European Youth Week 2024 (12 - 19 April 2024) is an event organised by the European Commission every second year to celebrate and promote youth engagement, participation, and active citizenship all over Europe and beyond. In honour of European Youth Week, we will be publishing a series of interviews with young people in the field of civil protection.
Frida Svahn works in the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), which is responsible for issues concerning civil protection, public safety, emergency management, and civil defence. The work of MSB helps society prepare for major accidents, crises, and consequences of war. Svahn works as a project manager within the exercises section for civil preparedness where she is working with large-scale multi-sector cooperation exercises, crisis management exercises at European Union and international level, and supporting joint national authority exercises.
Have you participated in civil protection projects in the field?
As a trained nurse in the MSB roster, I get to support those affected by crisis, conflict, and disaster all over the world. Throughout the years, I have been on several international missions, including in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Rwanda, or Ethiopia. We focused mainly on providing medical training to nurses, doctors, and aid workers, within humanitarian and peace support operations.I have also worked with and supported Iceland on an exercise in host nation support, with a big-scale scenario of a volcano eruption and the consequences that comes along with overwhelming their civil protection system. But to be honest, the national day-to-day work also requires us to be out and meet the actors at all levels to understand the need for training and exercises.
How have you benefited from the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network (UCPKN) as a young person?
The Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network has broadened my understanding and perspective, through networking and training opportunities in civil protection and disaster risk management. It feels safe to have a hand on your shoulder and a network that enables us to share knowledge and best practices between EU countries. It's an interactive community, where everyone benefits from a lot of tools, training sessions, exercises, and more.
What are your personal highlights in civil protection so far?
That would be when I went to Ukraine as a medical instructor, teaching trauma care to United Nations staff. That was a heartfelt moment and a personal highlight.
What challenges do you face as a civil protection practician?
It is a constant flow of work that requires a solution-oriented approach when you work with exercises and capability development as I do. We need to be prepared to test, validate and exercise different scenarios and methods to really explore the challenges we face today or perhaps tomorrow. It is also a major transition for Sweden to become a NATO member, and it requires us to adapt to the demands placed on us while maintaining our mission and responsibility to act before, during and after an emergency or crisis.
Any advice you would have for young people getting into the field of civil protection?
There are no straightforward paths, because it is a very extensive job, but my core values have always served as a compass for me and that has helped me a lot. Being compassionate and sincere is a good start. It is also beneficial for those who want to start working on preventive measures to reduce the impact of crises or help those affected by disasters. Depending on the type of crisis or disaster, assistance can include water purification, temporary shelters, firefighting or search and rescue operations. Think about what feels right for you and talk to the UCP Knowledge Network to start with.
The Knowledge Network editorial team is here to share the news and stories of the Knowledge Network community. We'd love to hear your news, events and personal stories about your life in civil protection and disaster risk management. If you've got a story to share, please contact us.
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