Risk Know-How: a platform to help at‑risk communities ^{CEFR B2}

Risk Know-How is a new online platform launched at the AAAS annual meeting on Friday, 16 February. It is designed to help communities at risk share experience and access specialist advice on threats such as disease outbreaks, extreme weather and risks from artificial intelligence. The platform rests on the Risk Know-How Framework, a concise summary of key concepts for interpreting and communicating risk information.

Groups can request support from the Risk Know-How team to connect with others facing similar challenges, obtain funding or join training programmes. The only condition for support is that participating groups publish and share their experience on the platform. To map practical approaches, the team carried out around 100 interviews with groups in different countries.

The site includes case studies. One describes Ciencia Puerto Rico’s “Here we take care of ourselves” campaign, which used bakeries as community hubs and provided preventive information and basic hygiene supplies; Sister María Faustina visited bakeries and Mónica Feliú Mójer explained their local role. The team also worked with Evelyn Medina, a sign language interpreter, after finding that subtitles alone are not enough for some deaf people. Another case in Kisumu, Kenya, shows training for journalists and community leaders in risk communication.

Experts offered mixed reactions: Tracey Brown warned against oversimplifying complex topics, while Sunshine Menezes welcomed the emphasis on complexity and dialogue and noted the platform could help link groups such as Ciencia Puerto Rico with organisations in the United States. The article was updated on 23 February 2024 to correct the spelling of Leonor Sierra.