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Comments on
the NDYS2005
This was a
wonderful experience to participate in
the NDYS 2005 in Awaji Island.
I participated in the preliminary
meeting on 18th of January
2005, where I experienced
video-conference with students in Bam
(Iran) and Yerevan (Armenia).
This time, on 28th of
March, there were students from many
countries, as far as Argentina, Armenia,
Senegal, USA, Slovakia, Russia,
Indonesia, Iran, Kathmandu, and many
more, apart from the students of
different parts of Japan.
The summit had
three most significant parts: |
Dr. Rajib Shaw
Associate Professor
Kyoto University, Japan
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1)
It has facilitated direct contact of
the students, and thereby promoted the
exchange of diverse culture,
2)
It has expanded the friendship and
network, which will be the base of future
work, and
3)
It had provided the platform not only
to study, but also to act on disaster
preparedness.
It
is often argued that disaster prevention and
mitigation should be part of the culture (防災文化).
To make an effective international
exchange, cultural exchange plays a very
important role, and the NDYS summit has
rightly targeted at this. The other issue is that disaster prevention should be dealt
with fun, enjoyment, recreation and game.
This should be done in a way, that it
is inculcated in the daily lives, and then
only it can prepare a culture of safety.
The
ownership of the summit lies with the
students, where they actively participated in
different projects and activities, and came
out with different new ideas, innovations and
directions.
This holistic participation was very
significant for the mind-set in students,
where they are not only looking at the
problems, but also try to find the solutions
and root causes of the disasters. Thus,
among the four phases of disaster education
(listen, see, talk and do), the summit put
significant emphasis on “Do” or action,
where students undertake certain measures as
disaster prevention activities.
Definitely
all the students participating in the summit
are not going to be future disaster experts.
However, knowing disaster risk and
solving the disaster related problem at this
early stage, will be able to provide a
disaster consciousness, which will enable them
to take action at their individual capacity.
And, this will be the most successful
part of the whole process.
Last,
but not the least, the tremendous enthusiasm
of the teachers and the organizers (especially
J-ERN members) made the whole process lively,
and make it sustainable in the long run.
I am very optimistic of the whole
initiative, and looking forward to its future
activities.
Natural
Disaster Youth Summit 2005 in Hyogo
Declaration
March 28 ( Mon ), 2005
Awaji Yume Butai International Conference
Center main hall ,
Awaji
island
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