Source: MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV submitted to NRP
NATIONAL YOUTH PREPAREDNESS INITIATIVE: PREPARING TEENS; PREPARING COMUNITIES - PHASE 2
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1014022
Grant No.
2017-41210-27102
Cumulative Award Amt.
$141,941.00
Proposal No.
2017-04544
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2017
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2021
Grant Year
2017
Program Code
[MB]- ESNP Special Needs
Recipient Organization
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV
(N/A)
MISSISSIPPI STATE,MS 39762
Performing Department
School of Human Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Faced with declining financial resources, agencies focused on emergency preparedness must forge strategic partnership that maximaize impact on individual, family, and community preparedness. Land-grant universitites and their respective Extension Service units are prime agents for change and can provide resources, networks, and outreach, dramatically impacting community preparedness, by engaging, enabling, and empowering a largely underutilized target group --- youth. The precursor to MyPI National, the Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI) has an innovative outreach model, emphasizing service and leadership by teenagers, who are led through a comprehensive preparedness campaign by trained instructors. The model includes delivery of the certified CERT curriculum,specialized technology tracks, career exploration, smoke alarm awareness, CPR/AED certification, disaster simulation participation, and a capstone leadership project, in which every student assists seven families in developing emergency supply kits and communication plans.For its innovation and success, the MyPI model has the following distinctions:2014 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Award winner for "Outstanding Youth Preparedness" and an Honorable Mention for "Preparing the Whole Community"Dr. C. Ryan Akers, Project Coordinator and Creator of MyPI and MyPI National, was named a White House "Champion of Change".The program is a recognized Affirmer of the National Strategy for Youth Preparedness Education, meeting all nine of its strategic priority steps.In 2016, MyPI National was funding for a Phase 1 Pilot Stage which included partnering entities in Nebraska, Hawaii, Washington, Virginia, New Jersey, Tennessee, Illinois, and Mississippi. Based on the success of the program and to support the proposed two year (9/1/2017 - 8/31/2019) project, "National Youth Preparedness Initiative: Preparing Teens; Preparing Communities - Phase 2 Expansion, MyPI National requests $141,941 for a Phase 2 Expansion of the program and to replicate the Mississippi and MyPI National Phase 1 model in 10 new partnering states/territory. New partners include North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Montana, South Dakota, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Guam. Funding will enable these partners to deliver to a minimum of 125 graduates per partner (1,250 total), directly impacting 875 households per partner (8,750 total), while producing positive impact on civic responsibility, community service and engagement, teen empowerment, youth leadership characteristics, family cohestion and communication, among others, and most importantly, individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience. Success will be documented and partnerships developed to sustain each respective partner program for years to follow.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
8076099302050%
8076020302015%
8066050302035%
Knowledge Area
807 - Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery; 806 - Youth Development;

Subject Of Investigation
6020 - The family and its members; 6099 - People and communities, general/other; 6050 - Communities, areas, and regions;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
For a variety of unfortunate reasons, children and youth are a remarkably overlooked population group when it comes to engagement in emergency preparedness education (Ronan and Johnston, 2001b). This runs counterproductive to effective individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience. In an era seemingly defined by an increasing number of natural disasters and emergency scenarios and capitalized by the sheer strength and destruction of many of these events, society must absolutely provide plentiful opportunities to directly engage children and youth in the preparedness discussion. Unfortunately, these programs are rare and not consistently offered across the country. Our youth population is particularly vulnerable to hazards, emergencies, and disasters. Comprising over 25% of the population of the United States, approximately 66.5 million children are adversely impacted by a disaster each year (National Commission on Children and Disasters, 2009b; U.S. Census Bureau, 2004; Penrose and Takaki, 2006). That is a staggering statistic when one factors in the rising number of disasters and those living in poverty. Approximately 14.1 million children in the United States live below the poverty line. Barriers to youth preparedness education for children living in poverty are quite numerous (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2009). The problem is that despite these trends and gaps, there is little national focus on youth and children when it comes to involvement in disaster preparedness education. Even smaller is the number of truly engaging and comprehensive disaster preparedness education programs for youth across the country. Seeking to provide a remedy for this problem and to increase awareness, leadership, civic responsibility, community service, teamwork, family communication and cohesion, among other concepts, and to enhance individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience, the associated proposal, "National Youth Preparedness Initiative: Preparing Teens; Preparing Communities, Phase 2" seeks to capitalize on the resounding success and positive impact created from an innovative and comprehensive youth preparedness education model developed and delivered in Mississippi and replicated in seven additional states under the Pilot phase of MyPI National. The program also seeks to set the new standard for youth preparedness outreach throughout the United State and to provide the impact data to support such a goal. Program Area Alignment: Specifically, this project will improve regional/national stakeholder partnerships across traditional boundaries to decrease the impact of disasters through extension education.Overall Project Goal: To develop sustainable youth preparedness programs in each partner state/territory through a comprehensive and engaging, three-pronged outreach model and to produce a viable option for a new standard for national youth preparedness outreach through extension education.
