Young people want more chances to help and be heard in natural disaster preparation and recovery, according to research done by Victoria University and the Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic).
The study was based off the views of young people in regional areas affected by the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20.
The research looked at the Rural Young Activators youth empowerment pilot program.
The program was developed in regional Victoria following the bushfires to engage young people through local advocacy projects, including a partnership with the RSPCA to co-create animal welfare projects following the bushfires.
Associate Professor Fiona MacDonald said the young respondents often felt overlooked in times of crisis and called for strategies to change the narrative about young people, and regard them as capable and constructive ‘agents of change’.
“When young people are included in disaster management, there are benefits for themselves, their peers, community, and the environment,” Professor MacDonald said.
“Yet as they increasingly seek opportunities to engage with issues that will impact them and their futures, they often find they are sidelined.”
Respondents reported adults talking to them instead of with them, and not seeking their perspectives about what they needed to rebuild their own resilience for future events.
The research found that by assisting with rebuilding and clean-up young people can develop local skills and a sense of community contribution.
Professor MacDonald recommended government, community organisations and educational institutions should establish opportunities and training for young people to be involved in natural disaster planning and management.
This approach echoes an international disaster risk reduction strategy in the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.