ATLANTA, Ga. – Juvare, a technology solutions company in support of emergency preparedness and response, has been announced as a chapter supporter of HERricane Arlington, a program that encourages teenage girls to consider careers in emergency management-related fields.
Arlington’s Office of Emergency Management hosts the HERricane Arlington summer camp, which focuses on providing young women between the ages 13-17 with hands-on experience in disaster preparedness for career exploration purposes. Furthermore, the camp doesn’t just stop after the week-long program; HERricane Arlington continues to engage with their students through a program called The Aftermath.
Lauren Stienstra, Senior Manager of Research and Policy Development, Arlington County Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management, states, “While I have always felt mildly underrepresented in emergency management, I didn’t realize how stark the statistics were. As of 2014, women occupied only 34% of emergency management staff jobs and only 8% of those employed held director-level positions within the field. Even at the highest level, only once has a woman held the position of FEMA Administrator, and that was just in an “acting” capacity for a matter of months.”
The camp takes place June 25-29, 2018, and is followed up with a HERricane Arlington Capstone Networking and Awards Ceremony, where various professionals are invited to help provide an opportunity for the students to practice their networking and professionalism skills.
As the market leader in the emergency preparedness and disaster response community, Juvare felt HERricane Arlington’s mission embraced similar values to those held by Juvare. Securing a more resilient future for the communities and organizations we serve is the Juvare motto, and HERricane Arlington’s program takes that one step further by supporting the growth of women in the emergency management field.
“This is my second year volunteering with HERricane Arlington, and I cannot wait to go back! I think it is important that we not only support the encouragement of diversity throughout the industry but that we are the vanguard of it. I feel a personal connection to HERricane Arlington’s goals, not only because I am a woman, but also because I didn’t realize emergency management was an industry I could work in until I was in my 30s. I could not be more passionate about educating the younger generation and sharing the opportunities that lay in front of them in our space. These young women will be key to crafting the next generation of emergency managers and policy,” says Carol Apelt, Vice President, Client Success, Juvare.
Juvare is honored to be a charter supporter of HERricane Arlington, and proud to help nurture a program that provides exceptional opportunities for young women to consider career paths within the emergency management arena.
About HERricane Arlington:
HERricane Arlington is a cutting-edge summer camp program designed to give high school-aged girls the knowledge, skills, and abilities to survive disasters and consider careers in emergency management and allied fields. The program focuses on experiential, hands-on learning related to personal preparedness, natural hazards, crisis communications, and public health. Participants are trained in life saving skills such as CPR, fire extinguisher utilization, and storm spotting as well as leadership skills such as professional conduct, teamwork, and networking. The program was developed by the Arlington County Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management in 2017 and is expanding across the country.
