JESSE NEILL

THE Disaster Resilient Australia New Zealand School Education Network (DRANZSEN) held a state forum at Trinity College on Thursday.

Participants at the event discussed various models for disaster resilience education (DRE) that encourages student engagement and collaboration to reduce risk and strengthen communities.

Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience senior project officer Brigid Little said this was “one of a number of networking events around the country bringing together different organisations that
want to provide opportunities for young people to participate in disaster risk reduction and resilience”.

“The more young people understand local hazards and risks, the better able they are to contribute to solutions,” she said.

It is hoped that by engaging in DRE, young locals will be able to take protective measures and actions before, during and after an emergency or disaster.

The event featured nine speakers from a range of organisations and community groups that specialise in disaster resilience to share knowledge, good practice and strategic objectives related to DRE.

Onkaparinga Council natural resource management and education co-ordinator Rob Wallace presented on his climate-ready schools and communities project and said these types of events were important so that students could take charge of their future.

“In our case, the focus is on climate change, however the tools we give students help them to problem-solve in relation to disaster resilience in a range of ways,” he said.

“They look at problems in their schools in relation to climate change and come up with real and practical solutions using design thinking as the framework.”

DRANZSEN engages with schools to establish effective learning partnerships, local programs and STEM resources for DRE.

With several local schools impacted by the Pinery bushfire in 2015, the forum’s aims of reducing exposure and vulnerability to harm are as important as ever.

Ms Little said the implementation of disaster resilient initiatives empower young people and “gives them tools to understand what’s going on, but also to take protective and preventative messages to keep themselves safe”.

“We recognise that young people can be really vulnerable in an emergency or disaster situation, however we’re not only talking to kids, we’re enabling them to be part of the solution,” she said.