Participants have been selected over several months based on their motivation and willingness to serve as community contacts within the crisis network and assist the city when needed. The programme is open exclusively to adult Tallinn residents who want to put their knowledge into practice by volunteering to support their communities and districts.

Participants’ skills and preferred areas of involvement have been mapped across Nõmme’s two groups, and members have begun communicating with one another. This provides a basis for planning cooperation around individual strengths and availability. “The value of building a network becomes clear when people begin to see how their skills complement one another. Nobody needs to know everything or take on every task. In Nõmme, people have already made connections that allow them to seek advice, share responsibilities and prepare to work together,” said Hannes Nagel, Head of the Crisis Research Centre and KRAKO Project Lead.

The city and district administrations have a role in helping this cooperation continue beyond the training programme. Regular contact and joint exercises provide opportunities to clarify volunteers’ roles and give them feedback on their contributions. Tallinn Deputy Mayor Tiit Terik and Gerry Konnov, Head of Nõmme District, also visited the second group’s first training session.