Fierce flames: Evoking wildfire disaster emotions through children’s drawings

Abstract

In the aftermath of catastrophes, art based participatory research has proven to be a useful tool for evoking emotions and knowledge in affected children, as well as for informing risk education and recovery psychology practices. Framed by disaster risk reduction and environmental philosophy, this article analyses a sample of drawings produced by schoolchildren aged 6–10 years old affected by the wildfires of October 2017 in the central inland region of Portugal, obtained using a ‘draw and write’ technique. The children’s narratives expressed concerns for their own safety and that of others, as well as concern for ecological damage. Emotional distress was also reported. The verbal statements accompanying the drawings helped the children to express their narratives carefully, allowing them to become active participants in their own process of thinking about the phenomena. We argue that children’s drawings constitute a valuable methodology to access children’s experiences after a disaster, as their visual richness reaches more than humans worlds. We recommend training for professionals, age-appropriate levels of informational support and a children’s disaster intervention model.

Exploring the Acceptability of an Environmental Education Program for Youth in Rural Areas: ECOCIDADANIA Project

“…However, such initiatives are less pronounced in inland rural areas, where demographic aging and depopulation are severe and isolate young voices. Moreover, young people in such areas suffer directly from the impacts of climate change, such as forest fires, and have concerns that should be mobilized [25,26].…”