Project Methods
Upon receiving award for Phase 2 Expansion of MyPI National, the National Coordinating Team (NCT) will immediately begin communicating with established Points of Contact with the ten new partnering states/territory listed in the proposal (North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Montana, South Dakota, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and Guam). Of note, if a state has subsequently decided to decline participation, the NCT has a list of states on standby. The NCT PI will begin logistics planning with the POCs to identify fivecounties in each state (exception, Guam), along with at least twopersonnel per partnering agency, and to schedule each of the Instructor Training and Certification Workshops (ICTWs), one per partnering agency. These workshops will require three full days as opposed to MyPI's two day workshop due to the added time necessary for explanation of evaluation protocols and website development, hosting, and use. Once the workshops are scheduled, the NCT will work with the POCs to finalize remaining logistical matters for each training. Four members of the NCT (PI, CERT Instructor, Evaluation Specialist, and Technology Specialist) will then travel to each preferred training location with all necessary training materials and resources needed to deliver the workshop. Due to the extensive work and time needed to train and certify, it is customary to provide working lunch and working dinner along with small snacks, as the workshop begins at 9:00 am and concludes at 9:00 pm each day. During working lunches, we designate time to explore Frequently Asked Questions and Lessons Learned from instructors and continue to cover curriculum. During working dinners, we review CERT content and discuss required paperwork, including calendar drafting, reporting system review, waivers, etc.During the workshops, all instructors will be taken through the delivery of the CERT curriculum where they will demonstrate their mastery of the curriculum, and their ability to perform and assess skills and to teach portions of the material. CERT includes the following modules: Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety and Utility Control, Disaster Medical Operations I and II, Light Search and Rescue, CERT Organization, Disaster Psychology, and Terrorism and CERT, along with all specific hazard annexes. The Add-On Catalog along with its prepackaged presentations and guest speaker opportunities will be discussed in detail. Instructors will also be made aware of the additional logistical components of the national model as well as how to incorportate or build relationships with the local and state response community. Promotion of the program and recruitment of students are also two critical components of these workshops. As part of the national project, MyPI National, a portion of the funding is allocated for the development, hosting, and maintenance of a dedicated, multi-functional and uniform website for each partner's youth preparedness program, similar to Nebraska's website, mypinebraska.org and Hawaii's website, mypihawaii.org, which were modeled after Mississippi's website, mypi.msstate.edu. Once the two year project timeline ends, the hosting and maintenance of the websites will transfer to those partnering entities. The website will partner with social media outlets to serve as a primary marketing tool for potential students, parents, instructors, and community leaders. The website also houses the resource library with all documents, presentations, videos, and required paperwork necessary for MyPI National program delivery. Also included in the website is the password protected Course Progress Submission for instructors and the online learning community via a dedicated message board.At the training, the Technology Specialist will unveil and discuss each partner's website, including the resource library, videos, the reporting system, and the online learning forum.

Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:While this project focuses on youth, specifically teenagers (and their families and communitymembers), in the approximately five counties(exception being Guam) selected among the partnering states/territories (Georgia, North Carolina,Arkansas, South Dakota, Nevada, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Alabama, Oregon, and Guam), theproject's wide-reaching nature also involves instructors, parents/guardians, communities, and thosefamilies/households that become a part of each student's leadership/service project. Additionally, and referenced later in this progress report, MyPI National moved Guam to the Phase 3Expansion of this project due to Guam representation making a project administrative change. As aresult, MyPI National added Colorado which was waiting to join the program. We are allowed to trainup to 15 instructors per state/territory, which represents 3 instructors per selected county. Intotal,this phase of the program allowedfor 150 instructors to be trained among the 10 new partners. 1,250students (125 per state/territory) will be enrolled in the program. As a result of their enrollmentand participation (and subsequent graduation), each student completes a rigorous curriculum andalso works with their own household plus six additional households they select for a total of sevenhouseholds per student. That formula allows for 8,750 households to be directly impacted by delivery of MyPINational in these new partnered programs, producing a substantial impact and proven formula forenhancing individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience.Developed partnerships and impact data will continue to help enable the framework for delivery andwill allow forsustainability and continued impact after the project's funding period closed. Changes/Problems:With the onset of the COVID19 pandemic, the program requested a one year extension allowing those programs that were delivering their programs to students additional instruction time since schools were shut down and access to students was lost. We successfully managed online transitioning of the program and sawsuccess in those individual programs that decided to pursue that medium as a means to deliver the program, produce individual, family, and community impact, and meet the goals of the program. While this is not what we envisioned when we created the program, we had to adapt. It has been challenging, but like our educational outreach colleagues across the country, we adapted and moved forward. The only other change was mentioned in the previous report which indicated that we moved Guamofficially to a Phase 3 program. There was an administrative change with their Program Manager and it was clear that they were not ready for the MyPI National Team to deliver the ICTW. So we moved them and brought Colorado onboard as a Phase 2 program and that was a success. We are also beganto transition some of the social media responsibilities to Program Managersbefore the close of the funding period (earlier than previously projected in some cases)so they can make inroads towards "owning" their programs. This helpedwith buy-in and understanding of expectations for how social media should be utilized effectively. We had some partnered programs across all Phases of expansion that had major disasters and some portions of MyPI deliveries were impacted. When you factor in the COVID19 outbreak and cascading events, this just underscores the critical and continuous need for this new standard of youth preparedness programming model that we have developed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We completed all Instructor Certification and Training Workshops in Phase 2 Expansion, so all programs are eligible to continue to deliver the program to teens and are also eligible to continue training and certifying new instructors. Participation, response, and support was overwhelmingly positive and the motivation to push this project forward wasvery inspiring. We were funded for a Phase 3 Expansion and currently havea queue for Phase 4 Expansion. In the ICTWs, we take our instructors through a CERTTrainer the Trainer and a MyPI Train the Trainer, so they understand both the content of the program and how to deliver all components of it. The State Program Managers and/or attendingmembers of the state/local emergency management and first responder communities cleared many of these partnered programs to lead future CERT trainings and of course, our process clears them to lead future MyPI trainings. Just as in the Phase 1 Pilot, during the Phase 2 Expansion, we hadlocal, state, and federal emergency management representation thatstopped in and introduced themselves, learned more about the program, and offered their support to theinstructors. The networking between instructors and members of the emergency management and first responder communities that tookplace in these ICTWs will no doubt lead to additional opportunities in the future. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Cumulative final data for Phase 2 Expansion is still being analyzedbyMyPI National, though partnered programs and their respective Program Managers have utilized their access to their evaluation data which confirmed across the board the many benefits of our program as it relates to not only individual, family, and community preparedness, but also enhanced youth leadership characteristics, youth development, civic responsibility, communication, family cohesion, decision-making, etc. The compelling data will continue to be collected from the students as the program deliveries continue to progress within these partnered programs. This will be shared with and by Program Managers in order for them to promote program impact to their stakeholders. Both MyPI National and individual programs will also distribute and share this information for state-wide and national audiences at relevant conferences across the country. