Social Science for Systems Change

"The adults need more input from the kids because we have a lot of ideas that can help" - Year 8 student, Upwey High School.

Across Victoria, approximately 430 schools are listed on the Department of Education (DoE) Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR). Inclusion on the BARR requires a school to pre-emptively close on catastrophic fire danger days, develop bushfire emergency management plans and undertake other bushfire preparedness activities. Reflecting developments in child- and youth-centred disaster risk management, both in Australia and globally, the DoE’s policy guidance for BARR schools explicitly recognises that involving students as genuine participants in school bushfire planning and preparedness will increase their capacity to cope in the event of a bushfire emergency. Supporting the participation of young people in the design and implementation of policies, plans and standards for disaster risk reduction is also identified as a priority action in the Victorian Government’s Education and Training Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan.

This hybrid event, supported by RMIT University and the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, will showcase innovative new research on student participation in bushfire planning in Victorian secondary schools. Researchers from RMIT University and Leadrrr will share the latest findings of participatory action research being conducted at Upwey High School on Melbourne’s bushfire prone peri-urban fringe. They will also present an emergent evidence-based framework for supporting student participation in ways that adhere to existing regulatory requirements, accommodate the priorities of those with designated responsibilities for school emergency management, and respect the knowledge and perspectives of students themselves. Students from Upwey High School will then join the researchers for a panel discussion on the implications of the research for systems change in their own school and other schools around Australia.

Speakers:

Dr Erica Kuligowski (RMIT University)

Dr Briony Towers (Leadrrr)

Panelists:

Students from Upwey High School, Victoria