2005 TIEMS Virtual Conference: Education and Disasters in Africa

The International Emergency Management Society (TIEMS) is sponsoring a 2nd
Annual Virtual Conference on Disasters and Africa. The theme of this year's
conference is "Education and Disasters in Africa". The conference will run
from 1 to 21 May 2005 and end with a presentation of the conference results
at the TIEMS annual meeting, to be held in the Faroes Islands 24 to 27 May
2005 (see www.tiems.org for details).

The theme for this year's conference was identified during the TIEMS
sponsored 2004 virtual conference. The theme of education and disasters also
fits within the Decade on Education (2005-2014) and serves to call attention
to the links between knowledge, education and disaster mitigation and
prevention.

Africa faces particular changes in educating citizens about disasters, their
management and avoidance. But from community disaster preparedness
activities to the establishment of university-level disaster research and
training centers, the continent also has a wealth of experience and success
stories which need to be shared and replicated.

The format (weekly exchanges of emails on specific topics) and duration (3
weeks) of the conference do not allow for an in depth analysis of all
aspects of the links between disasters and education in Africa. As a result,
the conference will be used to identify key issues and information which can
be further developed in subsequent conferences and exchanges between
participants.

The format for the conference is for a selected moderator to open each
week's discussion with a short topical paper. This opening is followed by
email exchanges by participants on the topic being discussed. At the end of
the week, the moderator will circulate a summary of the discussions and any
conclusions which can be made.

In this year's conference, the 3rd week will be devoted to the sharing of
examples of how educational activities have been used to reduce or eliminate
disaster impact in Africa. These case studies will be assembled by TIEMS on
their web site as a resource for those involved in disaster management and
education in Africa.

To join the conference, please send an email to [email protected] with
"subscribe virtualconference" in the text.

The automatic list management system will then email you back a message to
confirm you want to joint the conference. Follow the instructions provided.

Once accepted into the conference, you can send messages to
[email protected] and they will be received by all others who are
participating in the virtual conference.