Raising schoolchildren's awareness of the risk of flooding in the Loire basin (phase 1)

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This project allows children to reconnect with the river where they live and to therefore take into account the notion of natural risk in daily life.Florian Pornin and Niounka Aubry Dioum, Maison de Loire Educational Centre 45This regional project, led by the Fédération des Maisons de Loire and implemented by its five member structures, aims, on the one hand, to enable the appropriation of general and regional knowledge as a basis for a common and localised culture of risk. On the other, it is used to develop educational modules and tools to promote citizen awareness of everyone's responsibility in the face of this risk.The Maisons de Loire therefore wish to encourage appropriate reactions from citizens in times of crisis. Communications are based around this project and promote achievements that will enable a positive dynamic to be set in motion, while at the same time encouraging related initiatives on the theme of flood risk prevention.A multidisciplinary subjectThis flood risk awareness project is aimed at school children from cycle 3 upwards, specifically CM2 classes. Indeed, many points of the programme of this in-depth cycle can be approached from this perspectiveand studied through a local lens. This relates in particular to science education, civic education, geography and arts education.Multidisciplinary and transversal, this subject can also be looked at from a different angle and studied as part of other subjects. The targeted classes are CM2 classes of schools in communes affected by the Highest Recorded Water Level-HRWL (whether the school is itself located in a flood-risk area or not).Following the success of the first test phase, the financial partners decided to continue the project across the five Maisons de Loire, by setting up a consolidation phase. For the 2014-2015 school year, 20 events have therefore been scheduled. A multiannual agreement has been signed with the Regional Council for 2015, 2016 and 2017 in order to set up 30 events per year. In2018, the Maison de Loire has been involved in 27 classes, working with about 700 students.In order to achieve the objectives of this work, the Maisons de Loire distributed the explanation booklet to schools, identified the sites of intervention for the field part of the project, and organised day-long activities.Two models to stage a floodThe "flood action" events are one-day educational events. The module takes place over two half-days, the first one in the classroom to study the general concepts and the second one out in the field of the school commune to discover the local risk.These events are based on two educational tools: the "hydroLoire" model and the "flooded house" model. The "hydroLoire" model represents a portion of the Loire and its valley. Using ladles, water is placed into the water upstream. This makes it possible to explain the natural functioning of the river, to visualise the different elements that characterise the Loire Valley (low-water channel, river basin, hillsides, etc.) and to show the impact of human developments on the river basin.The model also makes it possible to consider the different types of floods (average flood, centennial flood) and to understand how the tools used to protect against them operate (dykes, spillways, etc.) as well as their limits (for example, the collapse of dykes). The notions of hazards, issues and risks can thus be addressed. Finally, the "hydroLoire" model explains how to limit the vulnerability of an area to floods. From now on, each Maison de Loire will have both educational tools at its disposal.It should be noted that this project benefits from ERDF support every year.LinksPhase 2Total investment and European fundingTotal investment for the 2016 “Flood risk awareness for schoolchildren in the Loiret region” project is EUR 12 767; the contribution of the European Regional Development Fund amounts to EUR 7 894 under the “ERDF  Interregional Operational Programme for the Loire” cooperation programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the ‘Energy and Climate Union’ priority.