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Consistent with the Phase 1 Pilot progress of this program expansion, MyPI National proceeded accordingly to the plan of work with the obvious delay in some direct deliveries to students due to the COVID19 pandemic and shutdown. However, we followed our proposed model to certify 10-15 instructors per partnered program, graduate 125 students per partnered program, and directly engage and impact 875 households per program, while collecting the data necessary to produce impact reports that can lead to sustainable youth preparedness programs for years to come (which is the overall goal of the project). All Instructor Certification and Training Workshops were completed and partners either completed or are are nearing completion of their deliveries under the initial funding and MyPI National administration. Comprehensive state- level websites and social media accounts were created and updated on a regular basis. Promotion and advocacy for these programs extended beyond MyPI National and the host agencies. FEMA Regional Admin, state level emergency management, education professionals, etc., have all been a part of the advocacy efforts as the individual programs continue to grow and position themselves for long-term success. In several programs, due to lack of physical access to students due to COVID shutdowns, deliveriesresumed virtually until and face to face deliveries could begin safely. Online Instructor forums were utilized for continuous education and communication.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2017, September). Essential Partnerships and Bridge Building for Sustained Success: The National Youth Preparedness Initiative; Current Process and Future Expansion. Program presented at the Extension Disaster Education Network Annual Conference in Moline, IL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2017, November). Youth Preparedness and Youth Leadership: A Recipe for Success through MyPI. Program presented at the Mississippi HOSA Annual Conference in Gulfport, MS.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018). Preparing youth for emergencies and disasters: My Preparedness Initiative. Available online at: http://haznet.ca/preparing-youth-emergencies-disasters-preparedness-initiative/
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., Mueller, A., & Cochran, S. (2018). My Preparedness Initiative (MyPI): Teaching preparedness to Americas youth. Available online at: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/audio/172155
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018, February). Volunteers and Youth Preparedness Partnerships. Panel discussion presented at the American Red Cross Youth Preparedness Conference in St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018, March). MyPI National: Project Progress Review. Program presented at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Smith Lever Special Needs Grant Project Directors meeting in Washington, DC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, May). The Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI): Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the Mississippi Partners in Preparedness Summit in Biloxi, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, May). Charting a New Course: A National Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming and Partnering for Community Resilience. Program presented at the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Annual Conference in Providence, RI.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018, July). Setting the New Standard: A National Youth Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming for Community Resilience by Fostering Leadership, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the HOSA (Health Occupational Students of America) International Leadership Conference in Dallas, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019, March). Educating and Empowering the Youth of Mississippi: Changing the Culture of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience through MyPI and MSU Extensions Youth Preparedness Continuum. Program presented at the Mississippi Municipal League annual Youth Leadership Summit in Oxford, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019, March). MyPI National: Project Progress Review. Program presented at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Smith Lever Special Needs Grant Project Directors meeting in Washington, DC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019, March). Setting the New Standard: A National Youth Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming and Partnering - MyPI National and LAPSEN, a model for success. Program presented at the Law and Public Safety Education Network (LAPSEN) annual conference in Huntersville, NC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, July). The Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI) and Ready in the Middle: Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility and Empowerment in Todays Youth. Program presented at the Mississippi Career and Technology Education Annual Conference in Jackson, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, August). Setting the New Standard: A National Youth Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming for Community Resilience by Fostering Leadership, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the National CERT Conference in Naples, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, November). MyPI and the Critical Importance of Youth Preparedness. Program presented at the Mississippi Civil Defense Emergency Management Associations mid-winter Conference in Tunica, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2019, May). The Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI): Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the Mississippi Partners in Preparedness Summit in Biloxi, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2019, May). Enhancing the Culture of Youth Preparedness through Partnerships with MyPI National and MyPI California. Program presented at the joint California 4 All/National CERT Conference in San Diego, CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2019, June). MyPI Mississippi: the Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative. Program presented at the Mississippi Association of School Resource Officers Association annual conference in Biloxi, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Frier, T. (2019, July). Participating with MyPI Mississippi and Ready in the Middle: Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Youth. Program presented at the annual Mississippi Association of Career and Technical Education conference in Jackson, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2019, September). Enhancing the Culture of Youth Preparedness through Partnerships with MyPI National and MyPI Florida. Program presented at the Florida CERT Conference in Naples, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2020, March). MyPI Mississippi, Ready in the Middle, and MSU Extensions Youth Preparedness Focus: Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Youth. Program accepted for presentation at the 2020 Mississippi HOSA State Leadership Conference in Natchez, MS. Program postponed due to COVID-19 and the new date is still to be determined.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., Kirby, S. D., Hobbs, K. G., & Nichols, D. (2019, November). Focusing on youth; Examining and partnering with MyPI National: Building on the past, developing todays leaders, and shaping the future of tomorrow by building a culture of community preparedness and resilience. Program presented at the International Association of Emergency Management annual conference in Savannah, GA.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019). Youth and preparedness. Available online at https://sitchradio.com/youth-and-preparedness/ and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/youth-and-preparedness/id1223765118?i=1000444197975
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2020, February). Educating and Empowering the Youth of Mississippi: Changing the Culture of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience through MyPI and MSU Extensions Youth Preparedness Continuum. Program presented at the Mississippi Municipal League annual Youth Leadership Summit in Hattiesburg, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2020, June). Empowering Youth and Enhancing the Culture of Youth Preparedness Through Partnerships with MyPI National and Intertribal Emergency Preparedness Councils. Program accepted for presentation at the 2020 Intertribal Emergency Management Coalition Annual Conference in Shawnee, OK. Program postponed due to COVID-19 and new date is still to be determined.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R., Cohen, E., and Hobbs, K. G. (2020, June). Changing the Culture of Preparedness and Community Resilience. Program accepted for presentation at the 2020 Disaster Resilience International Conference in Montreal, Canada. Program postponed due to COVID-19 and subsequently moved to 2021 agenda.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R. (in press). MyPI National - Engaging, equipping, and empowering todays teens: Building youth preparedness and leadership through mentorship and outreach. CERT Responder Magazine.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R., Nichols, D., & Burnham, C. (2020, July). Enhancing the Culture and Future of Youth Preparedness through Partnerships with MyPI National and MyPI Missouri. Program accepted for presentation at the 2020 National CERT Conference in Springfield, MO. Program postponed due to COVID-19 and subsequently moved to the 2021 agenda.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Hobbs, K. (2021, February). Enhancing Youth Engagement, Leadership, and Civic Responsibility through Innovative Emergency Preparedness Training. Program presented virtually at the National 4-H Summit for Healthy Living.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Akers, C. R., Nichols, D., & Williams, W. (2021, July). Enhancing the Culture and Future of Youth Preparedness through Partnerships with MyPI National and MyPI Missouri. Program presented at the 2021 National CERT Conference in Springfield, MO.


Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:While this project focuses on youth, specifically teenagers (and their families and community members), in the approximately five counties (exception being Guam) selected among the partnering states/territories (Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, South Dakota, Nevada, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Alabama, Oregon, and Guam), the project's wide-reaching nature also involves instructors, parents/guardians, communities, and those families/households that become a part of each student's leadership/service project. Additionally, and referenced later in this progress report, MyPI National moved Guam to the Phase 3 Expansion of this project due to Guam representation making a project administrative change. As a result, MyPINational added Colorado which was waiting to join the program. We are allowed to train up to 15 instructors per state/territory, which represents 3 instructors per selected county. In total, this phase of the program allows for 150 instructors to be trained among the 10 new partners. 1,250 students (125 per state/territory) will be enrolled in the program. As a result of their enrollment and participation (and subsequent graduation), each student will complete a rigorous curriculum and also work with their own household plus six additional households they select for a total of seven households per student. That formula allows for 8,750 households to be directly impacted by delivery of MyPINational in these new partnered programs, producing a substantial impact and proven formula for enhancing individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience. Developed partnerships and impact data will continue to help enable the framework for delivery and will allow for sustainability and continued impact after the project's funding period closes. Changes/Problems:With the onset of the COVID19 pandemic, the program requested a one year extension allowing those programs that were delivering their programs to students additional instruction time since schools were shut down. We've dealt with online transitioning of the program and are seeing success in those individual programs that decide to pursue that medium as a means to deliver the program, produce individual, family, and community impact, and meet the goals of the program. It has been challenging, but like our educational outreach colleagues across the country, we adapt and move forward. The only other change was mentioned in the previous report which indicated that we moved Guam officially to a Phase 3 program. There was an administrative change with their Program Manager and it was clear that they were not ready for the MyPI National Team to deliver the ICTW. So we moved them and brought Colorado onboard as a Phase 2 program and that has been a success. We are also beginning (at the request of SOME program managers) to transition some of the social media responsibilities to them before the close of the funding period. We are bringing the program managers into that process earlier so they can make inroads towards "owning" their program. This helps with buy-in and understanding of expectations for how social media should be utilized effectively. We have had some partnered programs across all Phases of expansion that have had major disasters and some portions of MyPI deliveries were impacted. When you factor in the COVID19 outbreak and cascading events, this just underscores the need for this new standard of youth preparedness programming that we have developed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have completed all Instructor Certification and Training Workshops in Phase 2 Expansion, so all programs are eligible to deliver and delivering. Many are approaching their markers. Participation, response, and support have been overwhelmingly positive and the motivation to push this project is very inspiring. We werefunded for a Phase 3 Expansion and currently have a queue for Phase 4 Expansion. In the ICTWs, we essentially take our instructors through a CERT Trainer the Trainer and a MyPI Train the Trainer, so they understand both the content of the program and how to deliver all components of it. The State Program Managers and/or attending members of the state/local emergency management and first responder communitieshave cleared many of these partnered programs to lead future CERT trainings and of course, ourprocess clears them to lead future MyPI trainings. Just as in the Phase 1 Pilot, during the Phase 2Expansion, we have local, state, and federal emergency management representation that will stop inand introduce themselves, learn more about the program, and offer their support to the instructors. The networking between instructors and members of the emergency management and firstresponder communities that takes place in these ICTWs will no doubt lead to additional opportunities in the future. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?There is no cumulative final data to report yet from MyPI National, though partnered programs and their respective ProgramManagers have utilized their access to their evaluation data which has confirmed across the board the many benefits of ourprogram as it relates to not only individual, family, and community preparedness, but also enhanced youth leadershipcharacteristics, youth development, civic responsibility, communication, family cohesion, decision-making, etc. Thecompelling data will continue to be collected from the students as the program deliveries continue to progress within thesepartnered programs. This will be shared with Program Managers in order for them to promote program impact to their stakeholders. We will also distribute and share this information for state-wide and national audiences at relevant conferences across the country. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to execute the program as proposed despite the challenges of the COVID19 pandemic. All ICTWs are complete to this point, so wewill continue to monitor program delivery and assist the Program Manager and Instructors as needed in both virtual and face to face delivery and instruction, andalso with program promotion and branding, networkbuilding, etc. Each partnered program will continue to deliver to their students, who will continueto progress through the course content and the service projects. Websites and social media accountswill continue to be updated with program information and resources/information related to all risksand hazards. Ownership of these resources will eventually transfer over to the partnered programs.Data will continue to provide evidence of individual and community impact. This data will continueto be compiled and presented to a variety of local, state, and national entities. Our hope andcharge remains true...that sustainable youth preparedness programs in each state will continue andbe of benefit to youth leadership/youth development as well as individual, family, and communitypreparedness and resilience for years to come.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Consistent with the Phase 1 Pilot progress of this program expansion, MyPI National is exactlywhere we need to be within Phase 2 of this project with the obvious delay in some direct deliveries to students due to the COVID19 pandemic and shutdown. However, we followedour proposed model to certify10-15 instructors per partnered program, graduate 125 students per partnered program, and directlyengage and impact 875 households per program, while collecting the data necessary to produce impactreports that can lead to sustainable youth preparedness programs for years to come (which is theoverall goal of the project). All Instructor Certification and Training Workshops have beencompleted and several states arenearing completion of their deliveries under the initial fundingand MyPI National administration. Comprehensive state-level websites and social media accounts are live and updated on a regular basis. Promotion and advocacy for these programs extends beyondMyPI National and the host agencies. FEMA Regional Admin, state level emergency management,education professionals, etc., have all been a part of the advocacy efforts as the individualprograms continue to grow and position themselves for long-term success. Deliveries have beencompleted in many local programs,calendar drafting has begun in others who are resuming virtually and face to face deliveries, and online Instructor forums are being utilized.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2017, September). Essential Partnerships and Bridge Building for Sustained Success: The National Youth Preparedness Initiative; Current Process and Future Expansion. Program presented at the Extension Disaster Education Network Annual Conference in Moline, IL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2017, November). Youth Preparedness and Youth Leadership: A Recipe for Success through MyPI. Program presented at the Mississippi HOSA Annual Conference in Gulfport, MS.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018). Preparing youth for emergencies and disasters: My Preparedness Initiative. Available online at: http://haznet.ca/preparing-youth-emergencies-disasters-preparedness-initiative/
