Stable Local

The Student Volunteer Army (SVA) is a youth-led, university- and school-based volunteer initiative in New Zealand, focused on building resilient communities through crisis response and ongoing community support. The organisation mobilises tens of thousands of volunteers to assist communities during and after disasters, while cultivating a culture of service and leadership among young people. Partnerships with organisations and funders amplify SVA’s reach and impact.

RisKIT is an educational game designed for primary schools that combines learning and fun to raise awareness among children about environmental risks and prevention measures. It includes practical exercises such as creating a risk calendar and an emergency kit, while also integrating knowledge of children’s rights in crisis situations. The goal is to develop collaboration and responsibility skills from an early age.

This manual presents the results of the work carried out within the CUIDAR project (Horizon 2020), focused on promoting a disaster resilience culture that actively includes children and adolescents. The manual documents activities conducted in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and the United Kingdom, showing how young people are not only vulnerable subjects but can also become key actors in disaster prevention, preparedness, and response.

In emergency situations, the rights of children and adolescents risk being violated, ignored, or underestimated due to the need to intervene quickly on aspects related to primary needs. Based on experience gained internationally and in national emergency contexts, Save the Children Italia offers practical recommendations to ensure safety, educational continuity, psychological support, and child participation, emphasizing respect for children’s rights and strengthening community resilience.

Feel Safe VR Experience is an immersive educational project by Save the Children Italia that uses virtual reality to teach children and adolescents how to respond safely to emergencies. Through interactive simulations of earthquakes, floods, and wildfires, participants develop practical safety skills, resilience, and awareness. The project emphasizes participation, inclusivity, and engagement to foster responsible young citizens.

A structured system where Japanese municipalities and welfare institutions create personalized evacuation strategies for vulnerable people, verified through inclusive drills and coordinated with local support networks.

The CBDRR approach developed by Solidarités International is a participatory methodology that places affected communities at the centre of disaster risk analysis, planning, and action. It combines local knowledge with technical expertise to identify hazards, vulnerabilities, and capacities, and translates this shared analysis into concrete preparedness, mitigation, and response measures implemented at community level.

The case illustrates how disability-inclusive DRR has been advanced in Vanuatu by shifting from ad-hoc inclusion to more systematic engagement of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations in preparedness, response planning, and community decision-making.

COPE Disaster Champions provides free illustrated children’s books, educational jingles and a digital platform to teach disaster preparedness and risk awareness. Through storytelling, visuals and simple action-oriented messages, the initiative empowers children to understand risks and adopt safe behaviours before, during and after disasters.

MAG-DER coordinates a standardised neighbourhood disaster volunteer model built on a 36-hour training programme (theory and fieldwork), volunteer team organisation, and “Neighbourhood Disaster Support Centers” (equipment containers) linked via radio to provincial crisis structures, with volunteer-led maintenance and periodic checks.