Educating tomorrow's donors: a high school initiative to promote blood and stem cell donation through stem education

Background: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a life-saving procedure for pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies, genetic disorders, and other serious conditions. However, its success critically depends on the availability of compatible donors, which remains a challenge-especially in ethnically homogeneous populations. Raising awareness among adolescents may help expand donor registries and promote civic engagement in public health. Methods: This study, conducted by the Pediatric Onco-Hematology team at an Italian University, aimed to bridge the gap in donor awareness among adolescents by implementing an educational intervention to increase knowledge about blood diseases, stem cell donation, and the donor registration process. The intervention, which targeted high school students, sought to foster informed decision-making and encourage future blood and stem cell donors. The program involved 900 students (aged 16-18) from 12 scientific-track schools. Designed in collaboration with school staff and aligned with national curricular guidelines in biology and civic education, the intervention included 2-h scientific seminars and observation-based visits to a Children's Hospital transplant center. A 10-item post-intervention Likert-scale questionnaire assessed seminar clarity, student engagement, understanding of donation processes, satisfaction with the presenter, and willingness to register as donors. Two open-ended questions invited qualitative feedback. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: A total of 346 students completed the survey. Quantitative data showed high levels of satisfaction and increased awareness of blood and stem cell donation. Many students expressed interest in future donor registration and biomedical career paths. Thematic analysis of open-ended responses revealed strong appreciation for real-world laboratory exposure, clarity of scientific content, and the motivational impact of learning about donation. No pre-intervention survey was conducted, which limits comparisons. Conclusions: The program effectively promoted awareness of blood and stem cell donation among adolescents and stimulated interest in STEM-related careers. Given its structured and adaptable format, this model could be implemented in other educational contexts to enhance health literacy and support donor recruitment efforts. Future editions will include pre-post evaluation and longitudinal tracking to assess sustained impact.