Interested in learning how to use the traditional knowledge held by your local community for reducing disaster risk?

inSIGHT: A Participatory Game for Enhancing Disaster Risk Governance

On the world day that promotes disaster risk reduction through people-centred approaches, ICCROM is pleased to launch the digital publication inSIGHT. This participatory game offers its users the opportunity to build a common understanding of how the cultural and natural heritage of a place contributes to capacities for disaster risk reduction and sustainable development.

Playing inSIGHT will enable local governments, organizations and individuals, to promote the Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action, by recognizing the traditional knowledge and practices of a community that contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources in a given context. Such practices and knowledge could help mitigate and adapt to the risks induced by global climate change. Additionally, this game promotes a better understanding of the disaster risk, which in turn, helps to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Intended for a wide range of institutions and individuals interested in developing community-centred disaster risk reduction initiatives, this open-ended game offers an empowering social experience. It involves residents of a city, town or village, from different age groups, as well as different professions and social backgrounds.

Insights gained at the end of the game include:

  • Clarity on what constitutes significant heritage for the people.
  • Enhanced understanding of the root causes and chains of impacts that contribute to the creation of disaster risk in a given context.
  • Recognition of how heritage may contribute to a community’s well-being and help to reduce the risk of disasters.
  • Ideas for enhancing disaster resilience, which mainstream concerns for cultural heritage with the proactive engagement of the local community.

The ‘game approach’ helps to engage people from a variety of demographic groups,  creating an informal, inclusive and trusting atmosphere. This in turn helps to break barriers and stereotypes, giving voice to the marginalized.

inSIGHT was conceived in the framework of ICCROM’s flagship programme on First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis, and its capacity building project on Culture Cannot Wait: Heritage for Peace and Resilience, supported by the Swedish Postcode Foundation. Loughborough University and the Georgian National Committee of the Blue Shield, joined ICCROM in the development and field-testing the game in Upper Racha, Georgia, a risk-prone region rich in cultural and natural heritage.

Download it, share it and start playing - together we can build disaster resilience and sustain cultural heritage worldwide.

For specific questions write to: far_programme@iccrom.org.