Two high school students are among those refusing to quit their community safety mission after government leaders canceled their advisory positions, the Associated Press reported in August.
Ashton Dolce and Sughan Sriganesh have approached disaster preparedness with different tactics, but they share goals for keeping people safe from the hazards that extreme weather can pose. Dolce, from Phoenix, started his advocacy work after seeing loved ones suffer during Arizona heat waves, while Sriganesh, from New York, works on bringing climate education and safety planning into classrooms.
Both teenagers earned positions on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Youth Preparedness Council in 2024, joining 13 other students chosen from across America to inform government disaster programs. The appointments enabled them to help shape national emergency strategies during their high school years.
While working on the council, Dolce and Sriganesh teamed up to produce safety guides for farming communities. They built resource packets containing practical tips for agricultural workers preparing for weather crises, blending regional knowledge into useful materials.
The program united young advocates, recognizing that the field of community resilience needs new voices, fresh perspectives, innovative skills, and experienced leaders ready to take on future crises. The students developed tools aimed at youth groups and rural areas, which standard government programs often overlook.
When administrators shut down the council in August following an extended period with no meetings, the teenagers decided to complete their work anyway. They now organize their own sessions and plan to share their safety materials without official support.
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Their dedication demonstrates how youth involvement improves local safety. Georgetown University professor Monica Sanders told the AP that young people energize effective support networks, run online coordination efforts, and reconnect families during disasters using methods older systems can't replicate.
Training young advocates now builds experts for the future, Chris Reynolds, who served four decades in Air Force emergency operations, told the news agency. Towns need these skills as damaging weather events grow more severe.
The students' efforts help communities prepare more effectively and recover more quickly. Their grasp of digital platforms and modern communication tools helps coordinate aid and spread urgent updates when disasters strike.
"We were putting so much time and effort into this space, and now it's fully gutted," Dolce said about the program's end, while stressing a commitment to pushing forward anyway.
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