The ‘Bushfire Brave’ program will launch in the second half of this year and will aim to teach children skills in resilience and empathy.

Bushfire Kids Connect founder Carly Ascott said that it will be similar to previous programs run by the group, but with a focus on self-awareness and teaching children to volunteer for the community.

“Really, those are the skills that are taught in assisting natural disasters – gratitude, empathy and kindness,” Ascott said.

“Also, positive reflection and helping to build resilient and connected young people.

“It’s really about developing empathy for people who have been impacted by disasters, but also, [for] those that live in natural disaster areas, it also makes them feel empowered to understand why fires happen [and] how they happen.”

The program will be supported by the South Australian Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services Joe Szakacs and the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission. The group has also previously received support from Wellbeing SA and Bendigo Bank.

The idea for Bushfire Kids Connect came from Ascott’s then nine-year-old son Sebastian after the devastating 2019 Cudlee Creek fires.

Ascott said that she was inspired to create the group after identifying a gap in the mental health and wellbeing support offered to children.

She said that the original concept was to bring the community together through fun events and to connect children with similar experiences.

“We took 60 families to the Adelaide Christmas Pageant because the fires happened only five days prior to Christmas,” she said.

“A lot of the families in our community missed out on their Christmas and the magic of Christmas was gone for those children, which was so incredibly sad, and so the following year we wanted to make sure that the children got to experience the joy and magic of Christmas.”

Ascott said the group has now evolved to focus on educational programs. One popular activity has been to help students design and create 3D objects to assist those affected by bushfires, which are displayed at an annual showcase day.

“The children would design, for example, a survival kit that has everything a family might need if they’re required to evacuate their home during a bushfire,” she said.

“They also would develop some really imaginative ideas like a super hydrator that attaches to firefighting belts with a carbonated click, allowing access to clean, filtered water during a fire.

“And this is all done by children’s imaginations – it’s just incredible!”