Resilience Builders: Educational Minecraft for Generational Behaviour Change
Tracks
Monarch Room | In-Person Only
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 |
1:50 PM - 2:10 PM |
Overview
Dr Yetta Gurtner, Center For Disaster Studies, James Cook University
Details
Key Presentation Learnings:
1. The value of collaborative stakeholder engagement for innovative approaches to complex issues
2. The proposed approach and utility of Minecraft (gamification) to promote and support disaster resilience education at schools
3. The potential for educational game play and the Resilience Builder program to foster intergenerational behaviour change and community resilience
Speaker
Dr Yetta Gurtner
Coordinator And Researcher
Centre For Disaster Studies, James Cook University
Resilience Builders: Educational Minecraft for Generational Behaviour Change
Abstract
Climate, Disaster Resilience, and Preparedness, represent a significant ongoing challenge for disaster management practitioners and local communities. Given that complex problems often require innovative solutions, it was presented as the overarching theme for Cohort 4 of the Queensland Connects program. As a partnership between Advanced Queensland and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) the program brings together subject matter experts from government, universities, private enterprise and industry, within an entrepreneurial framework to resolve real world issues. The “Team Inundation” group was curated with flooding as the hazard focus. Directly aligning with recommendations from the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience, the Royal Commission into National Disaster Arrangements (2020) and the Queensland Strategy for Disaster Resilience (2022-2027) team members decided to take a proactive approach to disaster risk reduction and preparedness premised in community-based disaster resilience education (DRE). Through extensive research and collaboration over an 18-month period, the “Resilience Builders” program was conceptualised. The intent of the program is to utilise educational Minecraft embedded within the school curriculum to initially teach flood risk awareness and household level preparedness. If successful, the scope could be extended to all natural hazards and a broader community context. The value and potential of gamification in the education of the younger generation is well recognised, with relevant agency and stakeholder support it is hoped the Resilience Builders initiative can go further and stimulate learning and generational behaviour change across the community.
Biography
Dr. Yetta Gurtner is an adjunct senior researcher and coordinator of the Centre for Disaster Studies at James Cook University. With over 20 years of field work, teaching, and research experience, both locally and internationally, her work is focused on developing practical strategies and outcomes that help build community capacity to increase local resilience.
![loading](/Content/Images/loader-large.gif)