Students in Years 3 and 4 participated last week in a disaster resilience education program known as The Pillowcase Project.
During Hurricane Katrina, students of a local university used pillowcases to carry their cherished and basic possessions while evacuating campus. Upon hearing this, Red Cross staff developed the concept of using a pillowcase as an emergency kit.
Currently, Red Cross is working with some local governments in WA as part of a preparedness project targeting schools located in certain areas that might be subject to emergencies such as fires or storms. The Pillowcase Project is an education program designed to help children build knowledge and capacity in disaster preparedness.
The 60 minute lesson included discussion about the importance of being prepared, and fun interactive activities to help students prepare their minds for an emergency and consider what to pack in an emergency kit. Each student was given a pillowcase to decorate and take home, to start their own personal emergency kit.
The program has been developed with links to the Australian Curriculum.
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