IDDRR Day 2024: Young people hold the answers to building climate resilience
Shator and Sharmin outside their primary school in Rangpur, Bangladesh.
For Shator and his friend Sharmin, the best things about coming to their primary school in the northern Bangladesh province of Rangpur are English lessons and football games - but living in a flood-prone region hasn't always been easy. "The neighbourhood used to get waterlogged… we couldn't come to school, we couldn't play."
As part of the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, Concern Worldwide worked with the local community to raise the school by three feet in 2021, to better protect it against flooding. The situation has greatly improved - they now miss a few days of school in the rainy season, rather than weeks at a time - but their past experiences serve as a reminder of how the climate crisis affects children and young people today.
It's well understood that minimizing disruption to learning can improve outcomes for children - but the power of education can also be harnessed to increase young people's understanding of climate risks, as well as their capacity to address them when disaster strikes.
Ahead of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on October 13th, here are some of the ways that Alliance partners have been working with children and young people around the world to do just that.
Getting information into schools
Schools and other educational establishments are the ideal places to disseminate potentially life-saving information on disaster risk reduction (DRR). In Jordan - a water-scare country that nevertheless suffers from intense flash-flooding - Alliance member Mercy Corps partnered with the nation's Civil Defense Directorate to design and deliver awareness sessions covering how to act in an emergency.
Students in Jordan receive guidebooks on how to stay safe during a disaster.
The partnership also led to the development of a guidebook covering not only how to become better prepared for disasters such as floods and fires, but also what to do during and after such an emergency. Over 30,000 copies have been distributed among high-risk areas throughout Jordan, including in several schools.
Building a culture of resilience
Of course, providing learning materials and training is only part of the picture. Just as crucial is engraining vital information and good practices in the community, now and for the future. The key to this is making complex concepts about disaster risk more accessible and memorable.
Children’s artwork on the theme of disaster risk reduction is displayed in the municipality of Teapa in Tabasco, Mexico
This can be done in a myriad of ways, as demonstrated by some of our Alliance partners working in very different contexts. In Mexico, the Red Cross (supported by the IFRC) organized a 'Flood Resilient Families' art competition in Tabasco, involving communities directly impacted by the catastrophic floods of 2020. The contest gave children the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences of flooding and express their feelings in a creative and impactful way. They were also encouraged to share the actions that they take with their family to prevent and prepare for floods, from keeping drains clear of blockages to assembling an emergency kit.
"There are many children who witnessed the floods in 2020. We wanted them to be able to capture what they lived and what they felt in those moments... because many children came out wet, they came out scared, they came out crying when the flood reached their house."
-Benito Vázquez, Community Cultural Centre, Oxolotán, Tabasco.
Students in Nepal examine a 'hazard and resource' mural at their school.
Similarly, Practical Action's team in Nepal organized an inter-school folk singing competition. Shree Himalaya Rastriya secondary school entered under the theme "Think before it's too late", while the team from the Shree Janata school highlighted the importance of raising houses in the flood plains up on plinths. Meanwhile, at Kalika secondary school in flood-prone Rajapur, students and teachers worked together to map out safe routes and safe spaces in their local area. Murals containing this vital information were painted on to walls at the school, to serve as a long-lasting resource for young people in the area.
"Extracurricular activities have boosted students' confidence in discussing and advocating for disaster-related issues."
-Jagbir Shah, headmaster of Satti Karnali Secondary School, Tikapur
Participants of an inter-school folk singing competition in the Janaki Rural Municipality of Nepal, on the theme of disaster risk reduction.
Young people as agents of change
As the Sendai Framework states, children and young people have a crucial contribution to make to disaster risk reduction. Once informed about disaster risk, they become powerful conduits for sharing that information more widely in their community - and the most effective way to do this is to involve them in the decision-making process.
That's what Plan International has been doing in many flood-prone barangays [local communities] in the Philippines. After identifying the limited participation of young people, Plan International created a youth-centred training program aimed at building their understanding of key DRRM concepts and increasing their involvement in the creation of community-based disaster plans.
In the program, participants used tools like disaster timelines, transect walks, and problem-solution trees to assess flood risks in their communities. In addition to the technical skills, the program helped develop young people's confidence to engage with their communities.
After receiving training, women like Aires, 19, now serve as youth representatives in local DRR-focused groups. It's an opportunity for them to share their experiences of flooding (including the disruption to their education) and participate in community risk assessments, further enhancing local levels of resilience.
"The training was of great help for us young people, especially since we are just starting to learn about having environmental advocacies so we can help in developing this barangay into a safe and peaceful place. Youth leaders need to be stronger; it is not only a requirement but a responsibility to the community. - Aires Cavalida, a participant in the training programme
A solution for every community
Many schools play a vital role in keeping communities safe during disasters - including Shator's and Sharmin's, which doubles as a shelter for up to 200 households during cyclones and floods. However, the lessons learned within the walls of these buildings can be just as impactful for building resilience to climate hazards.
Every community is different, and each has a unique understanding of its particular strengths and vulnerabilities; which is why no two interventions by Alliance partners are alike. From the Americas to Asia, our partners continue to work closely with those impacted by the climate crisis, provide young people with vital information and tools on disaster risk reduction, and deliver a brighter, more resilient future for all.
Find out more about the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance.
Jimena Cuevas is Knowledge Manager for the Mexican Red Cross.
Bikram Rana is Program Manager for the Climate Resilience Program, Practical Action Nepal.
Afsari Begum is Programme Manager for Concern Worldwide Bangladesh.
Isabelle Baguisi is National Project Coordinator for Plan International Philippines.
Yasmeen Khair is Project Assistant for Mercy Corps Jordan.