Volunteers
Organized civil protection voluntary associations are present all over Italy. Volunteers live and work on the territory, and know it. They are known by local institutions and citizens. Who better to inform people about the risks on the territory?
That's why the heart of the I don't take risks communication campaign is represented by volunteers: citizens trained and prepared on risk communication to meet their fellow citizens in physical and digital squares to talk about good practices of civil protection to adopt before, during and after an event.
Selection procedures to determine volunteers interested in the role of I don't take risks "trainers" takes place every year all over Italy.
The volunteers selected are initially involved in a general training activity in Rome and then in training activities at the regional level. An e-learning platform is also available all the time to acquire preparatory knowledge for the training days and to learn more about the main topics of the campaign.
At the end of the course, all trainers are placed on a special roster and are subjected to periodic role evaluation based on commitment, effectiveness and availability.
In the months preceding the campaign, volunteer trainers-under the coordination of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces-organize special training days aimed at "communicators," the volunteers that go into the streets to interact with citizens and disseminate campaign content.
To facilitate the organization of the training activity and ensure consistency in the content transmitted across all regions, each trainer receives a kit with the materials and tools to use.
In the days before the campaign, the "refresh" days can be scheduled, in which each communicator is called to conduct practical simulations.
At the end of this structured training process, a meeting between volunteers and citizens takes place in the square.
In October, hundreds of squares across the country come in yellow: the weekend dedicated to the I don't take risks campaign begins.
Trained volunteers set up an information gazebo in the city square to talk about one or more risks affecting the territory and explain the contents of the campaign's information materials.
What takes place in the square is not leafleting. The volunteers, do not just leave the information materials to the people but stop to talk to them, illustrate and explain the characteristics of the risks through specially made set-ups - the totem, the flood tent and the timeline - while being available for any questions and explanations.
It is a real exchange of knowledge and information, a shared path of knowledge to discover the history of the territory and the good practices that every citizen can and should adopt to reduce exposure to risks.
I don't take risks does not only exist in October. During the year, on the occasion of exercises, events and relevant initiatives at the national or territorial level, "special squares" are held to encourage the dissemination of the campaign content and the knowledge of natural risks affecting our country.
The web occupies a large space in interpersonal interactions and captures a significant part of our time, energy, and daily attention.
In 2020, a need arising from the restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed to be an opportunity for development and enrichment for "I don't take risks" campaign, expanding its horizons with the goal of becoming a permanent communication campaign.
The appointment in "physical" city squares met with the idea of creating "digital" squares: web spaces on the most popular social networks, Facebook and Instagram, where civil protection volunteers can meet citizens in the places they usually frequent.
Videos, interviews, civil protection pills, cards on good practices, insights on risks, photos of training or informative events: all of this and much more fill the social pages of the associations that spread correct information and good civil protection practices to adopt to reduce risk, even in digital space.