Crisis workshops help Danish pupils feel less afraid

Workshops teaching Danish school pupils how to respond to emergencies are earning praise, with one student saying he feels less afraid, DR reports.

Lessons in maths and Danish have been replaced in some classrooms with training on situations such as power cuts and how to ensure there is enough food and water at home. The workshops are run by Unge i Beredskabet, an emergency preparedness organisation, for pupils in grades 7 to 9.

At Lynge School in Allerød, a workshop focused on what to do during a power cut. Seventh-grader Felix Vagner Bergqvist said he found it useful to learn how to respond to different emergencies.

“I have become less afraid. It is quite reassuring to know what I should do,” he said.

His classmate Hanna Juel Furu said she learned that plastic bags could be used as a makeshift toilet if a crisis made it difficult to use a bathroom.

Maria Wiktoria Karolini, project manager at Unge i Beredskabet, said children and young people are exposed to crises on many platforms, where they may not have someone to talk to about what they see. Involving them in preparedness, she said, can reduce their anxiety.

Rasmus Dahlberg, an expert in societal security and emergency preparedness at Roskilde University, said the training could help make Denmark more resilient. Young people also have a role in the country’s total preparedness, he said, and workshops in schools are a good way to reach them.

Since April, Unge i Beredskabet has held 36 workshops at schools across the country. It plans to reach 63 classes in grades 7 to 9.