Young people are capable, willing and impatient to be part of disaster risk, recovery and resilience discussions was the clear message of the online event to mark International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Empowering the next generation for a resilient future, held 9 October 2024.
Co-presented by Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre) and the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, the webinar featured panellists of all ages covering initiatives, programs and opportunities for young people between the ages of eight and 25 years to be active, empowered participants in the way disasters and recovery are managed in their communities.
Centre CEO Andrew Gissing introduced a short video from the New South Wales Advocate for Children and Young People around their work collating the experiences, impacts on and needs of children and young people in the two years following the Lismore/Northern Rivers floods in 2022.
Disaster Recovery and Preparedness Report: Voices of children and young people living in the Northern Rivers reflects the voices of more than 630 children and young people living in the region, and what is important to them in natural disaster recovery and future preparedness planning. Watch the video here.
Ness Wiebford from the Australian Red Cross shared the Youth in Emergencies project’s model of leveraging the Duke of Edinburgh Awards to empower teenagers and young adults to lead disaster preparedness in their local communities.
Covering preparedness, response and recovery; diverse community impacts; leadership and teamwork; emergency management; a volunteer project to prepare communities; and an adventurous journey, Ness highlighted the skills participants requested the most were tuning a radio, reading a compass and understanding a map.
Program participant Arwen detailed her volunteer project supporting Year 8 students to better understand disasters, disaster preparedness and recovery, leading to a demonstrable increase in their disaster literacy, as well as their risk during different disasters.
Carla Hall, Disaster Resilience Coalition Principal at the Youth Affairs Council Victoria highlighted the power of language in breaking the “children should be seen and not heard” mindset, as well as the importance of creating safe spaces where young people are included in meaningful dialogue and decision making around disasters.
Disaster Resilience Coalition Support Officer, Harmony Carmichael reinforced the opportunity to incorporate youth-specific roles and responsibilities into local emergency management planning, to bring their unique perspectives and skills to community decision making.
She also spoke to the power of language in building self-agency and the importance of moving away from a protection and vulnerability lens. Instead of framing children and young people as passive victims of events, they can be agents of change where their lived experience is a strength not a vulnerability. Learn more about this shift in the Youth Affairs Council Victoria’s Trauma informed language and image guide.
Replay the webinar below.