Building Resilience Together: Learning from Finland and Estonia on the role of volunteers in civil protection

Partners of the CREWS project will visit Tallinn and Helsinki from 15–17 September 2025 to learn more about each country’s systems and best practices for cooperation between volunteers and agencies in crisis situations.

The study visit will take participants to the Estonian Rescue Services Agency to gain insights into, among other things, the crisis reserve, a volunteer portal, and other digital resources. Meetings are also planned with the Estonian Rescue Association and the Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation.

Across the Baltic Sea, Finnish actors will highlight the long tradition of volunteerism in Finland and the benefits of strong civil society engagement in disaster management as part of the country’s comprehensive security approach. Representatives from SPEK (a CREWS partner), the Finnish Red Cross, WWF, academia, and voluntary fire brigades are among those who will share best practices.

CREWS aims to draw on these experiences to create a shared cooperation model for disaster management between public authorities and civil society. Lessons from the study visits will feed into broader regional discussions on how to better connect formal disaster management systems with community actors. They will also contribute to the development of a cooperation model, a digital tool, and a training programme that will be piloted later in the project. By bridging the gap between formal and informal actors, CREWS seeks to strengthen the resilience of local communities in the Baltic Sea Region against increasing threats, including extreme weather events.

The study visit is organised by the Estonian Rescue Services Agency, the Finnish National Rescue Association (SPEK), and the University of Eastern Finland. A second visit, offering further perspectives, is planned for November 2025 in Poland.

Programme Manual Online

Choose