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When you think about it, in case of a disaster, most young people and children will probably have no idea what to do. Most children in emergencies will get scared and worried and may end up getting hurt or traumatized as they grow older. However, getting to children about safety isn’t exactly impossible. If the child educated, they can start to feel more confidence about themselves and as a result stay calmer in dangerous situations.
Proving awareness to young people:
The most effective way to get this message through to kids in the community is to educate them with them help of everyone who can contribute. If they see all the people around them taking safety seriously, they will also take safety seriously. This will encourage them to help and to take the front stage in their own circle of friends, encouraging them to also learn to stay safe and be prepared in case of any situations.
Tips on how to educate young people about disasters:
You can get to young children through various different techniques. One such technique is to give the safety programs and approaches a lot of importance. If you take safety and their guidelines seriously, the children in the community will follow the same ethics. Next, you should take the first step and start to assess whether the existing programs are doing their job effectively. If you feel that they are not, work with other people in the community and bring about the changes that are needed in those programs to ensure that kids get the right message.
Furthermore, the community programs should impart knowledge to the young children without alienating them or coming in the way of the support they need. You can also help create bonds between the first responders and the young children. This can help the kids understand their local heroes and to respect the work they do. They will also start to learn from them as a result. You should even include the family members here, making sure they are playing their part in supporting and encouraging their children.
Working with schools:
Including a drill or a program in the school would be the best way to go when it comes to introducing the youth to preparedness, because children already love and respect their teachers and have a broad sense of community in their school. Also, involve the school and other organisations and encourage them to bring in the latest and most advanced techniques in dealing with preparedness, especially for children. You can even involve local figures especially in case the area where you live is a common target for natural disasters.
Be appealing to children:
Think long and hard about the ways that you can incorporate preparedness into the life of every child. You can use creative and modern techniques such as employing social media as it has a huge impact on how children think and understand things. You should also work on building a model that is designed well enough to take in consideration the needs of the area, the risks of disasters, and the willingness of the young kids to listen.