Young innovators in disaster risk reduction
Young boys and girls from four European countries challenged each other to make apps and games to help children and adolescents learn about hazards and the correct bbehaviour to adopt in order to become aware of and cope with emergency situations.
The European project CORE (sCience and human factOr for Resilient society) launched an international contest and challenged boys and girls from schools in Austria, Belgium, Greece and Italy to design innovative apps aimed at providing communities with information and interactive features to learn about natural and man-made hazards and how to behave to ensure that hazards do not become disasters.
The winners of the competition were two groups of boys and girls from the Liceo Scientifico Leonardo Da Vinci, Vallo della Lucia, Vallo della Lucania (Campania Region, Italy). The two teams did not just create content and prototypes, but created two apps ready to be used on a large scale.
Blaze Breakout is an app for smartphones focused on training for the prevention of catastrophic situations such as fires, earthquakes and floods. Blaze Breakout is a point-and-click game structured on three different levels, each of which deals with a different hazard.
Each level has its own scene and objects, and the user must choose to select one of them to deal with the situation at hand. Based on the choice made, the game will give an explanation on the success of the action or the mistake made and give information on the correct behaviour to implement.
This app stood out for meeting the four criteria defined by the evaluation panel composed of disaster resilience experts, including scientists, first responders and policy makers:
- optimisation of the app to achieve TRL 7 standards, including performance improvements,
- incorporation of innovative features or approaches to improve disaster preparedness,
- ease of use, accessibility and use of inclusive language,
- potential of the app to remain relevant and valuable over time, even after optimisation.
Safe Rescue is a video game featuring images, graphics, text and sound effects entirely developed by the team of boys and girls who created it.
The video game aims to raise awareness among boys and girls aged 7-8 about good behaviour to prevent and deal with emergencies.
This video game stood out for meeting the four criteria defined by the evaluation panel composed of disaster resilience The ability to cope with calamitous events and overcome their effects experts, including scientists, first responders and policy makers:
- creativity and uniqueness of the app's approach to disaster preparedness,
- accuracy of the information provided, including case studies and guidance for disaster response,
- user-friendliness and inclusiveness of the application, including accessibility The possibility of access to a place features and inclusive language,
- practicality and feasibility of implementing the app.
The young winners of the contest were invited to present their work at the final event of the CORE project and were officially awarded during a ceremony organised to highlight their talents.
Find out more about the CORE project and the award ceremony for these young innovators!