UNICEF and ANU’s Australian Child and Adolescent Trauma, Loss and Grief Network have released a podcast series for school leaders and educators across Australia, focussing on planning for - and responding to – disasters such as bushfires and flooding.
In interviewing educators who have experienced disasters first-hand, the ‘Disaster Talks’ podcasts are designed to help the education community learn from the stories of their peers, and how best to support their community through a current or future disaster event.
“The podcasts shed light on the unique needs of children and their experiences before, during and after a disaster, providing a platform for educational leaders who’ve worked through disasters to share their knowledge with others,” said Nicole Breeze, UNICEF Australia’s Chief Advocate for Children.
The podcasts share the wisdom that schools have gained navigating the past two years following disasters they have experienced and making these learnings accessible to a wider school audience, shedding light on the unique needs and rights of children in disasters and emergencies, and the typical trajectory of their experiences before, during and after a disaster.
“These podcasts provide an opportunity for educators to hear from colleagues about what it’s like to lead a school community through a disaster. They provide an opportunity to listen to the experiences of young people, teachers and school leaders about what the demands were, what worked and what they wished they had known before the disaster hit,” said Michelle Roberts, Psychologist and Director, The Australian Child and Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network.
This story originally appeared as a media release from the Australian National University.