From storytelling to resilience: a transdisciplinary approach to empowering children in disaster risk reduction

This paper presents an extended and multi-faceted project that explores a model of best practice designed to empower children to play enhanced roles in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies. It focuses on the decade-long evolution and wide reach of COPE Disaster Champions (COPE), a transdisciplinary, child-centred initiative that delivers DRR education through a globally accessible series of free children's picture books, and is framed through the lens of the instigating and creative team. Created to address a previous gap in age-appropriate DRR materials, the books combine storytelling with scientific accuracy, cultural sensitivity, and distinctive illustrations tailored to young learners. Grounded in Narrative Theory, their unique design aims to make complex evidence-based DRR concepts simple and relatable to children. The first section of the paper showcases the way transdisciplinary collaboration can be applied to the content creation process, involving scientists, educators, UN agencies, NGOs, artists, and children themselves, to increase the disaster resilience of children around the world. The paper further examines the way COPE has expanded beyond traditional printed media into interactive digital formats, such as audiobooks, animated trailers, e-books, jingles, and training manuals, designed to reach children across diverse learning styles and linguistic contexts.COPE's transdisciplinary approach and use of a global dissemination model, has resulted in an open-access, multilingual approach and cross collaborative strategic partnerships. Its impact is apparent in the contextualisation and distribution of materials across both digital spaces and community-based programmes, effectively reaching children in high-risk regions such as Nepal, Madagascar, Egypt, and the Pacific Islands. By situating COPE within the priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), the paper demonstrates how a creative, children's rights-based inclusive approach to DRR education can empower the next generation to become disaster resilient champions in their communities.