Course Overview

In 2011, as FEMA Administrator, W. Craig Fugate introduced the Whole Community Concept, emphasizing that “When a disaster strikes, the initial services provided may not come from government, but rather from churches, synagogues, mosques, and other faith-based and community organizations.”

Religious and cultural communities are integral to the whole community. The DHS Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships collaborates with faith-based and neighborhood organizations to serve Americans in need more effectively.

This course, developed in partnership with the University of Southern California’s CREATE and CRCC, and the National Disaster Interfaiths Network, provides emergency management professionals and faith leaders with tools to engage religious and cultural groups effectively throughout the disaster lifecycle.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the importance of engaging religious and cultural communities in disaster management, highlighting how diversity strengthens emergency capabilities.
• Define religious and cultural literacy and competency in disaster management.
• Differentiate between religious and cultural language and government language.
• Identify skills needed to engage religious and cultural leaders and groups effectively.
• Describe each step in the six-step “LEADER” process.

Primary Audience

This course is open to the general public, making it accessible for anyone interested in disaster management and community engagement.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required for this course.

CEUs

This course provides 0.5 CEUs.

Additional Information

For more information about this course, please visit the official FEMA course overview page:

https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-505