One thing I am incredibly thankful for at CityLAB is the opportunity to shape our own learning. If we identify something in the community or municipality that is particularly interesting to us, students are empowered to take the lead in creating learning spaces surrounding this. Some examples of this is how students are currently taking the lead in creating workshops surrounding the themes of affordable housing and hate in Hamilton. This type of opportunity manifested for me in the form of Emergency Preparedness.
In CityLAB, a major portion of our time goes towards our ‘project’ portion, in which we work with City and community partners to work on an issue that impacts communities in Hamilton. Since the beginning of the semester, my project involves assisting Environment Hamilton in establishing resiliency to extreme weather caused by climate change in the Beasley Neighborhood. As we began working with Environment Hamilton, our partners there introduced me to Connie Verhaeghe, the Senior Emergency Manager at the City of Hamilton. One thing lead to another, and I was given the opportunity to organize a field trip with Connie for CityLAB students to visit Hamilton’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC).
On October 24th, thirteen other CityLAB students and I commuted to Hamilton’s EOC. This center is the city’s hub for emergency management: if and when an emergency takes place, this is where everything happens. The EOC has protocols to manage any and all emergencies, from tornadoes to chemical spills or extreme heat. The EOC manages emergency aid, city responses, allocating resources, and media updates. At the center, we had the opportunity to see the physical facilities from which emergencies are handed, and learn more about the policies and systems in place to protect Hamilton’s residents. At the end of the hour, we walked away with our own Hamilton Emergency Preparedness Guides, which we can use to create personalized preparedness plans.
I am incredibly thankful to Connie at the EOC for welcoming and teaching us all about the city’s emergency preparedness. Furthermore, I am thankful that CityLAB gives us the opportunities to take our learning in our own unique paths, and empowered me to make this field trip happen. Our professors and staff have created a wonderful learning space in which we are given the tools to shape our education. I hope that more students have the opportunity to experience learning in this self-directed manner.