A program of Smart Communications that mobilizes young Filipinos to advocate a culture of disaster preparedness won at the prestigious Golden World Awards (GWA), which recognizes public relations practices that meet international standards of excellence.
The TNT Tropang Ready (Team Ready) Disaster Preparedness Caravan emerged as winner in the Community Engagement category of the GWA, and will be formally awarded on October 19 in Barcelona, Spain. Established in 1990, the GWA is organized annually by the International Public Relations Association.
The TNT Tropang Ready program involves tours of schools all over the country to empower the youth to become disaster preparedness ambassadors in their own communities. Students are taught what to do before, during, and after disasters like earthquakes, floods, and fire. It targets millennials because their digital savviness makes them the perfect disseminators of preparedness information among family and friends.
Entertainment is injected into the program to keep its young audience attentive and engaged. For example, students are encouraged to express their creativity in the paracord-making segment of the program. Paracords are sturdy rope bracelets they can wear every day, which can be untangled and used during emergencies.
Experts are also present to share survival tips, discuss local hazards, and introduce students to mobile apps and phone features that could help them in the face of disasters.
Partner schools are encouraged to cascade what they have learned to their adopted communities through their extension programs or the National Service Training Program (NSTP).
In less than a year, the TNT Tropang Ready Caravan engaged thousands of students and faculty from universities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. NSTP students of Batangas State University went on to conduct their own mini-Tropang Ready, which was attended by parents of government scholars in their community.
The TNT Tropang Ready Caravan is part of Smart’s #SafePH program, which promotes preparedness through mobile solutions and activities that help communities mitigate disaster risks. #SafePH includes on-ground events and solutions such as the Emergency Cell Broadcast System (ECBS), a platform for sending location- and hazard-specific emergency alerts; and the Batingaw emergency app, which can be used to report incidents and features safety tools such as a flashlight, siren, and radio.
