Self-protection with children: what pedagogical resources can improve community preparedness COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS Working group C

WHAT COMMUNITY IS? Age groups (youth, elderly) – USA elderly towns Town (Fins use the same word for community) Schools Common interest groups Fate and religious groups Ethnic groups Leisure groups New media groups (Facebook!!!) Bulgarian children in institutions Community used for marginalized groups??? Group at risk (common interest) Institutional or private groups Professional groups Group of people facing common risk Europe is a community Functioning and non-functioning communities in peace time In crisis, functioning communities transform into non-functioning Trust is important Family is a community Sense of belonging The smallest link of an individual to another can become or create a community

WHAT IS PREPAREDNESS? - Plan is available - Basic necessities stockpiled, water and food - Designated people for concrete roles / tasks - Information where to go, what to do when radio is not working, information that yellow cloud over town is not dangerous, etc. - Communication GROUP CONCLUSION: IT IS ALL IN THE BOOKS

WHAT TRIGGERS PREPAREDNESS? - Awareness, threat, risk, hazard, previous disaster, - Common willingness to work on it, - Identification of needs, skills, responsibility, - Grass root implication, - Coordination of efforts, roles and responsibilities, - Common understanding of own situation, - Common understanding about risks, - Emotional preparedness, - Common language, - Common terminology, - Identification of vulnerabilities, mapping of risks by people (participatory), - Safety and security rules, - Training and exercising, and maintenance over time. Threat, risk, previous disaster Common understanding of situation and risks Common willingness to work Identification of needs, skills, responsibility Participatory mapping Training, exercising, and maintenance over time

WHAT HAMPERS PREPAREDNESS? Governmental system must work. And people must have trust in the system; Inadequate resources (flooded area in Mozambique, where people move their housed before the flood, then they return); Benefit versus risk, local people might make a different choice due to other priority (like in Italy living next to volcano, because of the soil or spending money on other items, instead of preparedness). Competition between disaster and other risks for the family (child abuse, criminal?). In countries where systems are working, the risks are more social, economical, unemployment.

WHAT MOTIVATES PREPAREDNESS? STARTING POINT… Preparedness activities can be integrated with regular activities in order to be easy for the families; part of daily routine is preferable to extra work and effort. Clear perception of risks. Involvement of authorities. Italy – preparedness depends on government, but not only. If the school programs are used to prepare children and adapt to risks or face them, then it is successful. But the input started with the government!!! Research institution on volcanoes prepared teachers in adapted courses for different ages – children, teenagers. Good collaboration between researches and the field. Finland – the government starts, but since 5 years ago the militaries of Finland want all people to get prepared for all situations and not only war. The system is complex and there is appointed people for different tasks. Militaries know that and utilize for preparedness. What to do to get people emotionally involved. There should be grassroots, because centralized initiative is not likely to stay long. Children are growing, so there is a need to cover different ages – 3 generations. It also needs a multi-target approach and human resources. Campaign is needed to keep the system remembered. For example the bombs in London. Many died underground without first aid. The 4th bomb went of in a bus near medical conference, so they helped. British RC used the opportunity to promote first aid in opposite to accusation by people why in the underground there were no first aid kits. Africa – in dangerous areas NGOs might not be able to enter the dangereous areas. Mothers can be mediators. Resources – depends how much money the family has. More income – more incentive to prepare. Focus is on survival. Sanitary living in many families is low, it might affect views on future, pessimist, etc., affects the risk perception. Living in uncertain situation sustains the lack of care. The investment … The belief. If you believe you are blessed, being invulnerable, you go and don’t use condom. Feelings and beliefs. In some areas in Africa, dying is not seen as a problem, people say “he would have died anyway in one two years”. People who live on a very tight edge of survival are often more able to cope better (expect less). Feeling of being able to cope with the situation helps. If one believes that he does not have the power to improve things, he would wait for police, authority, etc. The question of balance and choice: Finnish study – would you jump in the icy water to save someone or you will wait for rescuers with proper equipment. The majority of French people rely on the government for preparedness and equipment – “we pay taxes, so it is the government concern”. Dilution of expectations towards professionals. Two aspects of response – clear messages about the need in active participation – when to react, in what period of time (8 minutes for ambulance to reach Paris), in what situation – crowd, no crowd, etc. Demonstration /simple exercises/ of daily crisis (cut off power) and major emergency… - cheaper tools then expensive simulations. Children are motivators and triggers to the professionals – they can be helped by realistic disaster preparedness programs. Inside the school system such programs can cover the whole country – the effect might come in 5 years. We need two aspects – to protect children (so they don’t feel responsible), but also to give the idea that they can do something. Children can have a real role, while being protected. Examples of child in Thailand who learned about tsunami in school, warned the parents on the beach, they warned others about rising water and many people survived. Relationships within the family – children who learn faster, illiterate parents, or cultural conditions where children are not supposed to advice parents. Children are basic value, children are not smaller personality, they are just a personality. Europe for children, with them. To compare the system for Child Protection (where children have to learn to cope themselves), with the Civil Protection – where are the overlaps and what is similar. To research further into the different approaches. The feelings of a child abuse in a family are similar to a bomb in a subway. People react with disbelief, like in a different world. What about preparedness focused not so much on the risks, but on the achievements, major achievements can become milestones. In the family and in confidence. Positive – not negative. Each achievement comes with the price of some risks, but the focus remains on the result. Sub-processes – during the way – reducing vulnerabilities. - Preparedness starts with the government - Collaboration between government, researchers and families - Grassroots initiative is vital for sustainability - Approach should be multi-targeted, covering different ages - The preparedness system must be sustained and advertised - The preparedness system should allow any family to participate, regardless of income - Preparedness activities have to be integrated with regular activities (easy and routine) - The system should support the feeling of being able to cope - Focus on achievements and not on risks. Risks are only obstacles in the way - Clear messages calling for active participation and what to do

Children are motivators and triggers to the professionals; Children can have a real role, while being protected; Child Protection and Civil Protection systems – similar and different?; Europe is for children, but is it with them?; The smallest community is the family. With the children! WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN?