What is MyPI and MyPI New York?

Beginning in 2023, Cornell Cooperative Extension will offer a four-time national award-winning youth preparedness, leadership and educational outreach program known as MyPI (My Preparedness Initiative) for teenagers across New York. MyPI New York 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 vo-tech programs. It is also taught outside of school settings for organized youth programs, community agencies, camps, etc.

For additional information regarding MyPI New York including the areas of the state that the program will be delivered in the initial offerings, please explore the different features of this website or contact Mr. John Bowe, MyPI New York Program Manager at jfb32@cornell.edu or (518) 668-4881.

For further information about MyPI National, please contact Dr. C. Ryan Akers, Associate Extension Professor, Mississippi State University and MyPI National Project Director at cakers@humansci.msstate.edu or (662) 325-5914.