Emergency Party in a Box: <em>Learning in a Fun Way</em>
Richmond, British Columbia
| November 2022 - June 2023
The Emergency Party in a Box is a concept which was developed by the City of Richmond to engage newcomers, low-income households, women, and older adults in fun activities designed to raise awareness of general preparedness, flooding, and earthquakes risks, and to build connections among community members. This “train the trainer” style program equipped partner organizations with resources to engage, connect, and educate their members through an "Emergency Party in a Box" which contained activities such as riddles, instructions for a home hazard hunt, a pledge, bingo cards, and more.
During this project, the City of Richmond successfully demonstrated that fun activities, and collaboration with well-established partners that already engage with the specific populations, are a great and sustainable way to raise awareness about risks and emergency preparedness. Participants really enjoyed the non-traditional learning techniques, such as games and mapping activities. From the initial four activities in the box and the four organizations where the concept was piloted, the Emergency Party in a Box concept proved to be easily scalable and customizable. The concept is now part of the activities that the Canadian Red Cross will be offering to community organizations nationally.
During this project, the City of Richmond successfully demonstrated that fun activities, and collaboration with well-established partners that already engage with the specific populations, are a great and sustainable way to raise awareness about risks and emergency preparedness. Participants really enjoyed the non-traditional learning techniques, such as games and mapping activities. From the initial four activities in the box and the four organizations where the concept was piloted, the Emergency Party in a Box concept proved to be easily scalable and customizable. The concept is now part of the activities that the Canadian Red Cross will be offering to community organizations nationally.