What would you do when the dikes break?
The victims of the 1953 North Sea Flood are commemorated each year, but what should we learn from this event? And how can we use this knowledge for the future? These themes of remembrance, learning, and looking ahead are central to our meeting on Tuesday, October 8.
The victims of the 1953 North Sea Flood are commemorated each year, but what should we learn from this event? And how can we use this knowledge for the future? These themes of remembrance, learning, and looking ahead are central to our meeting on Tuesday, October 8.
The choices that the Netherlands makes today regarding water safety are crucial for the future—not only our own, but especially the future of young people. What do they think about water safety in the Netherlands? And what are their experiences with floods, such as the Limburg floods in 2021?
‘What Will You Do If the Dykes Break?’ is the first step in a new program by the Watersnoodmuseum where young people take the stage. On this day, youth from Zierikzee and Valkenburg aan de Geul will share their experiences with climate change, water safety, and flood disasters with the Water Envoy Meike van Ginneken. The Water Envoy will carry the messages from this meeting to the climate summit in November.
Program
14:30 – 15:00: Arrival
15:00 – 16:30: ‘What Will You Do If the Dykes Break?’
- Opening by Siemco Louwerse, Director of the Watersnoodmuseum.
- Introduction by Stas Peters, Vice-President European Youth Parliament for Water.
- Remembrance: Presentation of an emergency kit from 1953, presented by three students from Pieter Zeeman Lyceum in Zierikzee.
- Learning: Presentation by Mayor Daan Prevoo of Valkenburg aan de Geul on the impact of flood disasters and dealing with trauma.
- Looking Ahead: Presentation by Merel Fiets from the Young Climate Movement.
- The Water Envoy will engage in a discussion with the young people present.
- Presentation of a message or item to the Water Envoy for her travel case, inviting youth from around the world to share their flood experiences with us.
16:30: End of the program
Location
Het Vijfde Caisson of the Watersnoodmuseum, Weg van de Buitenlandse Pers 3, Ouwerkerk.
