Disaster Safety Awareness as a Pathway to School Resilience in Merapi Volcano Hazard Zones

Abstract

Indonesia is among the countries with a high risk of disasters. This situation necessitates raising disaster safety awareness from an early age, particularly within school environments, which serve as places for both learning and play for children. This community service initiative aims to enhance schools' emergency response capabilities by establishing emergency response teams and procedures, developing pocket guides, building the capacity and knowledge of the school community through training and disaster simulations, improving safety facilities, and educational innovations regarding disaster preparedness. Implementation methods include interactive training sessions for students, staff, and teachers. A participatory approach is also employed in the development of educational materials, response procedures, disaster response teams, evacuation routes, and simulation scenarios to ensure the initiative's relevance and sustainability. Results indicate an improvement in students' understanding of disaster mitigation: a 40.8% increase for 3rd-grade students and a 5% increase for 4th-grade students. This initiative supports the achievement of *Asta Cita* 4 and the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by serving as an effective and practical model for disaster mitigation education in schools.