“Households are important — but communities keep people alive.

Youth leaders, especially community officers or university-based youth groups, play a critical role in:

✔ Making drills inclusive

• Provide sign language interpreters
• Use visual signals, flags, or lights
• Set up tactile guidance or rope lines
• Offer sensory-friendly waiting areas
• Ensure ramps and barrier-free paths
• Let people move at their own pace; no shouting
• Assign buddies based on choice, not assumption 

✔ Conducting Inclusive Walkthroughs

Ask:

• Is the barangay hall reachable by wheelchair?
• Is the evacuation center compliant with local accessibility laws? For example, in the Philippines, is your evacuation center compliant with BP 344?
• Are there visual, tactile, and auditory alerts?
• Are pathways wide, stable, and well-lit?
• Are there accessible bathrooms?
• Is there a quiet or low-sensory area?

You don’t need to fix everything on Day 1.

But you can document barriers and advocate for improvement.”

✔ Boosting Community Awareness

You can help by:

• Holding short info sessions
• Creating simple hazard maps
• Using comics, infographics, or short videos
• Translating warnings into youth-friendly language
• Posting accessible guides online
• Teaching neighbors how to create Go-Bags

Young people are powerful mobilizers — you just need inclusive tools.”