Disaster Awareness Training for 160 Young People in Cooperation with AFAD

Knowledge, Preparedness and Resilience for Disaster-Affected Young People

KOZ-DER delivered disaster awareness training as part of “Mind Games, Digitalisation and Disaster Awareness: A Journey to the Future for Young People”, supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Türkiye under the Support Programme for Empowering Disaster-Affected Young People. A total of 160 young people benefited from the training organised in cooperation with AFAD, Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency.

The project aimed to empower young people affected by the 6 February earthquakes in Kilis. It was designed with a TRY 910,000 grant and an implementation schedule of approximately eight months. Targeting young people aged 14–29, the programme brought together mind games, robotics and coding, digital skills, disaster awareness, psychosocial support and cultural and social activities. Disaster training formed an important part of this broader approach to young people’s safety and community resilience.

Training in Cooperation with AFAD

The training addressed preparedness before a disaster, appropriate behaviour during a disaster and actions after a disaster. Its purpose was to help participants connect what they learned with their own lives, families and communities, developing a more informed approach to disaster awareness.

Cooperation with AFAD brought specialist expertise into the learning process. Activities with different participant groups supported a shared understanding of preparedness and safe behaviour. The photographs accompanying this article show different sessions from the training programme.

Before a Disaster: Understanding the Value of Preparedness

The first part of the training focused on the idea that disaster preparedness starts before an emergency occurs. It aimed to support young people in recognising the importance of awareness of the risks around them and of making preparations in advance.

This approach connected disaster awareness with everyday life. Preparedness was presented as a shared responsibility that develops through awareness within families, communities and society, as well as through individual action.

During a Disaster: Informed and Safe Behaviour

The section on what to do during a disaster addressed the importance of appropriate behaviour and acting safely. It aimed to help participants approach the uncertainties of a disaster with greater awareness and develop a safety-oriented perspective.

This part of the training highlighted the value of knowledge and preparation acquired before a critical situation. It encouraged an approach based on preparedness rather than considering disasters only after they have occurred.

After a Disaster: Solidarity and Recovery

The third part covered actions after a disaster. It emphasised that the aftermath involves needs for solidarity and support alongside continuing attention to safety. The aim was to help young people better understand their own needs and the support needs of people around them.

Together with the project’s psychosocial support component, disaster awareness training contributed to a holistic approach to recovery and resilience. Learning, social support and the experience of becoming stronger together were brought into the same programme.

Working Together to Empower Young People

By reaching 160 young people, the disaster awareness training complemented the project’s educational, social participation and psychosocial support objectives. Combining disaster awareness with digital and cognitive skills strengthened the programme’s multidimensional approach.

KOZ-DER thanks the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Türkiye for its support, Kilis AFAD and Kilis AFAD Branch Director Ayşe Şahin for their cooperation in delivering the training, our team and all participating young people. We continue to work in solidarity to strengthen the knowledge, skills and resilience of disaster-affected young people.