◇30 Years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake
Proposals from High School Students
Kobe Municipal Fukiai High School International Studies Department,
Grade 2 Global Studies Disaster Prevention Team |
Our proposal:
We propose the "LPD: Disaster Preparedness Project."
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This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
We must not forget the events that occurred during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake,
which laid the foundation for the development of international disaster
prevention education, and we must use the lessons learned from it to improve
the situation in Japan during disasters.
The disaster prevention team of six second-year students from the International
Department and Global Studies program at Kobe Municipal Fukiai High School.
We narrowed down the problem to three areas: health, human rights, and
education , and proposed the "LPD: Disaster Preparedness Project.
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LPD is an important initiative in which high school students take the lead in promoting local disaster prevention and increasing disaster resilience in the region.
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Our proposed "LPD: Disaster Preparedness Project" aims to not
only help high school students and local residents learn about past disasters,
but also to equip them with skills to prepare for future disasters.
This project will proceed in three stages: "Learn," "Practice," and "Demonstrate." |
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First, in the "learning" stage, students understand the importance of disaster prevention by attending lectures by experts and listening to the experiences of evacuees.
For example, Fukiai High School provides an opportunity to listen to evacuees' stories and learn about disaster prevention every year on January 17th.
This allows high school students to learn about self-help, preventing disaster-related deaths, and emergency preparedness. Therefore, we propose that such lectures be held nationwide on Disaster Prevention Day, for example, on September 1st. |
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Next, in the "preparation" stage, we conduct practical disaster prevention drills.
Because typical drills often limit evacuation to the schoolyard, we believe more practical activities are needed.
For example, we conduct activities such as making and learning how to use
emergency toilet kits, cooking and serving emergency food, and practicing
debris removal. Furthermore, by considering the safety of evacuation routes from a child's perspective, we can implement
more realistic disaster prevention measures.
Through these activities, students can learn what they can do themselves, which can lead to the activation of disaster prevention activities in the community. |
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Finally, in the "Practice" stage, participants put what they learned in the previous two stages into practice in local disaster prevention drills.
For example, by walking the path to an evacuation shelter with an elderly
person, participants will understand the unique challenges faced by the
elderly, such as uneven terrain and slopes, and will review evacuation
routes, there by strengthening support for those in need of special assistance.
Furthermore, by teaching the knowledge learned in the "Preparation" stage through hands-on experiences with local residents, more local residents will acquire knowledge that will be useful in the event of a disaster.
Ice-breaking games will also promote everyday understanding among local residents, leading to mutual assistance in the event of a disaster.
The greatest benefit of LPD is that local disaster prevention is led by
young people and high school students. In recent years, participation rates
in local disaster prevention drills among young people and older generations
have been declining. By having high school students take the lead in running
the event, it is expected that high school students will help revitalize
the community and encourage more people to take action to help themselves
and each other.
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