CREWS Views #1 - Vineta Polatside, CBSS

Vineta Polatside is the Senior Adviser for Safe and Secure Region at the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS).

In the CREWS project, the CBSS contributes to developing and reviewing the cooperation model between public authorities and civil society, organises validation workshops, supports the publication of results, provides input for the digital resource management tool and related training, and leads communication and dissemination activities.

Q: How can we make communities more resilient, Vineta, so they cope better with crises?

Vineta: Communities become more resilient when people feel they are part of the solution. Simply giving people information is not enough, because knowing something doesn’t always mean acting on it. We need to start early, even in schools and kindergartens, to change the way we think about crises. Communities should be involved, encouraged, and treated as true partners. By building a sense of shared responsibility, we can make sure people are not only informed but also ready and motivated to act.

What do you hope the CREWS project will achieve, and what results are you looking forward to?

My hope is that the CREWS project will help authorities work more closely with civil society and make disaster risk reduction stronger by using both official systems and community resources. Communities have a lot of skills and potential that are not fully used during crises. For this to be effective, cooperation needs to be well organised and coordinated – and I believe CREWS can make this happen.

How does your organisation plan to use the results of the CREWS project to strengthen community resilience and preparedness for future crises and disasters?

The CBSS will use the results of the CREWS project by connecting them to policy development and ensuring they reach a wide range of target groups across the Baltic Sea Region. Thanks to our cross-sectoral networks and direct links to decision makers, we can help translate project outcomes into practical action. In this way, CBSS acts as a bridge between different levels, sectors, and disciplines, making sure the results strengthen community resilience to future crises and disasters.

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