Disaster Education Week is part of the national primary school curriculum. Students take part in activities arranged in their local schools. There are also school drills and take home information regarding disaster preparedness. There are government sponsored contests and school visits by Civic Defence Officers.
Learning Safe Living with Kizilay is a supplementary textbook that aims to teach children of 11-13 years and above how to deal with and reduce or prevent disasters. It is sponsored by the American Red Cross and Turkish Red Crescent Society. A teacherÂ’s edition of the textbook and a disaster calendar for the classroom are also available.
The Disaster Preparedness Education Unit at Bogaziçi University operates an earthquake simulation center provided by Rotary International, for school-children. Basic disaster awareness and earthquake insurance information is provided.
Ak Sigorta insurance operates an educational fire and earthquake simulation center, Investing in the Future for school groups ages 7-14 in Istanbul, which teaches disaster risk reduction and creates insurance awareness.
The Turkish Red Crescent Society trains volunteers in first aid and disaster response. They have also partnered with other civic sector organizations and the Ministry of Education to develop and disseminate natural hazard risk awareness and household risk reduction education for the general public and school children.
Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool (TCIP or DASK) is a non-profit public entity affiliated with the Ministry of State, to whom the Under-secretariat of Treasury reports. It was formed to provide household earthquake insurance at affordable premiums when earthquake insurance was made mandatory for all registered residential buildings within the municipality boundaries.
The Safe Living project is a pilot project being implemented in Istanbul in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Red Cross/Red Crescent.
The Neighborhood Disaster Volunteer (MAG) program trains citizens at the neighborhood level to be first responders after a disaster. MAG operates in the provinces of the Marmara Region.
The Istanbul Seismic Risk Reduction and Earthquake Preparedness Project is a program being developed by the Istanbul Governorship and funded by the World Bank. They are creating and implementing disaster risk reduction training curricula and campaign materials. The materials are expected to be ready by April 2008.
The Disaster Preparedness Education Program at Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute in Turkey provides online Family Disaster Plan, handbooks, instructor curriculum materials for Basic Disaster Awareness, Non-Structural Mitigation, Structural Awareness for Seismic Safety and Community Disaster Volunteers. Hospital and School Safety handbooks are also available online.
