Children and young people’s participation in disaster risk reduction

This book summarises the main finding of the European project CUIDAR cultures of disaster Resilience among Children and Young People.

Disasters are an increasingly common and complex combination of environmental, social, and cultural factors. Yet existing response frameworks and emergency plans tend to homogenize affected populations as ‘victims’, overlooking the distinctive experience, capacities, and skills of children and young people.

Drawing on participatory research with more than 550 children internationally, this book argues for a radical transformation in children’s roles and voices in disasters. It shows practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers how more child-centered disaster management, that recognizes children’s capacity to enhance disaster resilience, actually benefits at-risk communities as a whole.

The book is available in Open Access.