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., Mueller, A., & Cochran, S. (2018). My Preparedness Initiative (MyPI): Teaching preparedness to Americas youth. Available online at: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/audio/172155
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018, February). Volunteers and Youth Preparedness Partnerships. Panel discussion presented at the American Red Cross Youth Preparedness Conference in St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018, July). Setting the New Standard: A National Youth Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming for Community Resilience by Fostering Leadership, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the HOSA (Health Occupational Students of America) International Leadership Conference in Dallas, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, July). The Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI) and Ready in the Middle: Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility and Empowerment in Todays Youth. Program presented at the Mississippi Career and Technology Education Annual Conference in Jackson, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018, March). MyPI National: Project Progress Review. Program presented at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Smith Lever Special Needs Grant Project Directors meeting in Washington, DC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, May). The Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI): Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the Mississippi Partners in Preparedness Summit in Biloxi, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, May). Charting a New Course: A National Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming and Partnering for Community Resilience. Program presented at the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Annual Conference in Providence, RI.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, August). Setting the New Standard: A National Youth Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming for Community Resilience by Fostering Leadership, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the National CERT Conference in Naples, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, November). MyPI and the Critical Importance of Youth Preparedness. Program presented at the Mississippi Civil Defense Emergency Management Associations mid-winter Conference in Tunica, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019, March). Educating and Empowering the Youth of Mississippi: Changing the Culture of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience through MyPI and MSU Extensions Youth Preparedness Continuum. Program presented at the Mississippi Municipal League annual Youth Leadership Summit in Oxford, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019, March). MyPI National: Project Progress Review. Program presented at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Smith Lever Special Needs Grant Project Directors meeting in Washington, DC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019, March). Setting the New Standard: A National Youth Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming and Partnering - MyPI National and LAPSEN, a model for success. Program presented at the Law and Public Safety Education Network (LAPSEN) annual conference in Huntersville, NC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2019, May). The Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI): Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the Mississippi Partners in Preparedness Summit in Biloxi, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2019, May). Enhancing the Culture of Youth Preparedness through Partnerships with MyPI National and MyPI California. Program presented at the joint California 4 All/National CERT Conference in San Diego, CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2019, June). MyPI Mississippi: the Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative. Program presented at the Mississippi Association of School Resource Officers Association annual conference in Biloxi, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Frier, T. (2019, July). Participating with MyPI Mississippi and Ready in the Middle: Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Youth. Program presented at the annual Mississippi Association of Career and Technical Education conference in Jackson, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2019, September). Enhancing the Culture of Youth Preparedness through Partnerships with MyPI National and MyPI Florida. Program presented at the Florida CERT Conference in Naples, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., Kirby, S. D., Hobbs, K. G., & Nichols, D. (2019, November). Focusing on youth; Examining and partnering with MyPI National: Building on the past, developing todays leaders, and shaping the future of tomorrow by building a culture of community preparedness and resilience. Program presented at the International Association of Emergency Management annual conference in Savannah, GA.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019). Youth and preparedness. Available online at https://sitchradio.com/youth-and-preparedness/ and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/youth-and-preparedness/id1223765118?i=1000444197975
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2020, February). Educating and Empowering the Youth of Mississippi: Changing the Culture of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience through MyPI and MSU Extensions Youth Preparedness Continuum. Program presented at the Mississippi Municipal League annual Youth Leadership Summit in Hattiesburg, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2020, March). MyPI Mississippi, Ready in the Middle, and MSU Extensions Youth Preparedness Focus: Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Youth. Program accepted for presentation at the 2020 Mississippi HOSA State Leadership Conference in Natchez, MS. Program postponed due to COVID-19 and the new date is still to be determined.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2020, June). Empowering Youth and Enhancing the Culture of Youth Preparedness Through Partnerships with MyPI National and Intertribal Emergency Preparedness Councils. Program accepted for presentation at the 2020 Intertribal Emergency Management Coalition Annual Conference in Shawnee, OK. Program postponed due to COVID-19 and new date is still to be determined.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R., Cohen, E., and Hobbs, K. G. (2020, June). Changing the Culture of Preparedness and Community Resilience. Program accepted for presentation at the 2020 Disaster Resilience International Conference in Montreal, Canada. Program postponed due to COVID-19 and subsequently moved to 2021 agenda.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R., Nichols, D., & Burnham, C. (2020, July). Enhancing the Culture and Future of Youth Preparedness through Partnerships with MyPI National and MyPI Missouri. Program accepted for presentation at the 2020 National CERT Conference in Springfield, MO. Program postponed due to COVID-19 and subsequently moved to the 2021 agenda.
  • Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Akers, C. R. (in press). MyPI National - Engaging, equipping, and empowering todays teens: Building youth preparedness and leadership through mentorship and outreach. CERT Responder Magazine.


Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:While this project focuses on youth (specifically teens), in the approximately five counties (exception being Guam) selectedamong the partnering states/territories (Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, South Dakota, Nevada, Montana, Arizona,Colorado, Alabama, Oregon, and Guam), the project's wide-reaching nature also involves instructors, parents/guardians,communities, and those families/households that become a part of each student's leadership/service project. Additionally,and referenced later in this progress report, MyPI National moved Guam to the Phase 3 Expansion of this project due toGuam representation making a project administrative change. As a result, MyPI National added Colorado which was waitingto join the program. We are allowed to train up to 15 instructors per state/territory, which represents 3 instructors per selected county. In total,this phase of the program allows for 150 instructors to be trained among the 10 new partners. 1,250 students (125 perstate/territory) will be enrolled in the program. As a result of their enrollment and participation (and subsequent graduation),each student will complete a rigorous curriculum and also work with their own household plus six additional households theyselect for a total of seven households per student. That formula allows for 8,750 households to be directly impacted bydelivery of MyPI National in these new partnered programs, producing a substantial impact and proven formula forenhancing individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience. Developed partnerships and impact data willcontinue to help enable the framework for delivery and will allow for sustainability and continued impact after the project's funding period closes. In order to assist a couple of partnered programs, MyPI National instituted the allowable one-year, no-cost extension that was offered by NIFA. This extension granted programs additional time to complete the individual goals of a minimum of 125 graduates and 875 households per program. Changes/Problems:The major change to the program is that we moved Guam officially to a Phase 3 program. There was an administrativechange with their Program Manager and it was clear that they were not ready for the MyPI National Team to deliver theICTW. So we moved them and brought Colorado onboard as a Phase 2 program. We are also beginning (at the request ofSOME program managers) to transition some of the social media responsibilities to them before the close of the fundingperiod. We continue to do our work and update as we go, but we are bringing the program managers in earlier as well. Thishelps with the buy-in and understanding of expectations for how social media should be utilized effectively. Additionally, we had a Program Manager in Montana take a new position outside of Montana State Extension which created a leadership gap for the program on the ground in Montana. We are currently looked at alternative plans to increase production in that program. We did request and receive a one-year, no-cost extension from NIFA in part because of this change in Montana, but the extension is actually benefitting every partner in Phase 2. Outside of this,there are no real major problems or changes to report. We have had some partnered programs across Phase2 that have had major disasters and some portions of MyPI deliveries were impacted. This just further underscores the needthis new standard of youth preparedness programming that we have developed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have completed all Instructor Certification and Training Workshops in Phase 2 Expansion, so all programs are eligible todeliver the program and to start reaping the many benefits associated with MyPI. Many are approaching their markers. Participation, response, and support have been overwhelmingly positive andthe motivation to push this project is very inspiring. In the ICTWs, we essentially take our instructors through a CERT Trainer the Trainer and aMyPI Train the Trainer, so they understand both the content of the program and how to deliver all components of it. The StateProgram Managers and/or attending members of the state/local emergency management and first responder communitieshave cleared many of these partnered programs to lead future CERT trainings and of course, our process clears them to lead future MyPI trainings. Just as in the Phase 1 Pilot, during the Phase 2 Expansion, we have local, state, and federalemergency management representation that will stop in and introduce themselves, learn more about the program, and offertheir support to the instructors. The networking between instructors and members of the emergency management and firstresponder communities that takes place in these ICTWs will no doubt lead to additional opportunities in the future. Several programs have already implemented their own Train the Trainers with the assistance of local and state partners in efforts to grow their instructor cohorts and expand their programs. This was made possible by the initial Train the Trainer and connections made by MyPI National in developing their programs. Members of the MyPI National team have been incorporated in these additional trainings as well. As mentioned previously,MyPI Georgia received our program's 4th national award in 5 years by being recognized as the National award winner for Citizenship in 4-H Youth Development by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. MyPI was also recognized and showcased at premiere national emergency management and youth development conferences, including but not limited to the International Association of Emergency Managers conference in Savannah, GA, the National CERT Conference in San Diego, CA, and the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents annual conference in White Sulphur Springs, WV and also at a variety of state-level emergency management conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Partnered programs and their respective ProgramManagers and Instructors have utilized their access to their evaluation data which has confirmed across the board the many benefits of ourprogram as it relates to not only individual, family, and community preparedness, but also enhanced youth leadershipcharacteristics, youth development, civic responsibility, communication, family cohesion, decision-making, etc. This data is typically used for local and state-level support and advocacy as well as statements of impact.Thecompelling data will continueto be collected from the students as the program deliveries continue to progress within these partnered programs. Data and themes have also been reported at a variety of state and national-level emergency management and youth development meetings and conferences as mentioned previously in this progress report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to execute the program as proposed and allowed for under the one-year, no-cost Extension provided by NIFA and will begin to transition these programs over to their host agencies around early summer of 2020. All ICTWs are complete to this point, so we will continue to monitorprogram delivery and assist the Program Managers and Instructors as needed, not only with delivery and instruction, but alsowith program promotion and branding, network building, etc. Each partnered program will continue to deliver to their students,who will continue to progress through the course content and the service projects. Websites and social media accounts willcontinue to be updated with program information and resources/information related to all risks and hazards. Ownership ofthese resources will eventually transfer over to the partnered programs during the transition period. Data will continue to provide evidence of individualand community impact. This data will continue to be compiled and presented to a variety of local, state, and national entities.Our hope and charge remains true...that sustainable youth preparedness programs in each state will continue and be ofbenefit to youth leadership/youth development as well as individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience foryears to come.