Towards a Culture of Prevention: Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School: Good Practices and Lessons Learned

Abstract

Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 18 No. 1 (2008) ISSN: 1546-2250 Towards a Culture of Prevention: Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School: Good Practices and Lessons Learned Valency, R. Alain and Lazarte, Jimena (2007). Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction; 143 pages. $Free. In 2006 and 2007, the United Nations began their World Disaster Reduction Campaign entitled “Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School,” with a focus on school safety and promoting risk reduction in the classroom as well as making schools and education buildings safer. This report compiles the efforts of 29 countries across North and South America, Europe, and Asia into three main sections and 38 short, three-to-five page case studies. The essence of this report is to develop “resilience in schools and through schools” (vii). Following the growing attention to children in disasters, this report helps to emphasize the ongoing efforts of these countries and their efforts to reduce the vulnerability of children around the world. The first section of the report focuses on raising awareness in schools and their communities. Each case study outlines the initiative, notes its impact and results, highlights the reasons why it is a good practice, reveals the lessons learned, and suggests potentials for replication. Among the more creative endeavors, the island country of Grenadaholds an intramural quiz competition among the primary schools to test students' knowledge of disaster preparedness during their “National Disaster Awareness Week” (12). The event builds up from the classroom level as students engage in activities and games (including the board game, Riskland) that are tailored to their local hazards. In Thailand, school children serve as “catalysts” through child-led activities that help identify risks and hazards in their own communities (37). In these case studies, as in many in the report, children are placed in an active role rather than a passive one to empower them with disaster knowledge and skills; as noted in the India case study, “children can be the most effective tool” (119). 522 The second section is dedicated to countries that have developed a “culture of prevention” not only among children, but also older youths, parents, educators, and the community at large. Among the case studies presented in this section, France has inducted more than 600 students into their “risk ambassadors” program, which teaches students to share their knowledge beyond the classroom and into the community (62). Costa Rica offers the example of a program that has been sustained for more than 20 years. The short summary provides an overview of the various phases that have led to the continued execution of the program since 1986 and participation by more than 500,000 students annually (52). The third section of the report highlights various physical efforts to increase the structural integrity of school buildings. This short section largely describes retrofitting plans, but does discuss the dual use of schools as shelters in Central America and the efforts in Nepal to educate masons to build structures that are more hazardresistant . Among the challenges faced by these countries, there are several emerging themes, including vertical integration (from the classroom level to the national level), community recognition, and the simple motivation that is required for schools to adopt risk reduction measures. One essential element that seems apparent is the necessity to ensure cooperation at all levels. Whether they are topdown policy initiatives or locally generated ideas, many of the successful and broad reaching programs are integrated at all levels. Despite the numerous cases presented in this report, there were some excluded countries from which case studies would have provided valuable insight, including New Zealand’s ongoing management of diverse hazards andPakistan’s experience in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Other exclusions include the lack of discussion related to technological, biological, and radiological risks in countries around the world and sufficient attention to simple infrastructure improvements (such as phone lines in Jamaica, which is mentioned in the report) that can significantly decrease risk. 523 Among the critiques of this report is its lack of detail, which is a limitation of the report itself rather than the efforts undertaken by these countries. Consequently, it is difficult to understand how effective these efforts really are...