Riskland At The Santo Domingo International Book Fair

Foto: © UNICEF-TACRO

During the seventh International Book Fair, held in April in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, an exhibit booth, coordinated by Dominican Ministry of Education, was devoted to emergency education. Its primary goal was to be a space where people could learn how to prevent disasters.

The fair booth also featured the “Riskland” board game, which caught the attention of children and adults. During the fair inauguration, the Dominican Minister of Education was invited to participate in the game. After taking off his tie and jacket, the Minister stood on the giant board and played the game with several enthusiastic students.

The fair booth devoted to emergency education had some 30 students who, after being trained in relatedissues and learning the rules of the “Riskland” board game, became the main promoters of this educational tool, a fun way to learn, through actions and attitudes, how to reduce and mitigate disaster impacts.

“Let’s learn to prevent disasters” is an educational kit for children aged 8-13 years that complements other tools used in schools. Its content allows to address, in an innovative and interactive fashion, issues related to disasters and natural phenomena. The “Riskland” board game includes questions and pieces of advice that enable children to learn different concepts such as prevention, hazard and vulnerability.

The size of the board, as well as the issues addressed by the game and the way it introduces related concepts, capture people’s attention. At the book fair, the board game became a sensation. A large number of visitors were attracted by “Riskland”. It is expected that this initiative, supported by the Ministry of Education, will serve to raise awareness among children and youth about the effects of risks and how to prevent them.

The International Book Fair is an annual two-week event held at the Plaza de la Cultura (Culture Square) in Santo Domingo. Thousands of people go to the fair every year, including large groups of students.

For further information, please contact: Jorge Quintela jquintela@unicef.org