SSSD Launches Disaster Fighters Program

PHILIPSBURG – The Student Support Services Division (SSSD) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport will be launching the “Disaster Fighters” program with a twist. Disaster Fighters is a campaign for hurricane preparedness and prevention in the Caribbean region that was developed by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), with the support of the World Bank.

This program will act as an extension of the Student Support Services Division’s newly developed and piloted “Safety Ambassadors Program”, which is geared towards Elementary school aged children. Unparalleled, the Disaster Fighters Program St. Maarten program is geared towards youth between the ages of 13 and 19 years old. This program will allow the youth of St. Maarten to disseminate information on disaster risk reduction, preparedness, and general school safety to other youth within our communities. Disaster Fighters St. Maarten will provide leadership opportunities along with youth involvement and engagement at the community level.

The program’s goal is to improve community preparedness and resilience on St. Maarten through knowledge and awareness campaigns based on risks such as hurricanes in the region. Promotion will occur within schools and throughout the community as the search for committed and community minded youth continue.

To sign up, youth can follow the sign-up link at: https://bit.ly/3qhrQKC which can also be found on the SSSD Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sssd. For more information on Disaster Fighters, you can call SSSD at 1(721)543-1235.