Risk Dialogue Through Gaming Technology

CHILDREN: Vulnerable

Fire accident:• Date:16th July 2004• Primary School• Place: Kumbhakonam, India• 93 children died • Reason: Unaware school community

CHILDREN: Vulnerable ???

Tsunami Incident:• Date: 26th December 2004• Tilly Smith• Place: Phuket, Thailand• Tsunami signs• Saved 100 lives• Reason: Education (Audio visual)

Ending Vulnerability

Children + Right Knowledge + Training =

Empowered children

Neeti Solutions

We believe :• In use of technology.• In computer based & field games.• That children can be empowered.• Empowered children can make a difference.• They can be “Change Agents”.

About Neeti Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Neeti Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (Neeti) is a software solution provider enterprise established in 2002 in Pune, India.

Mission:

To create computer based training applications in the areas of, emergency medicine and health and disaster management & risk reduction.

DRR training games

Computer & Field Games for DRR:• Appeals to any child. • Suits to any subject.• Positive, educational games as against to

antisocial computer games.

Neeti’s Initiative

• Creation of a 3D CB DRR game: Snakes And Ladders

• Organizing & conducting DRR events: TRRACE Event & TRRACE Summer Camp

• Woven in the theme of DRR

TRRACE

TechnologyRisk Reduction And Children Education

About TRRACE Event

• January 2008: 4th & 5th

• 400 students, 40 schools• Age group: 11 to 15 years • Competitions: Field & Computer Based

Games • Exhibitions & Demos

TRRACE Event Activities

Snakes and Ladders

Debate

EvacuationRouteEssay

Drawing

Skit

Knowledge Hunt

Exhibitions & Demos

• NDRF:National Disaster Response Force

• RLSS: Rashtriya Life Saving Society

Student Participation:

TRRACE400 students

19 English medium Schools

3 Urdu medium Schools

12 Pune Municipal Corporation Schools

5 Marathi medium Schools

2 Hindi medium Schools

TRRACEInauguration Ceremony:

•Informal

Our Chief Guests: 13 yrs. old

•Master Rohan

•Miss Kavya

TRRACEDebate:

Expressing their views

TRRACEEssay: Invoking the thought

process

About Snakes and Ladders

TRRACESnakes and Ladders:

3-D VR game

“Everyone Helping Everyone”-Revati Dhomse

• Great IEC material

• Opportunity for verbally less expressive children

TRRACEDrawing:

• Communication for DRR

• Team work

• Useful for illiterate people

TRRACESkit:

• Team work

•Safety awareness at an unfamiliar place

TRRACEEvacuation Route Mapping :

TRRACEKnowledge Hunt (5th Jan 2008):

TRRACEKnowledge Hunt:

Station 1

Station 5 Station 3

Station 2

Station 4

Central Ring

Knowledge Hunt:

• Team work

TRRACE

• Knowledge imparting• Fun

TRRACENDRF Demonstrations: RLSS Demonstrations:

About games

• In the form of competitions• To enhance the qualities required for DRR• To deliver DRR message in a relaxed mode• To deliver DRR knowledge• To make DRR interesting to teach and learn

TRRACE: Public Private Partnership

• PMC: Pune Municipal Corporation• NDRF & RLSS: Expertise partners• FTII: Campus• NEETI & ATE: Organizers & Sponsors• Volunteers• Schools: Private, Funded & Corporation

Results & Response

Schools:• Teachers found the CBG interesting.• Children loved it.• Schools started demanding DRR programs.• Peer to Peer education.

Students & teachers appreciated TRRACE

Model of Volcano & Earthquake

TRRACEExpressions:

Remarkable participation of Urdu schools’ girls

Engrossed Teachers

TRRACEResponse:

“…the most important thing I learnt is not to panic in a disaster…”-Namrata Kakade (8th standard, Gurukul High School)

“Initially thought DM to be a boring subject. But with this approach of training its interesting”

-Manmohi (8th standard, Gurukul High School)

Feedback

“…realized that a drowning person can be saved without jumping into the water…”

-Revati Dhomse(9th standard, Vishwashanti Gurukul)

“Realized how difficult it could be to find a way out of an unfamiliar place in case of an emergency & the importance of team work”.

