MyPI
Message for California
Greetings:
My name is Dr. Ryan Akers and I am the National Project Director for MyPI National, a four-time, national award-winning youth preparedness and youth leadership program. I also serve as the National Project Director for Ready in the Middle National, a pre-MyPI hazard identification and mitigation program for ages 9-19. My team will be certifying the first set of instructors and installing MyPI California and Ready in the Middle California October 3-5, 2023, in Red Bluff, CA. Given your association with Law and Public Safety courses, I welcome your involvement in this cohort and in this training. As you will see below, the foundation of the MyPI curriculum is the CERT curriculum developed by DHS/FEMA. This would be a great opportunity to refresh your skillsets with engaging instructors and this comprehensive and dynamic program. The critical deadline for registration is September 1, 2023.
Beginning in 2023, the University of California (UC) Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the UC 4-H Youth Development Program will offer a four-time national award-winning youth preparedness, leadership and educational outreach program known as MyPI (My Preparedness Initiative) for teenagers across California. MyPI California is a component of the National Youth Preparedness Initiative (MyPI National), a partnership of 37 states and 3 US territories, delivering an innovative, engaging, and comprehensive curriculum for teenagers that will enable profound impact on emergency preparedness for households and communities in addition to youth leadership characteristics across the nation. The Phase 1 pilot, Phase 2 expansion, Phase 3 expansion, and final Phase 4 expansion of MyPI National has been funded by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health.
MyPI National, the instructional training/certification unit, replicates the model created in 2011 and delivered in Mississippi since 2013. In 2014, the Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative, the forerunner of the current model, was named FEMA’s national award winner for Outstanding Youth Preparedness program. It also received an Honorable Mention recognition for whole community preparedness. In 2015, MyPI Mississippi was named one of the first entities to be named an official Affirmer of the new National Strategy for Youth Preparedness Education. As such, MyPI is an engaged and recognized component of a nationally supported, progressive approach to preparing youth for emergencies and disasters. In 2017, MyPI National was awarded FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness national award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness and also another Honorable Mention designation for whole community preparedness. In 2018, MyPI National was awarded the National CERT Conference award for “Preparing the Whole Community”. That year, MyPI National became a recognized Affirmer of the national strategy. And finally, in 2019, MyPI Georgia, a program installed by the national program, was awarded the National Association of 4-H Extension Agents’ national award for Citizenship in 4-H Youth Development, the model’s 4th national award. In 2020, capitalizing on continued growth and momentum of the program, a consulting arm, MyPI International, was created to work with international colleagues.
For teens in all partnering states and territories, MyPI offers a comprehensive and engaging three-component curriculum with a flexible timeline. In Component A, teenagers will complete the United States Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency-certified CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training and corresponding modules focusing on Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety and Utility Control, Disaster Medical Operations, Light Search and Rescue, CERT Organization, Disaster Psychology, and Terrorism and CERT as well as all Hazard-related Annexes. In Component B, the Add-On Catalog features certification in CPR and AED usage, along with a technology track comprised of awareness programs focusing on HAM radio, NOAA weather radio, smoke alarm maintenance, and smart phone apps and social media in emergency preparedness. The Add-On Catalog also includes a school safety component, a disaster simulation, an extreme weather program, a public health awareness and risk mitigation program, an extreme bleeding component, and a career track that focuses on public safety, fire service, and emergency management careers. The final element of the program, Component C, includes a comprehensive family and community service project entitled “PREP + 6” in which each participant helps develop emergency supply kits and emergency communication plans for their household AND 6 additional households. This component allows for significant enhancement in individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience, not to mention fostering youth leadership skills and characteristics. To graduate from the program, students must complete all components.
MyPI is flexible in terms of where it can be delivered. The award-winning program is currently being taught in formal school settings through allied health classes, law and public safety classes, and as part of career-tech programs. It is also taught outside of school settings for organized youth programs, community agencies, camps, etc.
For additional information regarding MyPI California including the areas of the state that the program will be delivered in the first year offerings, please contact either Mr. Nate W. Caeton, University of California 4-H Youth Advisor and MyPI California Program Manager at nwcaeton@ucanr.edu or (530) 224-4900, or myself at cakers@humansci.msstate.edu or (662) 325-5914.
Thanks!
Original Website Content
Beginning in late 2016, eight states partnered together and made a commitment to deliver an innovative and engaging disaster preparedness curriculum and leadership experience to teenagers within Nebraska, Hawaii, Tennessee, Washington, Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, and Mississippi. This project was made possible through a federal grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Short for My Preparedness Initiative, MyPI provides a challenging youth preparedness and leadership development opportunity in which teenagers are empowered to take ownership of their preparedness and to assist their families and surrounding communities with the same, all with the goal of enhancing individual, family, and community preparedness and resilience, and at the same creating a new standard for youth preparedness across the nation.
In 2017, through funding from NIFA, MyPI National launched a Phase 2 Expansion that added 11 new partners to bring funded partnerships to 19. In 2018, Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, South Dakota, Nevada, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Alabama, and Oregon all installed MyPI programs. Additionally, MyPI National added its first US Territory with the inclusion of MyPI Guam, which will be installed in January, 2020 along with other Phase 3 programs. The MyPI National Coordination Team has Phase 3 Expansion partners in Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Alaska, New Mexico, Delaware, Iowa, South Carolina, Florida, California, Louisiana, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands. MyPI National is currently planning a Phase 4 Expansion with the goal of bringing the total programmatic imprint to 40 states and potentially a 4th territory.
Known at the national level as “MyPI National,” the program replicates the comprehensive model created and delivered in Mississippi since 2013. In 2014, the Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative was named FEMA’s national award winner for Outstanding Youth Preparedness program. It also received an Honorable Mention recognition for “Preparing the Whole Community.” Just one year later, MyPI Mississippi was named one of the first official Affirmers of the new National Strategy for Youth Preparedness Education, a directive and document produced by the United State Department of Education, the American Red Cross, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As such, MyPI Mississippi is an engaged and recognized component of a nationally supported, progressive approach to preparing youth for emergencies and disasters. MyPI National also received this Affirmer designation. In 2017, MyPI National won the FEMA ICPD award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Preparedness and in 2018, MyPI National was recognized with another national award, the 2018 National CERT Award for “Preparing the Whole Community.” In 2019, MyPI Georgia was recognized by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents with its national award for Citizenry in 4-H Youth Development. This achievement marked the fourth national award in five years for MyPI programs.
Host agencies and delivery outlets for MyPI vary across the nation with respective land-grant universities hosting in some locations and state emergency management in others. While MyPI Mississippi is currently being taught in formal school settings through Allied Health classes, Law and Public Safety classes, and as part of Vo-Tech programs, it is also taught outside of school settings for organized youth programs, community agencies, etc. Partnerships with local emergency management, first responder communities, and education officials are strongly encouraged and sought in all MyPI programs as the host agencies continue to develop their state level MyPIs (ex. MyPI Nebraska, MyPI Hawaii, MyPI Colorado, MyPI Alaska, etc.).
For additional information regarding MyPI National, please contact MyPI National Program Coordinator, Dr. C. Ryan Akers at cakers@humansci.msstate.edu. For specific information regarding the current state/territory deliveries, please explore the “Contact Us” tab of this website for respective State Program Manager information