Students from Melipeuco participated in the Second Meeting of Schools located in Volcanic Risk Zones

The commune is located less than 15 kilometers from the Llaima Volcano, the second most active volcano in South America.

Between November 23, 24 and 25, students from the Llaima Volcano School and the Melipeuco School participated in the Second Meeting of Schools Located in Volcanic Risk Zones, an event held on the campus of the Universidad de la Frontera in Pucón, whose main objective was to improve protocols for dealing with the imminent risks of living in areas near volcanoes in the "active" category.

During the activity, which was also attended by schools from cities such as Puerto Varas, Coñaripe, Lonquimay and Pucón, students from the commune of Melipueco presented their project "Knowing the Volcanic Danger of My Commune", an initiative they worked on together with the energy development company Latin America Power (LAP) and the municipality, within the framework of the SNCAE environmental certification program that is being worked on with schools in the commune.

In this scenario, the students developed a Trawun, an instance of meeting and reflection among Mapuche Pehuenches, with experiences of people who experienced eruptions of the Llaima volcano in the past and built a model in relation to the dangers and risks that are linked to the volcano.

According to Bernardo Jaramillo, Monitor and Coordinator of the Environmental Certification program, who was also part of the meeting, the participation of the schools in this instance is very significant since the commune of Melipeuco is located less than 15 km from the Llaima volcano, so an eruption could directly affect all the activity of the commune. "This makes it even more important to provide feedback on how to improve protocols and integrate new techniques and responses to the dangers presented by the volcano. In this sense, the students leave with a good feeling and with the desire to repeat this experience", he added.

The meeting has already confirmed the organization of its third version, which will be held in the commune of Melipeuco in 2023.