More ‘earthquake literacy’ needed to help Groningen youth

Photo: ANP

The ‘earthquake literacy’ of adults who work with children and young people from the gas extraction area in Groningen must be improved. They need to be more aware of the consequences of the problems caused by gas extraction in order to better understand and help the youth who have had to deal with it. This is stated in a report from the Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen on behalf of the Institute for Mining Damage Groningen. The findings will be presented on Thursday afternoon.

According to the researchers, the results show that the earthquake problem negatively affects “all living environments” of children and young people. “This happens immediately, for example by experiencing an earthquake. But also indirectly, for example through the impact of the claim settlement and reinforcement on parents or other important people in their environment,” the conclusions state. “In the longer term, educational disadvantages and an intergenerationally transmitted culture of perceived powerlessness, fatalism and loss of confidence in oneself are expected,” it warns.

Information about the problems and what can be done about them should also be easier to find and more coherent. The supporting and signaling role of schools should be strengthened. A ‘master plan’ for the psychosocial well-being of the children and young people in question is also necessary, according to the authors of the report.