Although the original plan was to enrol around 50 people, the strong response means that more than 270 representatives of NGOs and local governments, along with community activists, will begin the training on 22 August. In the sessions, organised by the Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation (LAPAS) together with the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD), participants will learn the basics of civil protection, how to act in crisis situations and how to coordinate volunteers, and will be introduced to the basics of providing humanitarian assistance.
The aim of the training is to prepare people who are able to take part in civil protection in a coordinated way and to support the work of local governments in crisis situations.
“We have already seen that Latvia has active people who are ready to help their neighbourhood and others in a crisis situation, yet it is critically important to do so responsibly and in cooperation with the services, without causing losses or putting the helpers themselves at risk. The training is the first step towards building a network of knowledgeable people across the whole of Latvia. It is positive that the participants also include representatives of residents’ councils, senior local government management and civil protection specialists. LAPAS experience shows that in a crisis situation what matters is not a person’s position but their ability to read the situation, take responsibility and act, so we are glad of everyone who is interested,” says LAPAS Director Inese Vaivare.
Through active outreach, participants have been drawn to the training from all over Latvia: from every municipality and state city. Activity between municipalities does vary, though – some municipalities have as many as 12 participants, while from others there are – only a couple of people.
The training consists of four thematic online sessions: on 22 and 29 August and on 5 and 12 September. After the course, practical training and other opportunities to consolidate the knowledge in a setting closer to real life are also planned. VUGD specialists, as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations, have been brought in as lecturers for the training cycle.
After the training, part of the course together with the training materials will be available on the LAPAS training platform , so that anyone interested can acquire the basic knowledge of volunteer coordination.
The Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation has worked in the field of civil protection since 2022. LAPAS runs crisis simulations in communities, organises training for NGOs and provides information on crisis preparedness to various target groups, for example the diaspora and non-governmental organisations in Latgale. LAPAS also leads the Civic Alliance Latvia group “NGOs in civil protection”, which currently brings together 62 NGOs, and any NGO is invited to join.
More information on community involvement in resilience is available on the LAPAS online knowledge platform: https://lapas.thinkific.com/collections