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Consistent with the successful implementation of the Phase 1 Pilot progress of this program, MyPI National is exactly where we need to be withinPhase 2 of this project. We are following our proposed model to certify 10-15 instructors per partnered program, graduate125 students per partnered program, and directly engage and impact 875 households per program, while collecting the datanecessary to produce impact reports that can lead to sustainable youth preparedness programs for years to come (which isthe overall goal of the project). All Instructor Certification and Training Workshops have been completed and several statesare nearing completion of their deliveries under the initial funding and MyPI National administration. Comprehensive state-levelwebsites and social media accounts are live and updated on a regular basis. Successful partnerships with local and state agencies in each state are either fostered or are in development. Promotion and advocacy for theseprograms extends beyond MyPI National and the host agencies. FEMA Regional Admin, state level emergencymanagement, education professionals, etc., have all been a part of the advocacy efforts as the individual programs continueto grow and position themselves for long-term success. Deliveries have been completed in many partnered programs,calendar drafting has begun in others, and online Instructor forums are being utilized. MyPI Georgia received our program's 4th national award in 5 years by being recognized as the National award winner for Citizenship in 4-H Youth Development by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. MyPI was also recognized and showcased at premiere national emergency management and youth development conferences, including but not limited to the International Association of Emergency Managers conference in Savannah, GA, the National CERT Conference in San Diego, CA, and the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents annual conference in White Sulphur Springs, WV and also at a variety of state-level emergency management conferences.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., Kirby, S. D., Hobbs, K. G., & Nichols, D. (2019, November). Focusing on youth; Examining and partnering with MyPI National: Building on the past, developing todays leaders, and shaping the future of tomorrow by building a culture of community preparedness and resilience. Program presented at the International Association of Emergency Management annual conference in Savannah, GA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2019, September). Enhancing the Culture of Youth Preparedness through Partnerships with MyPI National and MyPI Florida. Program presented at the Florida CERT Conference in Naples, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Frier, T. (2019, July). Participating with MyPI MS and Ready in the Middle: Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Youth. Program presented at the annual Mississippi Association of Career and Technical Education conference in Jackson, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2019, June). MyPI Mississippi: the Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative. Program presented at the Mississippi Association of School Resource Officers Association annual conference in Biloxi, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., & Nichols, D. (2019, May). Enhancing the Culture of Youth Preparedness through Partnerships with MyPI National and MyPI California. Program presented at the joint California 4 All/National CERT Conference in San Diego, CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2019, May). The Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI): Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the Mississippi Partners in Preparedness Summit in Biloxi, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019, March). Setting the New Standard: A National Youth Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming and Partnering - MyPI National and LAPSEN, a model for success. Program presented at the Law and Public Safety Education Network (LAPSEN) annual conference in Huntersville, NC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019, March). Educating and Empowering the Youth of Mississippi: Changing the Culture of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience through MyPI and MSU Extensions Youth Preparedness Continuum. Program presented at the Mississippi Municipal League annual Youth Leadership Summit in Oxford, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2019). Youth and preparedness. Available online at https://sitchradio.com/youth-and-preparedness/ and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/youth-and-preparedness/id1223765118?i=1000444197975


Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:While this project focuses on youth (specifically teens), in the approximately five counties (exception being Guam) selected among the partnering states/territories (Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, South Dakota, Nevada, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Alabama, Oregon, and Guam), the project's wide-reaching nature also involves instructors, parents/guardians, communities, and those families/households that become a part of each student's leadership/service project. Additionally, and referenced later in this progress report, MyPI National moved Guam to the Phase 3 Expansion of this project due to Guam representation making a project administrative change. As a result, MyPI National added Colorado which was waiting to join the program. We are allowed to train up to 15 instructors per state/territory, which represents 3 instructors per selected county. In total, this phase of the program allows for 150 instructors tobe trained among the 10new partners. 1,250students (125 per state/territory) will be enrolled in the program. As a result of their enrollment and participation (and subsequent graduation), each student will complete a rigorous curriculum and also work with their own household plus six additional households they select for a total of seven households per student. That formula allows for 8,750households to be directly impacted by delivery of MyPI National in these new partnered programs, producing a substantial impact and proven formula for enhancing individual, family, and communitypreparedness and resilience. Developed partnerships and impact data will continue to help enable the framework for delivery and will allow for sustainability and continued impact after the project's funding period closes. Changes/Problems:The only major change to the program is that we moved Guam officially to a Phase 3 program. There was an administrative change with their Program Manager and it was clear that they were not ready for the MyPI National Team to deliver the ICTW. So we moved them and brought Colorado onboard as a Phase 2 program. We are also beginning (at the request of SOME program managers) to transition some of the social media responsibilities to them before the close of the funding period. We continue to do our work and update as we go, but we are bringing the program managers in earlier as well. This helps with the buy-in and understanding of expectations for how social media should be utilized effectively. Outside of this, there are no real major problems or changes to report. We have had some partnered programs across Phase 1 and Phase 2 that have had major disasters and some portions of MyPI deliveries were impacted. This just further underscores the need this new standard of youth preparedness programming that we have developed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have completed all Instructor Certification and Training Workshops