COGSS

COGSS DPE The Coalition for Global School Safety Disaster Prevention Education

NOW HAS A DEDICATED WEB SITE AT http://cogssdpe.ning.com/

The Coalition for Global School Safety (COGSS) is dedicated to fostering, supporting and encouraging disaster risk reduction in the education sector. COGSS supports global, regional, national, and sub-national, local and grassroots efforts to bring together expert and local knowledge in order to:

a) reduce the vulnerability of school infrastructure

b) integrate risk knowledge concepts into formal education curriculum at all levels

c) educate the public at large and promote public participation in disaster risk reduction.

Scope of Activities

COGSS approaches its mission through the following initial activities:

1. COGSS serves as a clearing house to provide a focal web site tracking and sharing global school safety efforts through documents, mailing lists and links, and providing this information free of charge.

2. COGSS partners with credible and responsible field practitioners and agencies world wide to help disseminate and propagate best practice by taking existing education sector risk management materials (manuals, course curriculum’s, public information pieces, workshop outlines and presentation documents, etc.) and translating, adapting and localizing them with appropriate partners for wider dissemination.

3. COGSS fosters dialogue and collaboration between advisory groups of local scientific and field practitioner experts for development and localization of educational materials.

4. COGSS proposes, prepares, presents and disseminates products and services including: Policy drafting, review and promotion; Course curriculum development at all levels of formal education; Technical advisory services; Resource material translation and adaptation for local use; Participation in global, regional, national and sub-national meetings as a co-organizer, convener, presenter, moderator, responder and expert resource; Formal course and workshop organizer and instructor; Specialized resource for media contacts.

Partnerships

COGSS is built around the concept of partnerships through which the knowledge, experience and expertise (KEE) of education sector risk reduction is made available to communities & community KEE made available to the education sector. COGSS is developing a partnership program for (1) Scientific & Academic Affiliates (2) Education Sector Affiliates (official, community-based, union, professional, etc.) (3) Education Development Agencies (4) International Development and Humanitarian Relief Agencies (5) Donor Partners.

Independent, Not for Profit, & Non-Duplicating of Efforts: COGSS is an independent initiative of individuals and organizations, drawing upon common resources. It is guided by a Volunteer Steering Committee from the affiliates at large. COGSS serves to complement rather than substitute for or duplicate any other existing institutionalized disaster risk reduction efforts. It is independent of public and private sector entities at all levels with their respective governing bodies, mandates, official positions, preferred approaches, and profit motives. COGSS is not for profit. COGSS also subscribes to principles of impartiality, neutrality, independence, and universality.

To join our efforts, please contact:
For Enquiries or General Information email - COGSS
or
Stephen Bender - (Secretary)
Ben Wisner - (Assistant Secretary)
Marla Petal - (Executive Committee - DR Education Materials info collation)
Hari Kumar - (Executive Committee)
Garry de la Pomerai - (Executive Committee - Structural Safety info collation)
Manu Gupta - (Executive Committee)
Yasamin O.Izadkhah - (Executive Committee)

Attachment	Size
COGSS-Project Mission Statement & Action Plan Schematic	401 KB
Let-Our-Children-Teach-Us an executive summary	26.5 KB
Let-Our-Children-Teach-Us Part1 May2006	2.5 MB
Let-Our-Children-Teach-Us Part2 May2006	1.45 MB
Let-Our-Children-Teach-Us Part3 May2006	2.62 MB
Let-Our-Children-Teach-Us Part4 May2006	2.83 MB
Children and Schools in Post Katrina NewOrleans. Bibliograghy. posted Jan 2008	44.5 KB