Natural risks in Europe: are we prepared enough ?

We wanted to achieve several goals. Firstly, we wanted to put pupils and teachers from different countries in contact with each other with a view to cultural exchanges and active practice of the E...

We wanted to achieve several goals. Firstly, we wanted to put pupils and teachers from different countries in contact with each other with a view to cultural exchanges and active practice of the English language for the duration of the 4 visits. At the same time, the theme of natural hazards and the way in which European societies are, or are not, prepared to deal with them are at the heart of our respective geography and science and technology curricula in France, Italy and Croatia. The aim is therefore to share our thoughts, knowledge and points of view on this issue, from the perspective of both students and teachers. The educational and scientific aim of this project is fundamental. It should make us aware of how close this issue is to our three countries and, more generally, to the EU as a whole. In terms of teaching, the final podcast project, with its videos, animations and conclusions, should be a teaching tool that can be re-used in lessons by the various teachers involved, as well as their colleagues in their respective schools.

For the activities implemented, we chose to adopt a similar approach for each mobility with students. The first step was to take a theoretical approach to the risk studied, with the help of presentations by professionals. In Italy, we attended a private lecture given by a geologist at the University of Aversa. In the Alps, we spent an hour and a half talking to the high mountain guides of Saint Gervais in a refuge close to the glacier we had observed. In Croatia, we visited and listened to the explanations of a geologist in an educational centre in the Bionovo Biopark. We then organised trips and visits to the sites and asked the pupils to interview local people about their awareness of the risk and how to deal with it. In Italy, we went to Pompeii, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, and to the town of Pozzuoli in the heart of the phlegrean fields. In France, we hiked above St Gervais to observe a glacier. Finally, in Croatia, we visited the Bionovo Biopark, an area hit by earthquakes and forest fires.

In practical terms, the various visits enabled the students to record testimonies and oral explanations about how natural hazards work and how people and professionals (academics, guides) approach these risks (awareness, forecasting, prevention, protection). All this material was used as the basis for a podcast, produced jointly by students from the three countries and finalised by the French students, who were responsible for the initial project. The podcast brings together personal accounts, explanations, reflections, a presentation of the issues at stake and a conclusion based on the question posed by the project: Natural risks; are we prepared enough? As well as being a final work, the material is intended to be used in lessons with pupils of different languages and levels, for both scientific and linguistic purposes. The other result of this project has been to strengthen the links between our three schools, through exchanges between teachers as well as between pupils and the families who hosted the students during their stay.