Building Community Resilience by Engaging Young People in Pre and Post-Disaster Volunteering
Tracks
Monarch Room | In-Person Only
| Tuesday, July 23, 2024 |
| 12:05 PM - 12:25 PM |
Overview
Madi Keay, Student Volunteer Army
Details
Key Presentation Learnings:
1. Engaging Young People Enhances Disaster Response: Involving young people in disaster preparedness and response improves overall response capacity and effectiveness. Programs like those offered by SVA instil leadership qualities in young people, enabling rapid mobilization of volunteers and bridging gaps between communities and emergency services during crises.
2. Cross-sector collaboration is Crucial: Effective disaster response requires collaboration across government agencies, community groups, schools, and indigenous communities.
3. Digital Platforms Enhance Volunteer Engagement: Leveraging digital platforms streamlines volunteer coordination, data collection, and communication, facilitating rapid response and scalability post-disaster. The data collected in crucial in informing future initiatives and policy decisions.
Speaker
Madi Keay
Head Consultant
The Charity Collective
Building community resilience by engaging young people in pre and post-disaster volunteering.
Abstract
In regions prone to major natural disasters, community readiness is vital for effective crisis management. The Student Volunteer Army (SVA) collaborates across sectors to engage young people in disaster preparedness, aligning with global frameworks like The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. SVA's programs instill leadership qualities in youth, enhancing overall disaster response capacity. For instance, during the Auckland flooding, SVA mobilized over 2,000 volunteers within 48 hours, showcasing rapid response capabilities. Post-disaster, SVA conducts door-knocking campaigns to assess community needs, effectively bridging gaps between affected communities and emergency services.
SVA's three programs—SVA Schools, SVA Service Award, and tertiary-level student clubs—have engaged over 150,000 students, reversing declining volunteer trends and instilling the value of community service. The SVA app, introduced in 2020, streamlines volunteer coordination and data collection, facilitating impactful post-disaster initiatives and informing policy decisions. Case studies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic response, highlight youth's vital role in community resilience, underscoring the need for formalized youth inclusion in disaster response frameworks.
Further research is needed to understand how to effectively engage young children in disaster response and leverage youth-led initiatives for community resilience. By reshaping the narrative around youth contributions and advocating for their formal inclusion in disaster response frameworks, we can collectively advance youth-led post-disaster civic action and contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 11.5.
SVA's three programs—SVA Schools, SVA Service Award, and tertiary-level student clubs—have engaged over 150,000 students, reversing declining volunteer trends and instilling the value of community service. The SVA app, introduced in 2020, streamlines volunteer coordination and data collection, facilitating impactful post-disaster initiatives and informing policy decisions. Case studies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic response, highlight youth's vital role in community resilience, underscoring the need for formalized youth inclusion in disaster response frameworks.
Further research is needed to understand how to effectively engage young children in disaster response and leverage youth-led initiatives for community resilience. By reshaping the narrative around youth contributions and advocating for their formal inclusion in disaster response frameworks, we can collectively advance youth-led post-disaster civic action and contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 11.5.
Biography
Coming from a background in economics, indigenous studies and international relations Madi drew on a broad academic base to complete a master's examining the community benefits of involving young people in post-disaster volunteering.
As the Head of Impact for the Student Volunteer Army Madi has coordinated thousands of volunteers in emergency response settings such as the Auckland flooding and COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, Madi is completing a Master of Child and Family Psychology examining how engaging young people in pre and post-disaster initiatives can reduce the psychological consequences of disasters.
