Wisconsin teen on FEMA council to bring preparedness message nationwide

A Wisconsin teen is taking her passion for raising awareness about climate change and animal preparedness to the national stage. Madison Malo was recently selected as a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Youth Preparedness Council, where she hopes to bring national attention to how disasters can impact livestock.

"I really want to bring awareness overall to my community," said Malo. "There are millions of students in Wisconsin, and I want to make disaster and emergency preparedness more widespread by planting that seed with younger kids."

The Green Bay teen is about to enter her senior year at Notre Dame Academy and getting ready for college. Malo has been active over the past few years with extracurricular activities, work, and volunteering at a local wildlife sanctuary, and her college councilor suggested a way to make an even bigger impact by applying to join the FEMA Region 5 Youth Preparedness Council.

"I put my passions of climate change and its environmental impacts in my application the first time around over a year ago," said Malo. "I come from a family of teachers and professors, so this summer for my FEMA council project, I taught young kids at the local Boys and Girls Club how to stay safe during a disaster."

In June, Malo traveled to Chicago for the FEMA Region 5 Youth Preparedness Council Summit. While there, she met with other youth from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

"Madison and her fellow Youth Preparedness Council members represent the next generation of emergency management, and we're proud to help foster their dedication to public service as preparedness ambassadors in our communities," said FEMA Region 5 Regional Administrator Tom Sivak. "Our future is brighter when we have innovative, young minds focused on building a safer, more resilient tomorrow."

A previous member of the FEMA Regional Youth Preparedness Council now works as a Radiological Emergency Preparedness Planner at Wisconsin Emergency Management, a division of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs. Haily Dudzinksi was on the regional council from 2018 to 2021. She said it helps to prepare for any career, because the skills the Council instills in youth are transferable to any field.

"It helped me learn how to network and opened a few doors for my career," said Dudzinski. "It helps open your eyes to different opportunities to grow and leveraging those skills helps you get your foot in the door."

Dudzinski said she is unsure where she would be with her career without the experience gained through the Youth Preparedness Council. With the council, she was able to talk to people in a variety of fields and ask them questions to provide her with direction on her career path.

In addition to the council, Dudzinski and Malo have something else in common: They both want to help others and make an impact.

"I always wanted to help people and affect others in a positive way," said Dudzinski. "The council helped to guide me to where I am today."

"It feels good to be able to make a bit of an impact and make the world a better place before leaving for college," said Malo.

The National Youth Preparedness Council recently met for the first time to go over goals and projects and Malo is hoping to continue making an impact by working on her national project on animal preparedness, which is part of her future career as a veterinarian.

"I am hoping to highlight how disasters can impact livestock which also affects farmers' lives," said Malo. "I am looking forward to working with the national council on this project which could impact the whole country."

While she is excited about potential national impacts she can inspire to make, Malo will still be involved with making her community more resilient to disasters. She plans on expanding her regional Youth Preparedness Council project to the Brown County Library system by having a table space where anyone entering the library can learn about preparedness.

"I really just want to bring awareness overall to my community," said Malo. "I encourage people to take a moment to be more aware and to be prepared. It doesn't have to be taking a half hour class. It can be as simple as taking time to read a few sentences on emergency preparedness online."

The Youth Preparedness Councill was created in 2012 to bring youth leaders together to support disaster preparedness and make a difference in their communities by completing disaster preparedness projects nationally and locally.

While on the council, members meet with FEMA staff to provide input on strategies, initiatives, and projects. During their term, members gain professional skills and forge new relationships as they work on teams to develop preparedness-related projects.

The next application period for the Youth Preparedness Council will begin later this year.

"Do it and take the jump," said Dudzinski. "If you have the slightest interest in being a first responder, hospital worker, or emergency manager, the Youth Preparedness Council gives you background knowledge about how to keep in touch with your communities to build resiliency."

More information on the council can be found on FEMA's website at https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/individuals-communities/youth-preparedness-council.

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