The Annual Claire Zara Memorial Oration was held over zoom this year with speaker Professor Lori Peek, Director of the Natural Hazards Centre from the University of Colorado, for the 2020 Emergency Management Conference.
Professor Lori is a leading sociologist and expert in the disaster field and shared her lessons from her book, Children of Katrina, a seven-year longitudinal study of children and young people’s experiences in disasters following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, United States.
Professor Lori spoke about the need to engage and consult with children and young people in disaster management to break down systemic barriers and “encourage the next generation leaders who are coming of age in an ever more turbulent world…to continue to contribute in many, many different ways to [disaster] preparedness, response and recovery.”
A children and youth-centred, intersectional and institutional approach in emergency management is needed to amplify the voices of children and young people in disaster settings and better understand their needs, whilst valuing their diversity and numerous strengths in building community resilience to disasters.
Our sincere thanks to Lori, and to Steve O'Malley for his excellent Q&A work! As always, we are indebted to the EMC organisers, particularly Mark Swiney and Tony Pool for their ongoing support.
Click on the image to watch.
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