Following my meeting with Maureen Fordham, I have put a few things into practice. Firstly I evaluated apiece of software that can be used for a bibliography and literature review based on her advice. End Note is supposed to be a cross platform biblography programme, but I have read that it wasn’t that compatible with OS X 10.4 and it was also very expensive. Instead I found a link to Sente on a forum. This is a great piece of software which check online library catalogues and databases for documents and even retrieves it in pdf format if available. The author. a synopsis and key words are then added to your own chosen category or sub-category by dragging the document.

I have managed to track down some of the texts suggested by Maureen on Amazon and these should be coming through any day soon.

Maureen also suggested that we submit a paper to Children, Youth and Environments is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed
journal with a multidisciplinary audience of researchers, policy makers, and professionals in 143 countries around the world (http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/index.htm). The closing date for abstracts is 15th September. I have viewed the synopsis for abstracts and I think that tackling the subject of children’s vulnerability to hazards and how this can be redressed by empowering children to become involved in risk analysis (hazard mapping in El salvador for instance) It would be useful to find information on the effectiveness of such schemes.
Also might be useful to examine what role groups like COGSS would like to play in future.

16/07/06

Notes on ‘Methods of Delivery’

Again there were several methods of delivery noted in ‘Disaster Risk Reduction: Mitigation and Preparedness’.

•        Posters and leaflets are the most common form of strategy as they are relatively cheap to produce – However, the impact of this method is said to be weakened because of inappropriate images. People are moved by visual images more than verbal ones and tend to remember them better, especially in societies with low literacy levels: THEREFORE: USING TSUNAMI CARTOON DRAWN BY BOY IN MY CLASS AND USING ONLY ONE WORD – ‘TSUNAMI’ is a good way of getting message across. NB – Need to get this scanned and put on web site!
•        Use of Demonstrations – Shake tables are often used in demonstrations. Other demonstrations may also be useful for people to fully comprehend hazards: egg tectonics, clamp and pencil, sound waves (clicking fingers) etc. NOTE: SHAKE TABLES THAT CAN BE CARRIED AROUND ESAILY – VARIABLE SPEED DRILL TABLE DESIGN OR CRANK SHAFT DESIGN, MAY BE MORE USEFUL AS THEY CAN BE MADE AND DISTRIBUTESD TO EDUCATORS AND PEOPLE WILLING TO DEMONSTRATE.
•        Hazard Risk Maps: Important that they are presented in an easily understood format - Is it possible to use 3D mapping and photographic montages so that maps are less abstract – especially to people with lower literacy levels. When hazard maps are being drawn up sites could also be photographed? (i.e. Parts of volcano slope where pyroclastic surges may occur, or safer areas that population should evacuate to!)
Entertainment Media: In past radio soap operas have been used to get across the dangers of hurricanes – Teimpos de Huracanes (Hurricane Season) in Central America. I thought that working with school and producing a DVD in a ‘Bollywood’ style to show people the dangers of earthquakes and of the importance of building design and of duck and cover exercises. In particular a good and easily remembered song needs to be written and a good dance routine!! I have approached the director media at school and we have started to talk about possible locations for filming etc. gain the idea is to get students to be involved writing and producing the film. If this was successful it could either be exported and used in education projects or used as a model for villages/ schools to make their own versions, using a pre written format – Much like a village play - Very useful in places like Indonesia where this is a useful way of learning about past or myths and legends – can be used in an educational way – Shadow Puppets?

14/07/06

Having read chapter sent to me by John Twigg on Education, Information and Communications on geohazards, I have had some thoughts and have made some annotations to the text.

•        It is important to understand the community one is seeking to help. This is more than just knowing a little about the culture, any project needs to communicate with local population what their needs, priorities and indigenous knowledge and capacity.
•        Although risk management and education about risks posed is important, but must be informed by communities experience and perception of the risk. There is probably an argument therefore of setting up education projects while having a close dialogue with local population.
•        Visualisation, talk and modelling etc are the best ways to analyse and transmit knowledge. Is it also possible to get local people involved in the measurement, monitoring of hazards – i.e. appointing someone to be responsible for looking for warning signs and communicating dangers at the local level. (same principal as putting seismographs in UK and US schools – i.e. it generates interest and provokes people into wanting to find out more…However it is important that this information is available and accessible when the time comes.
•        There is an argument that vulnerable people can explain their perspectives clearly to outsiders if given the opportunity to do so…How did Kubilay find this in Pakistan? What was the most effective method? Workshops? Talking/Meetings? Teaching? Informal chats?
•        Many disaster programmes should include communications and awareness raising: Public Education is often undertaken by people without special training or skills which results in ‘fragmented, one-off, short-term interventions’. Education therefore needs to be an ongoing basis, developing over time as local knowledge becomes moiré sophisticated’.