Youths challenged to step up and produce Emergency Plan for their family

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was celebrated on October 13, this year under the Theme: “Making Youth Partners for Disaster Risk Reduction.”{{more}}

The National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) conducted a number of activities, targeting young children and youths in keeping with this theme.

On Saturday, September 24, 2011, NEMO, in collaboration with the St. Vincent Teachers Credit Union, conducted a Disaster Risk Reduction workshop with members of the Credit Union’s Youth Group under the theme: “The role of youths in disaster risk reduction in St. Vincent and the Grenadines”. The main objectives of the workshop were to expose participants to: the basic concepts of Disaster Risk Reduction; information on hazards that are common to St. Vincent and the Grenadines; the economic and social impacts of these hazards; the role that youth can play in the disaster risk reduction mechanism at the national, community and family level; the basic concepts of the Family Emergency Plan and its importance.

The youths were also challenged to step up and produce an Emergency Plan for their family. The deadline for submission of these plans to NEMO’s Office was yesterday, Monday, October 17, 2011 and prizes will be awarded for the three best plans.

In keeping with its policy of trying to instill a culture of safety in the very young children and youths, NEMO also opted to work with a pre-school as part of activities leading up to International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. On Thursday, October 6, 2011, members of staff of NEMO visited the Imani Pre- School, Old Montrose, Kingstown, to make a presentation on the weather in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, making some comparison with the weather in the United Kingdom. The children were also exposed to video presentations on four of the common hazards that pose a threat to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They were also introduced to an interactive game on the disaster supply kit.

On Thursday, October 13, 2011, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, NEMO in collaboration with the Ministry of Education made a disaster risk reduction presentation at the CW Prescod Primary School in Kingstown. During the presentation the students were given the opportunity to understand the role of NEMO in Disaster Risk Reduction in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the role that they can play in their communities and families. There was also a video presentation on volcanoes, earthquakes, floods and hurricanes and preparedness in the family. The students were also given the opportunity to step up on the school’s steps, holding a print of the disaster risk reduction slogan to show that disaster risk reduction matters to them.

Activities to celebrate International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction continued with Members of staff of NEMO stepping up at midday to show that disaster risk reduction matters to them. A presentation for the Youths at Rose Place in Kingstown was staged at 4:30 p.m.

As part of the National Emergency Management Organization’s (NEMO) long term programme with youths, officials from NEMO and the Ministry of Education met early this month to formalize NEMO’s School Programme and NEMO’s School Safety Project for two primary and one Secondary School in Kingstown, as part of a project called” Kingstown be Ready”, focusing on education and the youths.