AJF Priority Area: Reconstruction

Country location: Australia, Japan

Grantee: Charles Darwin University

Project description

Emergency management volunteers provide disaster assistance in familiar and unfamiliar settings. Australia's emergency service providers recruit about 200,000 volunteers, however, retention of volunteers is a growing concern. In Japan, 'spontaneous' and 'experienced' volunteers provides post-disaster assistance but with very little or no formal training. This project will analyse training packages offered to volunteers in Australia and Japan to evaluate how effectively local and Indigenous Knowledge is embedded in training and provides successful outcomes.

Volunteering in Australia is a skill which is gained through training. The idea is that those who are willing to help others by way of volunteering should be able to learn and demonstrate basic skills before volunteering.

Japan has seen surge of volunteers, but without formal training mechanisms. Australian leadership in training of emergency management volunteers will be a major appealing factor influencing Japanese disaster volunteer sector. Incorporation of Indigenous/local knowledge and contextualisation of training packages will be a key outcome which will lead to increased awareness of Australian expertise in the sector and its willingness to help Japanese disaster volunteers engagement agencies. This project will help to unlock enormous potential Japan and Australia has to provide mutual help and mutual learning in emergency management sector.

Key dates

Field Visit and Stakeholder consultation, Mabi Town, Japan, 6-13 November 2019

Field Visit and Stakeholder consultation, Darwin, 1-6 December 2019

Field Visit and Stakeholder consultation, Mabi Town, Japan, 21-26 January 2020

Side-event/Session at APMCDRR, Brisbane, 23-26 June 2020

Australia-Japan Foundation grant: $30,000