“Canary Islands: A Volcanic Window in the Atlantic” is an educational program of the Volcanologic Instituto of the Canarias (Involcan) which is planning to visit the 88 municipalities of Canary Islands along this year 2017. This program, which counts with ITER´s collaboration, develops thanks to the co-financing of the Tenerife Innova 2016 – 2021 program , coordinated by the Area Tenerife 2030: innovation, education, culture and sports of the Cabildo Insular of Tenerife, and the General Directorate of security and emergency of the Government of the Canary Islands. Financing from Innova Tenerife program 2016-2021 is materialized through the project “Strengthening the resilience of the municipalities of Tenerife against the volcanic threat”.

This program arises from the need to inform and educate the citizens living in the Canary Islands on the different hazards associated with the volcanic phenomenon; one of the main activities of emergency plans before volcanic risk and one of the actions that the Basic Planning Guidelines of Civil Protection before Volcanic Risk in Spain considers necessary for the development of the Special Civil Protection Plan and Emergency Response before Volcanic Risk in the Canary Islands (PEVOLCA). Similarly, and through the same program, the citizenship learns about the actions that the society as a whole – managed and managers – must carry out to contribute to reduce the volcanic risk. Therefore, the ultimate goal of this educational program is to contribute to making of the Canarian community a more organized and informed one before the volcanic risk Canary becoming much less vulnerable than a community that does not know or ignores the volcanic threats that surround them, and is not organized to respond to them.

For its development, the educational program, counts with the collaboration of the Spanish Volcanic Society (SVE), the Canarian Volcanic Association (ACANVOL), the Telesforo Bravo-Juan Coello Foundation and the 88 municipalities of the Canary Islands.

“Canary Islands: a Volcanic Window in the Atlantic” develops through three 60-90 minute long educational Conferences which will be regularly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 19:00 or 20:00 hours in the 88 municipalities of Canary Islands.

During the first day, the attendees will learn about the different hazards associated with volcanic phenomenon (lava flows, flows, pyroclastic volcanic gases, volcanic earthquakes, etc.) through the projection of the “Understand the volcanic hazards” documentary and a debate that will follow about the content of the documentary.

During the second day, the attendees will learn the conceptual difference between the terms volcanic danger and volcanic risk in order to explain, that as it is true that the volcanic danger cannot be reduced, it is that you can reduce volcanic risk through the development of a series of specific actions that have been recommended by the international scientific and political community. “Reduce the volcanic risk” documentary will be screened during the day, and will promote a debate among the public. These documentaries are an important pedagogical seal on the subject that have been endorsed by the International Association of Volcanology and chemistry of the Interior of the Earth (IAVCEI) and the Organization of the United Nations for the development of education, science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in order to contribute to that citizens have a better preparation and responsiveness to the volcanic risk.

During the third and last day, the assistants will learn that we can find “footprints” of all the different dangers associated the volcanic phenomenon learnt during the first day in our territory as well as the frequency with which these various volcanic dangers occur. Similarly, this last conference intends to bring forward how the Canaria society, as a whole, is materializing the management of volcanic risk in the Canary Islands and the degree of fulfilment of the actions recommended by the international scientific and political community to do so.

Detailed information about the educational program “Canary Islands, a Volcanic Window in the Atlantic”, with dates and municipalities is available in the web page of INVOLCAN.