the most critical health crises facing the next generation.
To reach 24,000 schools across the UK and maintain our FREE education programme, we need your help! If you’re a brand or organisation interested in children’s health education, please get in touch at: Orgamites.com
Thank you to Dr Luke Yates for sharing his personal story and views, and to the BBC One Show for featuring the Orgamites in their coverage.
Thank you,
Roydon Turner Founder & CCO
More info: The Orgamites and the Orgamites Mighty Education Programme were created by Roydon Turner. Creative and production by All Good Co., a Community Interest Company (AllGoodCo.org).
Our partners include Live Life Give Life, the Onassis Foundation, Canadian Blood Services, Team Margot, Giving to Help Others, Northern Ireland Donation, the Public Health Agency, the British Transplant Society, and the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT).
Supported by NHS Blood and Transplant, Organ Donation England, Wales, and Scotland. Official partner of the ESOT Congress in London, 2025
*This approach has been validated through feedback and data gathered from our existing partners: Canadian Blood Services and Onassis Foundation (Greece), and Northern Ireland.
