BY JESS DAVIS.
NATIONAL REGIONAL & RURAL REPORTER FOR ABC NEWS.
When Scarlett Harrison was just a toddler the Black Saturday bushfires ripped through her home town Strathewen, killing 22 local residents and destroying 80 per cent of the homes and buildings, including the school.
Key points:
- A bushfire education program at a town where 22 people were killed on Black Saturday has reduced children’s fear of bushfires
- A Melbourne researcher says the program is the best of its kind in the world and hopes it will be implemented nationally and internationally
- Strathewen Primary School’s Year 6 students are telling experts about the program in Melbourne today
Since then, the school has been rebuilt and students have worked with the local fire brigade and community to create a child-centred bushfire education program, which is regarded as the best in the world.
“It’s pretty important since we lost quite a few people that day,” the 12-year-old said.
“So it’s good for kids to know now how to act, how to react if something like that comes through again and I really hope it won’t.”
As part of the program, the students learn how to calculate fire ratings themselves, measuring the dryness of leaves, humidity in the air and wind speed.
Scarlett said that education would help them in the future.
“A lot of adults generally don’t listen to kids so if we can tell them what we can learn at a young age, we can continue that through our life,” she said.
Scarlett and her classmates are today presenting their program to the national emergency summit in Melbourne, telling leading experts from across the globe “what kids can do” in an emergency.
“All around the world people have experienced natural disasters, like hurricanes, tsunamis,” she said.
“So if they experience another terrible fire like Black Saturday they can really know what to do — they can really take charge, get out safely and be safe.”
Students become the educators
During the program the students create books and animated films which are used to educate the entire community.
RMIT researcher Briony Towers said it was about putting the children in the ‘educator’ role.
“That’s where the power of the program really comes from.
“Because the children are so proud of what they’ve accomplished and then they go home and talk to their families about it.”
Dr Towers said there had been a reduction in children’s fear of bushfires since the program began in 2016.
“I think a lot of programs tend to be just one-off, so the benefits of this program is that its become really a part of the school culture.”
The program has been recognised internationally as best practice in bushfire preparedness and the focus now is getting the program into schools across the country and around the world.
If you or anyone needs help:
- Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
- Headspace on 1800 650 890
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
- QLife on 1800 184 527
Dr Robert Glasser, the former head of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and a visiting fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, warned we are entering an “unprecedented era of disasters”.
“Children have a huge role to play in reducing risk in their communities, in managing once a disaster strikes and also in helping support the recovery afterwards,” he said.
“For example in sharing the trauma with other children as a way of recovering and healing and also learning how to cope in future.”
Dr Glasser said children around the world were leading the way and he hoped more funding will be put into programs like the one at Strathewen Primary.
“Education is absolutely fundamental and it starts at the level of individuals and even children who have a really important role to play.”
This article (including images) was orginally published by Jess Davis for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It is republished unedited in the public interest of the local community. You can read the original article here.
