Words into Action guidelines: Engaging children and youth in disaster risk reduction and resilience building

Children and youth under age 30 currently make up more than half the world’s population. They are the ones who will benefit most from reducing disaster risk and impacts, curtailing climate chaos and achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As this Words into Action (WiA) guide illustrates, their contributions are already making a difference for more inclusive DRR and resilience-building policies, more prepared households, healthier children and youth, and safer communities. However more can, and must, be done to support and engage children and youth around the world in DRR to fully implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

This guide aims to ensure worldwide access to expertise, communities of practice and networks of DRR practitioners. The guide offers specific advice on implementing a feasible, people-centered approach to supporting and engaging children in disaster risk reduction and resilience-building. It provides high-level knowledge on the topic, as well as links to multiple sources that can provide more in-depth information. The WiA guide includes five interrelated areas:

• The Overview highlights the value of supporting, engaging and empowering children and youth when implementing the Sendai Framework. 

• Section 01: Engaging children and youth offers key principles to guide DRR action, as well as guidance for meaningfully engaging and safeguarding children and youth. 

• Section 02: Implementing the Sendai Framework for DRR provides ideas for DRR action within the Sendai Framework’s four priorities for action, and includes case studies. Section 02 Publications

• Section 03: Including all of society in DRR explores inclusive DRR as called for in the Sendai Framework, which requires a meaningful commitment to leave no child or youth behind.

• Section 04: Taking a multisector approach to DRR aims to increase the collective impact of DRR and resilience building through promoting a multisectoral approach to DRR. 

• Section 05: Using creativity, innovation and play highlights the strategic and critical value of creative, fun, innovative and engaging processes in DRR and resilience initiatives and shares case studies and child- and youth-friendly resources. 

How we work together now in implementing the Sendai Framework will not only impact young lives, but affect the trajectory of humanity in the decades to come.