Grazia Curalli is project coordinator of the UCPM Deployable Training Programme. In this role she coordinates initiatives among various stakeholders of the training consortium, including DG ECHO. Chatting about her vast experience would fill many hours, but here is the gist of it:
Grazia, let’s talk about your professional history…
I am a clinical psychologist by training, which taught me to understand individual dynamics and to recognise fragility as an inherent part of the human experience. Working in crisis contexts later expanded that insight to a collective level, often shaped by traumatic events.
For many years, I served with the Italian Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — for a decade as project manager in Ethiopia and, later, in post‑genocide Rwanda, where I coordinated programmes for vulnerable children.
My last high‑risk mission was the damage assessment following the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. I then joined the Italian National Civil Protection system and became involved in the European Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), serving among other roles as Italy’s National Training Coordinator.
What are you focusing on to help us move forward?
Today, our training programme has matured greatly. Feedback from participants and DG ECHO confirms this progress, while the active involvement of 18 organizations from 14 countries in the consortium reflects both operational achievement and European solidarity.
To move forward, our programme must stay agile and closely aligned with realities in the field — integrating lessons from recent missions and constantly updating training scenarios. This ensures experts attending our courses remain prepared for the challenges of today and tomorrow.
What are the ideas we should be working on in the long term?
In the long term, investing in people means strengthening systems. We must uphold pedagogical excellence, foster methodological innovation, and adapt content to emerging challenges. That includes bringing in new adult education expertise while continuing to develop our current trainers through structured approaches such as lesson‑sharing, training‑of‑trainers, and mentoring initiatives.
Interested in the UCPM Deployable Training Programme Newsletter? Let us know info@tvc-academy.eu
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