Elena Eva

KnowRISK on Seismic Risk Communication: The Set-Up of a Participatory Strategy- Italy Case Study

KnowRISK (Know your city, Reduce seISmic risK through non-structural elements) is a European project that addresses prevention measures to reduce non-structural damage caused by earthquakes. It is built on risk communication and takes action on pilot areas of the three participating countries: Portugal, Iceland, and Italy. The setting up of risk communication strategies in the project stands on the understanding local communities fragility, on their direct engagement, and on a holistic approach to vulnerability. The level of relevance of seismic compared to other hazards, the understanding, the memory of past disasters are indicators that affect the way a risk is perceived and preventive measures are taken. Similarly, the level of education, wealth, exposure to other, social, risks are aggravation parameters in risk computation to be accounted for when we communicate risk. Strategies for risk communication in KnowRISK rely on schools and citizen’s engagement, citizen’s science activities, tools for raising awareness.

The KnowRISK Action for Schools: A Case Study in Italy

“Know your school: be safe!” is a risk communication campaign, within the KnowRISK (Know your city, Reduce seISmic risK through non-structural elements) project, involving schools in three European countries, namely Portugal, Italy and Iceland. Its main aim is to facilitate school communities’ access to experts’ knowledge on non-structural seismic risk reduction. In Italy we implemented a learning strategy to capture young people attention. We believe students will be influential in turning scientific knowledge to practical know-how. The strategy is based on Situated Learning Episode (EAS), where homework is for learning and skills, and classwork is for reworking and understanding. The KnowRISK-EAS starts and ends with two focus groups where students, and experts rework concepts and discuss best practices. Students are asked to implement a communication product addressing their peers. The assignment has a double goal: it helps to activate reflexive learning; it will be a project tool to trigger risk reduction attitude within schools communities.