Hosted by OSOS , contributed by nuclio on 10 October 2018
Did You know that we live in a restless planet? The atmosphere has storms, wind and rain, the ground can shake, mountains throw molten rocks and ash, rivers can swell, sometimes the ocean invades the land… We cannot avoid this type of events, but we can be prepared for them. Have you ever witnessed any event of that kind? Do you think your community is prepared to thrive through such event? In this activity you will be able to discover this and provide a very important contribution to your community, and maybe to others in different islands. Make your work worth for your local and global world!
Feel
Part 1 - Introduction
Do you know what are natural disasters? Write down all the natural disasters you know about.
Do you know of any natural disasters your island is subjected to? What do you think that could happen if such disaster happened right now? Discuss in class and write down your thoughts.
Whatch this video:
So, now that you have learned what natural hazards are, can you explain why it is so important to prepare island communities for their occurrence? Discuss this with your group and write down your thoughts.
Part 2 - Natural disasters in your island
Now, think about what kind of natural hazard seems most relevant where you live. Write down which one it is and describe how it can threat your community,
Ask your teacher for the link to a research platform where you will investigate about how to be prepared for such event.
Did you finish your research? What did you learn? Write down all the important topics you learned from this research. How can your island be protected regarding a natural hazard?
Part 3 - Awareness in your community (your local world)
Do you think your community is aware of the possibility of a natural disaster happening in your island? Are people conscious of natural threats? Are they prepared? Reflect on these questions and discuss this with your group.
Now, let’s focus on the following questions:
Did your community face a natural disaster before?If yes, what natural disaster? Are people in your community currently conscious of the possibility of a natural disaster afflicting your island? Are they prepared to face it? Write your hypotheses.
Follow the guidelines presented here (link to globallab) to collect information about the memories of the older members of the community, your community’s awareness towards natural hazards and the level of preparedness of your island in case a natural hazard occurs.
(It is very important that you follow the guidelines rigorously so that all your colleagues making this activity throughout the world can collect the same kind of data and compare it).
Using the data you have collected you can organize it and analyse it. Were your predictions correct? What conclusions do you take from your analysis? Can you make correlations between the data you have collected? For example, can you find any relation between the remembrance of any natural disaster and the preparedness for future events? Can you find a correlation between the level of education of the involved communities and awareness of the possible natural hazards to the islands?
Can you now answer to the three questions presented before?
Did your community face a natural disaster before? If yes, what natural disaster? Are people in your community currently conscious of the possibility of a natural disaster afflicting your island? Are they prepared to face it?
Part 4 - Awareness in other communities (your global world)
Now, using the data collected by your colleagues from different islands, can you learn about the awareness of the communities in other islands? Can you use the data collected by your colleagues in other islands to respond to the same question at a global level? Are other communities more or less aware regarding this problem comparing to yours? Can you learn something from them? Can you help them? Use the discussion utility on the platform to discuss your results with your colleagues from different islands. Maybe they have good advice for you, or maybe you can help them explaining what your communities does to be prepared.
Imagine
Islands are some of the most beautiful and rich places on this planet. They provide us with a natural beauty that makes our chins fall and contain unique cultural and historic heritages that are worth keeping and treasuring, However, life on islands often presents challenges for which one has to be prepared. Sometimes such challenges involve living in places subjected to the forces of nature, which humans can’t control. But we can learn about our planet, respect its natural phenomena and we can be ready! We must be aware of the dangers, their nature and intensity, and of the best ways to prepare infrastructures and communities to prevent any damages to human lives. Throughout this activity you are becoming aware of the dangers that your island (and others) face from the environment. It is now your turn to share this new knowledge with others and imagine, implement and share your own solutions. This can be a fundamental contribution to your community!
Part 1 – Imagining solutions
In the beginning of this activity you learned about how we, humans, can be prepared to face the forces of Nature and what they throw against us.
It is now time for you to decide whether your community is in need of your help to be better prepared for a natural disaster or if your community is very well prepared and you can now help other communities in other islands to follow your community’s example.
Which one will you choose?
Option 1 - your community
If you want to work for your local community, you should start by imagining what your community could do to be better prepared for a natural disaster and prevent great losses in case it happens. Can you take an example from other communities that have faced these events and survived? Can your colleagues from other islands that are better preparared help you? What specific changes do you think your community would be whiling to make in order to be better prepared?
Discuss this with your group, with your class, with your friends, family, neighbours, etc. Remember to always take into account your community's opinions and willingness to implement any change. Thinking of solutions that no one will be able to implement will make your hard efforts worthless. Be part of your community, pay attention to the reality of the people that live in your island and together with your colleagues come up with great solutions.
Option 2 - other communities
In case you chose the second, you can consider what your community is already presenting as an excellent behaviour, and what advise could you give to other communities? How could other communities change? For this keep a regular communication with your colleagues from those communities, ask them to consult their families, neighbours, friends, etc to conclude what could be done for their community.
In both cases, write down all your ideas and procedures. You can take pictures from your island and keep constant record of your work.
Create
Now that you have thought about how you can contribute to your community, or to the other communities in other islands, it is time to put the wheels in motion. This is where you are going to have the most important role of all.
What can you offer to your community (or other communities, if you chose option 2 before) as a result of your work? Discuss with your group what is in your reach now to help. Is it an awareness raising video? Is it an exhibition in the centre of the town? Is it a theatre? What would it be the best and most effective contribution?
Together as a group, decide what type of output you will want to create for the community. You can be as creative as possible. Discuss with your teacher(s) what you can do and how far you can go.
Think about how you will record and register everything you do to share later. Take pictures, make videos, etc.
Create!
Now that you have decided what to do it is time to start. Make sure you have completed the full design of your project and have access to all materials you will need. You will have to work with a team. Be prepared for any changes that may have to be done to your project when in the field. You may need the help of professionals in your community. Discuss the design of your project with them.