14 Leveraging Youth Engagement in Disaster Risk Reduction Through Science …
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as the focus, involving youth from Asian countries who will afterward make their
own DRR projects in their respective country. The Ministry of Youth and Sports
has also conducted massive events or programs in different cities, such as National
Jamboree/Camp (about 600–3000 participants) and annual disaster training for youth
volunteers, namely, Pemuda Siaga Bencana (Youth Ready for Disaster).
8 The trained
volunteers even set up a camp when there was a flood occurred in Sampang, East
Java.
9 Since 2012, National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB Indonesia) has
started a Disaster Risk Reduction Month (held every October), followed by National
Disaster Preparedness Day (held every 26 April) where some of the participants are
youth or at least it could attract large number of youth. Many events held by youth
are one-time or spontaneous events, such as a seminar on DRR topics by university
students-or taking part in emergency response, such as cleaning up post-flooding
or trauma healing for children. Other groups of youth conducted activities that aim
to enhance capacity and knowledge exchange as well as emergency response with
structured training prior to the events, such as Jakarta Rescue, Bandung Disaster
Study Group, and Tagana. They are among the aforementioned recognizable youth
organizations.
14.5.3 Indonesian Youth During the 3rd UN World
Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction
The UNMGCY’s record shows that among 446 Indonesian youth applied for the
Children and Youth Forum, 244 (54%) are female and 202 (46%) are male. Their
average age by March 2015 was 21.14, with the youngest was 16 and the oldest was
30, just within the definition of youth adopted by the UNMGCY. Almost half of
them are 21 (106) and 22 years of age (104). In terms of the geographical place of
residence, more than half of them live in Java Island (334) followed by Sumatra Island
(86), Kalimantan Island (7), Sulawesi Islands (13), and 6 others live in Bali and NTB
islands (Fig. 14.1). Interestingly, 84.98% of the youth came from provinces where
major disasters occurred within the 2000s, i.e., Central Java, East Java, Jakarta,
Riau, West Java, West Sumatra, and Yogyakarta. This was also expressed by the
participants, when they mentioned their disaster experience. Some of the famous
large-scale disasters were identified, which include the 2006 Yogyakarta Earthquake,
the 2009 West Java Earthquake, the 2009 West Sumatra Earthquake, the 2010 Mount
Merapi Eruption in Yogyakarta and Central Java, the 2010 Mentawai Tsunami in
West Sumatra, the 2014 Kelud Eruption in East Java, the 2014 Riau Forest Fire, and
Greater Jakarta Floods in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Besides the interesting finding, which links the higher number of applicants to
post major disaster experience in the applicant’s province, the youth’s access to
information might also be the factor that pushed the number of applicants in some of
8 https://www.kemenpora.go.id/index/preview/berita/7674 (last accessed December 24, 2019).
9 https://www.kemenpora.go.id/index/preview/berita/10429 (last accessed December 24, 2019).
259
as the focus, involving youth from Asian countries who will afterward make their
own DRR projects in their respective country. The Ministry of Youth and Sports
has also conducted massive events or programs in different cities, such as National
Jamboree/Camp (about 600–3000 participants) and annual disaster training for youth
volunteers, namely, Pemuda Siaga Bencana (Youth Ready for Disaster).
8 The trained
volunteers even set up a camp when there was a flood occurred in Sampang, East
Java.
9 Since 2012, National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB Indonesia) has
started a Disaster Risk Reduction Month (held every October), followed by National
Disaster Preparedness Day (held every 26 April) where some of the participants are
youth or at least it could attract large number of youth. Many events held by youth
are one-time or spontaneous events, such as a seminar on DRR topics by university
students-or taking part in emergency response, such as cleaning up post-flooding
or trauma healing for children. Other groups of youth conducted activities that aim
to enhance capacity and knowledge exchange as well as emergency response with
structured training prior to the events, such as Jakarta Rescue, Bandung Disaster
Study Group, and Tagana. They are among the aforementioned recognizable youth
organizations.
14.5.3 Indonesian Youth During the 3rd UN World
Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction
The UNMGCY’s record shows that among 446 Indonesian youth applied for the
Children and Youth Forum, 244 (54%) are female and 202 (46%) are male. Their
average age by March 2015 was 21.14, with the youngest was 16 and the oldest was
30, just within the definition of youth adopted by the UNMGCY. Almost half of
them are 21 (106) and 22 years of age (104). In terms of the geographical place of
residence, more than half of them live in Java Island (334) followed by Sumatra Island
(86), Kalimantan Island (7), Sulawesi Islands (13), and 6 others live in Bali and NTB
islands (Fig. 14.1). Interestingly, 84.98% of the youth came from provinces where
major disasters occurred within the 2000s, i.e., Central Java, East Java, Jakarta,
Riau, West Java, West Sumatra, and Yogyakarta. This was also expressed by the
participants, when they mentioned their disaster experience. Some of the famous
large-scale disasters were identified, which include the 2006 Yogyakarta Earthquake,
the 2009 West Java Earthquake, the 2009 West Sumatra Earthquake, the 2010 Mount
Merapi Eruption in Yogyakarta and Central Java, the 2010 Mentawai Tsunami in
West Sumatra, the 2014 Kelud Eruption in East Java, the 2014 Riau Forest Fire, and
Greater Jakarta Floods in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Besides the interesting finding, which links the higher number of applicants to
post major disaster experience in the applicant’s province, the youth’s access to
information might also be the factor that pushed the number of applicants in some of
8 https://www.kemenpora.go.id/index/preview/berita/7674 (last accessed December 24, 2019).
9 https://www.kemenpora.go.id/index/preview/berita/10429 (last accessed December 24, 2019).