in Phase 2 Expansion, so all programs are eligible to deliver. Many are approaching their markers. Participation, response, and support have been overwhelmingly positive and the motivation to push this project is very inspiring. We have been funded for a Phase 3 Expansion and currently have a queue for Phase 4 Expansion. In the ICTWs, we essentially take our instructors through a CERT Trainer the Trainer and a MyPI Train the Trainer, so they understand both the content of the program and how to deliver all components of it. The State Program Managers and/or attending members of the state/local emergency management and first responder communities have cleared many of these partnered programs to lead future CERT trainings and of course, our process clears them to lead future MyPI trainings. Just as in the Phase 1 Pilot, during the Phase 2 Expansion, we have local, state, and federal emergency management representation that will stop in and introduce themselves, learn more about the program, and offer their support to the instructors. The networking between instructors and members of the emergency management and first responder communities that takes place in these ICTWs will no doubt lead to additional opportunities in the future. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?There is no cumulative data to report yet from MyPI National, though partnered programs and their respective Program Managers have utilized their access to their evaluation data which has confirmed across the board the many benefits of our program as it relates to not only individual, family, and community preparedness, but also enhanced youth leadership characteristics, youth development, civic responsibility, communication, family cohesion, decision-making, etc. The compelling data will continue to be collected from the students as the program deliveries continue to progress within these partnered programs. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to execute the program as proposed. All ICTWs are complete to this point, so we will continue to monitor program delivery and assist the Program Manager and Instructors as needed, not only with delivery and instruction, but also with program promotion and branding, network building, etc. Each partnered program will continue to deliver to their students, who will continue to progress through the course content and the service projects. Websites and social media accounts will continue to be updated with program information and resources/information related to all risks and hazards. Ownership of these resources will eventually transfer over to the partnered programs. Data will continue to provide evidence of individual and community impact. This data will continue to be compiled and presented to a variety of local, state, and national entities. Our hope and charge remains true...that sustainable youth preparedness programs in each state will continue and be of benefit to youth leadership/youth development as well as individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience for years to come.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Consistent with the Phase 1 Pilot progress of this program expansion, MyPI National is exactly where we need to be within Phase 2 of this project. We are following our proposed model to certify 10-15 instructors per partnered program, graduate 125 students per partnered program, and directly engage and impact 875 households per program, while collecting the data necessary to produce impact reports that can lead to sustainable youth preparedness programs for years to come (which is the overall goal of the project). All Instructor Certification and Training Workshops have been completed and several states are nearing completion of their deliveries under the initial funding and MyPI National administration. Coomprehensive state-level websites and social media accounts are live and updated on a regular basis. Promotion and advocacy for these programs extends beyond MyPI National and the host agencies. FEMA Regional Admin, state level emergency management, education professionals, etc., have all been a part of the advocacy efforts as the individual programs continue to grow and position themselves for long-term success. Deliveries have been completed in many partnered programs, calendar drafting has begun in others, and online Instructor forums are being utilized.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, May). The Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI): Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the Mississippi Partners in Preparedness Summit in Biloxi, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, May). Charting a New Course: A National Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming and Partnering for Community Resilience. Program presented at the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Annual Conference in Providence, RI.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018, July). Setting the New Standard: A National Youth Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming for Community Resilience by Fostering Leadership, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the HOSA (Health Occupational Students of America) International Leadership Conference in Dallas, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, July). The Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI) and Ready in the Middle: Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility and Empowerment in Todays Youth. Program presented at the Mississippi Career and Technology Education Annual Conference in Jackson, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, August). Setting the New Standard: A National Youth Preparedness Reboot through Innovative Programming for Community Resilience by Fostering Leadership, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Teens. Program presented at the National CERT Conference in Naples, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2017, September). Essential Partnerships and Bridge Building for Sustained Success: The National Youth Preparedness Initiative; Current Process and Future Expansion. Program presented at the Extension Disaster Education Network Annual Conference in Moline, IL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2017, November). Youth Preparedness and Youth Leadership: A Recipe for Success through MyPI. Program presented at the Mississippi HOSA Annual Conference in Gulfport, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018, February). Volunteers and Youth Preparedness Partnerships. Panel discussion presented at the American Red Cross Youth Preparedness Conference in St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, March). The Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI) and MSU Extensions Youth Preparedness Continuum (YPC): Fostering Preparedness, Civic Responsibility, and Empowerment in Todays Youth. Program presented at the Mississippi Municipal Leagues annual Youth Leadership Summit in Cleveland, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., and Nichols, D. (2018, November). MyPI and the Critical Importance of Youth Preparedness. Program presented at the Mississippi Civil Defense Emergency Management Associations mid-winter Conference in Tunica, MS.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018, November). MyPI National, Youth Preparedness, Campus Emergency Management, and International Study Abroad Safety Strategies. National Conference Call hosted by the Readiness and Emergency Management in Schools Technical Assistance (REMS TA) Center.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R. (2018, November). MyPI National: Changing the Culture of Youth Preparedness. National Conference Call hosted by the American Hospital Associations Allied Association Emergency Readiness Group. (AHA ERG).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Akers, C. R., Mueller, A., & Cochran, S. (2018). My Preparedness Initiative (MyPI): Teaching preparedness to Americas youth. Available online at: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/audio/172155