Argentina: Regaining one’s strength – Emergency Pedagogy following the large fire

Between 22 February and 5 March, the Argentine emergency pedagogy team carried out an intervention in Epuyén, a small town with a population of around 2,400, in the Patagonian Andes region of Argentina. The reason for this was a catastrophic fire that destroyed forests, villages, roads, wildlife and livestock, as well as agricultural land. The fire broke out in January 2026 in Puerto Patriada, a seaside resort on Lake Epuyén. It raged for several weeks and was still smouldering at the time of the intervention. Belén Saborit, Natalia Tomadoni, Patricia Carrizo and Yamila Frison were part of the mission; in a joint report, they provide an insight into their work:

In summer, climatic conditions in the Patagonian Andes region are characterised by high temperatures and a lack of rainfall. In addition, factors such as the lowering of the water level caused by planted pine trees contribute to fires destroying vast areas year after year; in 2026, a record 45,000 hectares were devastated. Our team had already carried out two interventions in the region in 2021 and 2025, establishing partnerships with various stakeholders, educational institutions and local, municipal and state disaster management organisations on each occasion.

This time, our ongoing collaboration with the state secondary school in Epuyén provided the framework for our emergency pedagogical support, enabling us to involve not only the school community but also other interested organisations and individuals. During the first week of the school year, which began in early March, we provided support to teachers, staff and the school management. For pupils in the first three upper school years, we offered a separate programme from the ninth day of term onwards to help them adjust to the start of the school year following the fire in a variety of ways.

For the adults, the focus of our support was on helping them regain their strength so that they could be stable and reliable figures of reference for the children and young people, as well as providing a safe space. For the young people, our main task was to initiate processes of expression and participation through games and artistic activities.

In the afternoons, we also offered workshops and psychoeducational sessions for professionals in the fields of health, education and work with children and young people. At the weekend, we organised an exclusive meeting for volunteer firefighters to discuss various strategies for mental hygiene, stabilisation, self-care and mutual care.

Our intervention concluded at the biscuit factory in Epuyén, where we ran an emergency pedagogical workshop for the young people and adults working there. The activities directly reached a total of 70 adults and 120 young people.

The residents of Epuyén feel as though they have been driven from their home town by the fire. Most of the comments we heard during our intervention suggest that they are experiencing a disaster attributable to a variety of socio-ecological causes, rather than a single natural event whose causes remain unclear. At present, the residents’ concern is focused on survival and resistance in the face of this recurring disaster. Consequently, addressing the trauma within the community – which is itself embedded in historical, intergenerational trauma – presents a major challenge for emergency pedagogy.

In this tension between past and present, the priority is to support young people who are searching for their identity, recognition and future. We will therefore continue to support the secondary school remotely over the next six months with educational and support strategies for the school management, teachers, staff and pupils.

Belén Saborit, Natalia Tomadoni, Patricia Carrizo, Yamila Frison