A new child-centred disaster resilience program is placing students at the centre of emergency preparedness and recovery. Its school-based launch is prompting educators to ask how they can build on it.
Australian Red Cross, Save the Children’s 54 reasons, and the QBE Foundation launched Kids Ready, Community Ready at St Ita’s Catholic Primary School in Brisbane on 13 October 2026.
The timing was intentional; 13 October marks the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. This year’s theme, Resilience Starts at Home, aligns directly with the partnership’s focus on children.
Through the partnership, Australian Red Cross’s preparedness education feeds into 54 reasons’ recovery and participation work, with the QBE Foundation providing the funding backbone.
According to MacKillop Seasons’ Stormbirds Disaster Readiness Initiative (January 2026), an estimated 1.4 million Australian children and young people experience a disaster or extreme weather event in an average year. Yet their needs are frequently treated as secondary in emergency planning.
What does treating children as stakeholders in disaster planning mean for schools?
What sets this initiative apart is its recognition that children are not simply recipients of adult-directed support. They are stakeholders with a genuine voice in preparedness planning, recovery decisions, and solutions that reflect their own experiences.
“Children experience disasters differently, yet they are too often overlooked in preparedness and recovery planning,” said Carolyne Doherty, Australian Red Cross emergency services lead. “By equipping children with practical skills, knowledge and confidence, we’re helping build stronger communities that are better prepared for future disasters.”
54 reasons executive director Vicki Mau echoed that view. “We are committed to working in partnership to ensure that children are supported as active participants in preparing for and recovering from emergencies, and — importantly — to have a genuine voice in shaping stronger, safer communities,” she said.
For school leaders, this reframes the central question from “how do we protect children during a disaster?” to “how do we involve children in building safer communities?”
How can schools build on child-centred disaster resilience programs?
Schools need not wait for a formal partnership to start. Australian Red Cross has delivered its Pillowcase Workshop program since 2015 — a nationally standardised Disaster Resilience Education program officially recognised by the Australian Government. It equips students with practical skills, from packing emergency kits to developing family emergency plans.
A whole-school approach is central to building lasting student resilience, something school leaders and educators across Australia are increasingly called to lead.
Schools can also look to the Stormbirds Disaster Readiness Initiative, launched in January 2026. It provides professional development for educators and social-emotional learning programs for students in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Wellbeing resources explored by school leaders across Australia offer further support, connecting preparedness to belonging, safety, and student agency within existing pastoral care structures.
The classroom as a community asset
QBE Foundation co-chair Julie Starley said the partnership aims to create more coordinated, child-centred support at every stage of a disaster. “Building resilient communities requires sustained collaboration and support across every stage of a disaster,” she said.
Australian educators looking to embed student voice and resilience into leadership practice will find the Kids Ready, Community Ready model a useful benchmark. It treats children not as passive participants but as capable contributors to community safety. This makes child-centred disaster resilience programs a standing priority for every school’s wellbeing strategy, not just in disaster season.