This submission is one I wrote about in the International Association of Emergency Managers' Bulletin in 2008. The names have changed since then, but the potency of the idea has not. I believe it will change the face of community preparedness by changing the understanding and ownership of risk for the citizenry. It allows us to maximize our preparedness dollars and create an enduring solution. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Changing the Investment Strategy: Where Our Preparedness Dollars Should Be Going – Initiative 2022

Carol L. Cwiak, J.D., Ph.D., North Dakota State University

Secretary Chertoff, Administrator Paulison and Deputy Administrator Schrader - call me. I have an investment strategy for you that is going to knock your socks off. I guarantee you the return on your investment will increase a hundred-fold from your current investment strategy. Of course this isn’t a get rich quick scheme, this is a long-term investment wherein the dividends will continue to pay off for decades- long after we are gone, indeed, long after our children and grandchildren are gone. How is that you ask? Well, gather in and I will tell you all about the way we are going to change the landscape in which we operate in emergency management so that the dollars we invest today will dramatically reduce the dollars we spend in the future.  Here’s the strategy in a nutshell – widespread integration of key concepts across the K-12 curriculum in six targeted areas - social studies (in secondary grades to be rolled into history, geography, and other relevant subject matter offerings), science, reading, health, language arts, and self development-focused education (represented in elementary education in character-based initiatives such as “Character Counts” and secondary education as life skills, home economics, etc.). We’ll call it Initiative 2022 to represent the graduation year of the kindergarten students we start on the program in the Fall of 2009 and to give those investing an appreciation of when they can start expecting to see big returns on their investment. This investment strategy will require a different kind of collaboration than the emergency management community has primarily relied upon in the past. We will need to partner with not only the U.S. Department of Education, but also with the National Education Association and the major textbook publishing houses. This collaboration will result in the highest amount of leverage for each dollar spent. The reason this strategy will have such a dramatically different return than other investments lies both in the focus and structural application. The focus in Initiative 2022 is not the standard fare we have become so skilled at promoting - get a plan, make a kit, etc. The focus instead is on broader concepts that create capacity for incorporating awareness and preparedness information into the knowledge base. By integrating key concepts into the curriculum such as the value in community-level endeavors (partnerships, collaboration, grass-root efforts, etc.), individual ability and responsibility, risk-based decision-making, and general hazard awareness and preparedness, we empower students from kindergarten forward to create solutions based on a ideology of self-reliance, local empowerment and risk assessment coupled with a knowledge of hazards. Instead of focusing on changing what people do, we change the way they think and problem-solve. This approach is dramatically different than the piecemeal approach we currently use that relies on the premise that the target audience will understand the importance of acting and understand exactly where it fits in their ideological framework- a framework which we (the emergency management community) have not on the whole influenced or participated in developing. The premise we presently function from presumes people will plan for emergencies and disasters based on the importance and utility of the act. While the premise makes sense on its face, it fails where it connects to the ideological framework. The concepts of self-reliance, local empowerment and risk assessment need to be delivered in conjunction with the hazard awareness and preparedness message, and this needs to be done in an ongoing educational frame that continually builds the understanding and skill sets necessary to truly become a more prepared nation. In changing the way people think and problem solve, we increase the likelihood that the desired behavior will occur. This strategy is enhanced by three key structural application factors: guaranteed participation, linkage to other learning frameworks, and the standardization of knowledge. First and foremost the target audience is captive; elementary and secondary education is mandatory in this nation. We know where we have to go to reach our audience and the level of participation we can expect. Secondly, we don’t have to create a new delivery system for Initiative 2022, the mechanism exists in elementary and secondary education. We merely need to carry these select concepts across the curriculum via the six targeted areas. This will not dramatically change teacher credentialing, work load or teaching strategies, all of this can be accomplished by focusing on the teaching materials (hence the involvement of textbook publishing houses). Finally, as these concepts run across the curriculum through grades K-12, the knowledge will become standardized across the target audience, much as basic math and science concepts are. The end result is a shared ideological framework for future generations. The most heartening aspect of Initiative 2022 is it really will result in no child being left behind. Additionally, while empowering future generations to make smart choices it will also change the way the emergency management community operates. Out of this strategic revolution will come evolution in the way we as a country view risk and the management of risk. Initiative 2022 is the strongest investment strategy available to us and the time to invest is now. So what are you waiting for - call me - let’s start earning a healthy return on our preparedness dollars today.