NEWS

Advancing Lifesaving Education & Response Tactics

09.11.2023 - 16.11.2023 | Căpățâneni, Romania

About ALERT

ALERT aimed to empower young people with the necessary skills to react efficiently and effectively to natural disasters.

Natural disasters are unpredictable events with devastating impacts on communities worldwide. As the frequency and intensity of these events increase due to factors like climate change, the need for preparedness and informed responses is more critical than ever.

The younger generation, who will face the challenges of a rapidly changing world, must have this essential knowledge. That’s why our project focused on helping them understand, respond to, and mitigate the effects of natural disasters to build more resilient communities.

With participants from seven countries—Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, and Turkey—the project fostered cross-cultural collaboration and exchange. 

To achieve our goald, we focused on three objectives.

Objectives

Understanding Natural Disasters

Equip participants with the ability to list the most common natural disasters in their respective regions, explain their causes, and identify the primary safety protocols associated with each disaster.

Creating Local Response Plans

Increase participants’ ability to develop and implement a basic disaster response plan tailored to their local environment.

Promoting Community Resilience

Develop participants’ abilities in recognizing and promoting simple yet effective mitigation measures to help their communities resist and recover from local natural disasters more swiftly.

What did we do?

Workshops on Disaster Preparedness

Participants attended workshops to learn about natural disasters, their causes, and how to prepare for them. They also learned how to create plans to help their communities respond during emergencies.

Practical Simulations

Participants practiced real-life disaster scenarios and learned basic first aid skills. They also worked together to design community awareness campaigns and response plans tailored to their home regions.

First Aid Training with the Red Cross

Participants had the opportunity to attend a hands-on session led by the Red Cross focused on teaching essential first aid skills, givin them practical tools to respond effectively during emergencies.

Team-building and Cultural Exchange

Through interactive activities and cultural nights, participants shared personal stories, connected with others, and experienced different cultures.

Reflection and Evaluation Sessions

Participants reflected on their learning each day and, at the end of the program, shared their thoughts and experiences during a group evaluation session.

The “Visible” Results of the Project

ALERT in pictures

More? Ok, just slide right!

Voices of Experience

The experiences and skills gained during the project didn’t end with the workshops and activities. A key focus of ALERT was empowering participants to become active ambassadors for disaster preparedness within their communities. Equipped with practical knowledge and newly developed competencies, participants shared their experiences, offering personal insights to other young people into how the project impacted them, what they learned, and how they plan to apply this knowledge in the future.

“The most valuable skills and experiences gained include crisis management, risk assessment, interdisciplinary collaboration, adaptability, social and expressive skills, and communication for effective outreach and education. Also, stuff about natural disasters that I wasn’t very familiar with such as tornadoes and tsunamis. The experiences I value the most are the moments that I share with the people around me, both during the activity hours and during the day in general.”

“Everything on the project was something new, for example where we can go in times of natural disasters, tornadoes, etc … Using a foil when you fall into cold water, giving someone CPR and pumping the stomach using 120BPM, or staying alive. I had so many good moments I will remember this as one of my best projects.”

“Usually, I don’t have a problem with public speeches, I love to share my experiences but almost every time I did it before the project it was in my native language. At first, it was hard for me to do it in English because I was struggling with finding words and expressions I wanted to use. Still, with each day of the project it got easier and easier so the project definitely helped me with speaking not in my native language in front of a bigger crowd.”

“It was amazing in general, I learned a lot and had the chance to improve my skills in some very valuable ways, I made a lot of friends and had a great ton of fun with them during and after activities. Activities were interactive, diverse, and interesting there were maybe only 1 or 2 I didn’t enjoy so much amongst the many that we did, and even with some of the little technical or emotional issues during the project lifetime, learning how to manage these and deal with them has made me a better person and leader in general. It was one of the best learning experiences I’ve had in a while.”

“Some differences are still hard for me to grab but the project really showed me how the mindset of others is created and the fact that after all, we are not wrong or right, we may sometimes think differently but that’s it. Overall, I think my social skills improved a lot and I’ve gained knowledge about different cultures.”

“The project was a really good experience for me. I learned useful things about how to act in emergencies and what steps we can take to prepare. Working with people from other countries was interesting because we got to share ideas and see different points of view. The activities felt practical, and I feel more confident now about helping if something happens. Plus, I made some awesome friends I’ll never forget!”

I feel more confident in recognizing and promoting effective mitigation measures to help communities resist and recover from natural disasters.

I feel more confident in recognizing and promoting effective mitigation measures to help communities resist and recover from natural disasters.

I’ve developed my knowledge on the current strategies for developing and implementing disaster response plans.

I improved my knowledge about the causes and safety protocols associated with common natural disasters in my region.

I am more motivated to take actions towards disaster preparedness and response.

The project “ALERT – Advancing Lifesaving Education & Responce Tactics” was financed with the support of European Commission through Erasmus+ Programme. This blog reflects only the author’s views, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.