READY

The Responding to Emergencies And Disasters with Youth (READY) Initiatives train young people in skills that will help them in:

• The prevention of injuries
• The development of skills in planning and leading the identification of vulnerable situations within their school, home and community
• The building of skills that will aid in initial response to emergencies and disasters until additional help arrives and assist with recovery efforts

READY Initiatives also offer activity based learning and challenges utilizing the incident command system through the National Guard's leadership development and out-door ropes courses. This learning approach provides youth with positive experiences that may allow them to make better choices when faced with high-risk behaviors.

Education modules include:

• Emergency preparedness
• Emergency response organization
• Fire safety
• Certification in American Red Cross first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automatic external defibrillation (AED)
• Search and rescue techniques
• Emotional responses related to trauma
• Terrorism, bullying and crime prevention

Youth are involved in additional learning experiences that include:

• Completion of a school hazard assessment which creates an awareness of vulnerabilities within their school, home and community
• Orientation to public service careers, which are highlighted by tours to a trauma center and demonstrations by air medical personnel, fire departments, law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services (EMS), military operations and emergency management
• Introduction to community resources and organization that youth may use for service learning projects

These educational programs can be implemented through various approaches including: a 5-day READY camp experience, 3-day READY class experience for middle school students, or a 2-day READY class for high school students.

For more information, please contact:
Center for School, Youth and Citizen Preparedness
Wisconsin Technical College System Foundation
One Foundation Circle – Waunakee, WI 53597
Phone: 608-592-5200 Fax: (414) 570-5167
Website: www.citizenpreparedness.org