-Nivedita (8th standard, Millennium National School)

Feedback

“This training should start from the earliest possible age.”-Mrs. Ujala (Bharati Vidyapeeth English Medium School)

“Imbibing the life skills & exposing children to practical trainings out of the class rooms is very important because this approach is not at all boring.”

-One of the teachers

Feedback

Feedback

Mr. Abul from NDRF: • Children are the future of this nation.• In any calamity the major task is to help & save children.• Neeti’s step towards teaching children about DRR & DM is

very innovative & good.• But with little guidelines aware children can help

themselves. • So it is important to start this training in the schools.

• Demand for computer games

• Motivated teachers : Want to incorporate technology based DRR trainings in schools

• Motivated volunteers: Want to volunteer for DRR events

• Motivated students: Want to be trained as peer trainers

TRRACEResults and Findings:

Results & Response

Technology:• Children who are not exposed to computer

based games can also easily play and learn through these games.

Results & Response

Public Private Partnership:• Volunteers: • Private companies: ATE, Neeti• NGO: RLSS• Government organizations: FTII, NDRF,

PMC

Follow up

Summer camp: • Again Public Private Partnership• NDRF: Campus & expertise• RLSS: Expertise• Thermax Ltd: Sponsors• Volunteers: Peer educators• Akanksha: NGO for downtrodden children

Summer camp

New Activities: details & purpose• Skit + Field simulation:• Water Safety:• Sniffer dog show:• Practical training: Knots & lashings, CPR,

First aid

Collage Making

•Know the various natural hazards across Country.

•Game of Team work.

Skit + Field Simulation

•Thematic representation of “Cyclone”.

•Children & NDRF personnel.

•Pre, During & Post cyclone scenarios.

Knots & Lashings

•Life skills training.

CPR & First Aid

Swimming with experts

•Life skills training.

•Non swimmers swimming with NDRF

Floating Devices

•Household things as life saving devices.

Deriving the methodology

Repetition of some old games & intro of some new games: reasoning & results

• Gave us the opportunity to test.• Grouping of the activities.

Results & findings

The DRR training model can evolve through:• Technology• Peer to Peer education• Field games• Public Private Partnership

Advantages

• Peer to peer education is a fast & effective mode of spreading DRR awareness.

• PPP: beneficial & practically viable• The fun & learn component is useful for

schooling system to adapt as it doesn’t overburden them.

Advantages of the CBG

• Interesting for trainers and trainees.• Safe:DRR training without actually

exposing to the hazard.• Easy: to replicate and customize.• For mass awareness purposes.

Challenges

•Having trained personnel to conduct the programs.•Reach:To find a suitable DRR awareness

methodology for varied socio-economic, cultural & educational backgrounds.

•Creating or modifying the already available data into a child friendly or child oriented data.

•Region specific data collection to suit the local requirements.

Future Path

•Eventually develop a methodology which will be easier for schools to adapt.

•E-kit: An e-kit which will be useful for trainers as well as trainees to impart & gain the DRR knowledge.

•Children ambassadors: To encourage more & more children to take initiatives in peer & community awareness.

•The mass awareness generation campaign can eventually influence the policy level changes for school safety.

Accessibility and Affordability

Not everyone has access to computers, etc… Still…

In TRRACE a Pune Municipal Corporation School girl won the first prize in Snakes and Ladders

Limitations of Technology

Is It Really Inaccessible? Unaffordable?

Nicholas Negroponte:Our answer to that challenge is the

XO laptop, a children's machine designed for “learning learning.”

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)

100 $ PC