Empowering Young Minds: Youth Awareness Programme on Disaster Management, Emergency Response and Safety Management

Preparedness and awareness are among the strongest tools available when responding to emergencies and disasters. With the increasing need to educate younger generations on safety and responsible action,

I have throughout my professional Life been extremely Focussed on this aspect of building capacity of Youth be it either in some NGO or Educational Institutions, or community level, this apart from my regular intervention as an Instructor in various Organizations.

Karnataka Civil Defence Corps Division 17 of which I am the division warden, in association with Rotary Bangalore R T Nagar , Would like to add that I am also a Rotarian in an other Club,  organized a Youth Awareness Programme on Disaster Management, Emergency Response and Safety Management on 23rd May 2026.

The programme witnessed enthusiastic participation from more than 60 children and was designed to create awareness, develop practical understanding and inspire a culture of preparedness among youth. The initiative was designed and aimed aimed to help participants understand that disasters and emergencies can occur unexpectedly and that awareness, knowledge and timely action can save lives.

Before I get into the Nuances  D-Day events and sessions I want to add a small note that Both Civil Defence and Rotary Are Voluntary Services, all events and initiatives we do are purely voluntary but highly motivated and inspired people join us in making these initiatives happen.

For this event I must Thank my fellow wardens of Division 17 who were involved in the planning and arranging various things, and also those who were present on the D Day. Also Thank Rotarians Rtn Sarita President of Rotary Bangalore R T Nagar and Secretary Of the RBRTN Rtn Hema who joined us in our pre event planning . I would also like to Thank IEEE team for a wonderful support in Sharing their expertise of the MOVE Vehicle.

 

The day began with registration and an inaugural session which included the welcome address, Karnataka Civil Defence address, Rotary Bangalore R T Nagar address The programme also included an invocation prayer song ‘Itni Shakthi Hame Dena Daata’ was nicely rendered by Ms Ashwini k one of the Participants and a brief introduction to the concept of a Green Event as we had planned to make this event waste free.

The technical sessions commenced with Disaster Management Awareness conducted by Me. The session focused on understanding different types of disasters, preparedness measures and the importance of staying calm and organized during emergencies, also some do’s and don’ts

 

This was followed by a Fire Safety session conducted by Mr. B.A. Satyanarayana, where participants learned about fire hazards, preventive measures and basic response actions during fire-related emergencies. We also had a practical demonstration of Different types of Fire extinguishers and the PASS system of using a Fire extinguisher, I am sure all the participants will now know how to use an extinguisher.

 

I  Sunand Sampath later conducted a First Aid session, introducing participants to basic first aid concepts and the importance of immediate care before professional medical assistance arrives.I also demonstrated CPR and told the importance of Golden hour and also taught them how to handle choking person, Active Bleeding and some of the other emergencies

 

Cybercrime Awareness was conducted by Dr. Girisha Shankar, who highlighted the growing importance of digital safety, responsible internet usage and common cyber threats that young people may encounter. His vast expertise and Passion for interacting with youth is always motivating, His style of Workshop included giving current and most relevant examples and case studies and connecting the children with their level of knowledge yet sending out the right message.

 

 

Participants also attended a session on, Snake Awareness and Snake Bite Management conducted by Mr. K Mohan. The session addressed common misconceptions, safe behaviour around animals and essential first-response measures during snake bite incidents.The session witnessed children learn various types of Indian Snakes , their features and identification etc

Mr Mohan is a well known Snake rescuer and has many years of experience behind him his interactions were very engaging and eye opening for all.

 

Traffic Safety Awareness was conducted by Mr. Feroz Khan, emphasizing responsible road behaviour, safety rules and preventive practices for pedestrians and road users. Mr Feroz khan a senior Traffic Warden has spent many years volunteering as a Traffic warden, he loves to engage with youth his interactions and very strong Presentation will definitely make these participants more responsible and also their families more responsible on the road.

 

A Disaster Mock Drill  I Led and well Supported by the Karnataka Civil Defence Division 17 teamprovided practical exposure and enabled participants to understand emergency response procedures through experience-based learning. It was a simple evacuation drill but I had made some of the senior studemts as volunteers to make sure evacuation was safe, assembly was proper etc, all understood the finer nuances of an emergency situation

IEEE India MOVE Vehicle

One of the major attractions of the programme was the presence of the specially modified Disaster Response Vehicle “MOVE” from IEEE India. Participants were given an informative walkthrough of the vehicle and introduced to its specialized features and its role in disaster response and emergency operations. This MOVE Vehicle is designed and Modified to provide the critical Power supply, Communication requirements for the first responders during a disaster,

Rotary Bangalore R T Nagar played an important role in supporting the programme as part of its continued commitment towards youth development and community service initiatives. They provided the Projector, Steel plates, Glasses, and other vessels from their Culery Bank, The delicious Lunch, etc, Their timely support made this programme run with ease and smoothly.

The programme concluded with participant feedback, certificate distribution and appreciation for all Collaborators, trainers, volunteers and Civil Defence Wardens, Rotarians who worked together to make the initiative successful.

The general feedback was

On things to Improve:

• Too Many topics so there was less time to cushion between the sessions,
• Longer session could have enabled more detailed sessions.

The good part :

• This was an Eye opener event and very different from what the participants had expected and they loved the whole days sessions
• The topics were very insightful and thought  provoking
• Many students said they are now interested to read, know or to gain more knowledge about Disasters , disaster Management etc.
• Many are willing to join more detailed sessions on these topics in future.
• They liked the concept of Zero Waste event.

With support from well wishers like Rotary and a few others we were able to provide fool, Juice, Snacks, Certificates and other things to all the participants and volunteers.

Finally: like most of my successful events I ended up being Happily tired at the end of the day and looking forward to more such events in the future.

Awareness programmes such as these do more than transfer knowledge; they help build confidence, responsibility and readiness among young people. Every child educated today contributes towards creating safer and more resilient communities tomorrow.

I am ready to join hands with like minded people who come forward with a same purpose.

some more pictures

  

signing out

Sunand