An account of how children and youth can be inspired towards DRR

The theme of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) 2024, which falls on 13 October, will be on the role of education in protecting and empowering youth for a disaster-free future.

A key priority within the theme is to empower children and youth to be safe through age-appropriate education to understand and act on the risks they face as empowered children become agents of change for more resilient communities.

In the old city of Jodhpur, the city and its elders have stood as the defenders of the rich heritage against the encroaching forces of mindless modernity! The knowledge they hold, the wisdom they have acquired have proved, time and again, to be frugal tools for climate action and disaster risk reduction.

But the torch of knowledge and responsibility needs to be passed on! Through ICCROM’s ground-breaking initiative, Net Zero, the torch is passed on to twenty-seven young minds of Jodhpur. Eager to champion the cause of building resilience and climate action through the culture of Jodhpur, 27 young minds from the Laxmi Devi Mundra School, the Mayoor Chopasni School and the Sambhali Trust joined forces. With blessings from His Highness Maharaja Gaj Singh Sahib, the second of Jodhpur, ‪GRRID Corps‬ will organise an immersive four-day-long workshop on the water culture of Jodhpur for climate action – Ripples of Heritage.

Over three intensive days, these students will immerse themselves in the process of narrating the story of Jodhpur, focusing on the tug-of-war between the old and the new. They understood the history, explored the evolution of the city, weighed the good and the bad and finally, on the fourth day, theatrically presented how messy and ill-informed development has derailed their city - from being an epitome of resilience, the city has now become another example of fragility!

This is an incredible example of how children when guided properly with logic, science and culture can bring about ground breaking transformations at hyperlocal scales.