Young people want better disaster education after Black Summer fires

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This was published 3 years ago

Young people want better disaster education after Black Summer fires

By Natassia Chrysanthos

University student Tara Tolhurst was studying for an exam last November when she looked out her window and saw smoke clouds, before fire rolled over hills in the distance.

"I’d never experienced a bushfire before," she said. "My exam was the next day and suddenly I was wondering whether I needed to pack a bag in case I couldn’t get home."

It was the third emergency event Ms Tolhurst had lived through, following flash floods near Newcastle in 2015 and drought more recently – none of which she felt prepared for. She is among a majority of young people who say they want better disaster education after the Black Summer bushfires.

Last season's devastating bushfires have left many young people wanting better disaster education.

Last season's devastating bushfires have left many young people wanting better disaster education.Credit: Nick Moir

Our World, Our Say, a new report that surveyed 1477 Australians aged between 10 and 24, found 88 per cent thought they were not taught enough to protect themselves and their communities from disasters in the wake of the Black Summer bushfire season.

Almost two-thirds of young people had experienced at least three disaster events in the last three years. But they reported learning more about earthquakes in school than more relevant hazards like bushfires, floods, drought and tropical cyclones.

Ms Tolhurst says she felt a sense of helplessness during the floods. "The town was cut off so I couldn’t go and help my friends, or even go to school for a week," she said. The drought, by contrast, felt more like living in a dystopia: the river stopped flowing and water had to be trucked in.

"Disasters are a lot to take on mentally, especially for a young person," she said. "When you know how to prepare, it’s less scary."

She said Australian students were not necessarily learning about disasters that would affect them. "Everything I know about climate disasters relevant to me has been through lived experience," she said.

"It’s clear from the research that Australia’s young people want more education on the disasters that are relevant to us, including how to reduce the risk of them happening."

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Brigid Little, a senior project officer at the Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience which led the survey alongside World Vision, said formal education did not yet link the study of natural hazards to local environments or building community resilience.

"We have a responsibility to support young Australians to develop the skills and knowledge to take protective action before, during and after an emergency or disaster," she said.

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"We know of exceptional Australian schools that are working hard to make learning about natural hazards relevant to their students and engaging with fire and emergency services to reduce the risk of disaster in their communities. This model of disaster resilience education is needed for all students."

The report also revealed 78 per cent of students were concerned about climate change following Black Summer. They were most worried about the extinction of plants and animals, followed by the liveability of the planet, natural hazards and extreme weather.

Air pollution emerged as a significant climate change concern for 76 per cent of students, after cities were shrouded in hazardous smoke over the summer.

Environmental movements such as the School Strike for Climate, which saw 80,000 Sydneysiders participate in student-led climate change protests last year, have not been able to hold in-person events during the pandemic.

But 90 per cent of young people said they still don't feel heard by government leaders, while 67 per cent thought Australia was not doing enough to reduce carbon emissions.

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