EU Preparedness Training Course on Risk Communication and Community Engagement: prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) planning
This course will be held twice in 2025. Please note that the application process is now closed. We appreciate all submissions and will be in touch with selected participants soon.
- Berlin, Germany: 18 - 19 March 2025
- Venue and accommodation: Mercure Hotel MOA
- Budapest, Hungary: 25 - 26 March 2025
- Venue and accommodation: NH Budapest City
Logistics for both training courses
Arrival: Participants are expected to arrive the evening before the training starts (17 March for Germany and 24 March for Hungary).
Welcome reception: Participants are invited to an informal welcome reception on the evening before the training begins, scheduled for 19:00 local time. To help us plan accordingly, our event managers will check in with participants in advance to confirm attendance.
Venue and accommodation: Details will be provided closer to the event.
Flights: Event managers will contact registered participants to coordinate flight bookings and will take care of all flight arrangements.
Costs: All costs, including accommodation, meals, and travel, will be covered by the EPIC11 project. Please check the Reimbursement Policy.
About the course
This Risk Communication and Community Engagement training course is designed to strengthen prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) capabilities for addressing serious cross-border threats to health (SCBTH). It equips participants with essential skills to develop and implement Risk Communication and Community Engagement strategies across sectors and borders.
By combining theoretical foundations with practical applications, the course empowers participants to tackle infodemics, engage diverse communities in risk communication, and plan communication activities before and during public health emergencies. Special emphasis is placed on creating culturally sensitive messaging, fostering stakeholder collaboration, and implementing proactive communication strategies. Participants will gain the expertise to contribute to the design and execution of Risk Communication and Community Engagement plans tailored to the complexities of cross-border scenarios.
Spanning two intensive days after the arrival day, the program includes interactive sessions featuring lectures, hands-on group work, and real-world case studies. The training concludes with a collaborative exercise: crafting an Risk Communication and Community Engagement strategy for a hypothetical measles outbreak in a refugee camp. This capstone activity ensures participants can apply their knowledge in realistic, high-stakes contexts.
Participants
This course welcomes participants from EU Member States, EEA countries, and relevant international organisations involved in emergency preparedness and response within the European region. It is recommended for mid- and high-level professionals in the fields of:
- Public health officials and communicators
- Emergency response coordinators
- Risk communication specialists
- Experts in community engagement and/or infodemic management
It is particularly suited for professionals who are involved in national and regional public health emergency strategies, focusing on cross-sector and cross-border collaboration to strengthen preparedness. Participants should ideally possess a foundational understanding of Risk Communication and Community Engagement and be committed to implementing and cascading these principles within their organisations. This ensures a cohesive approach to enhancing preparedness and response capacities across diverse contexts.
Programme
Day 1
|
Time |
Session |
Speaker / Trainer |
|
08:45 – 09:00 |
Registration |
EPIC11 Team |
|
09:00 – 09:40 |
Welcome and overview of the training Introductions |
EPIC11 Team |
|
09:40 – 10:00 |
The EU Health Security Framework
|
Training Berlin: Dirk Meusel - European Commission - DG SANTE Training Budapest: Gábor Belák - European Commission - DG SANTE |
|
10:00 – 10:20 |
EPIC11 project and training approach |
Ben Duncan - EPIC11 |
|
10:20 – 10:35 |
Introduction to agenda |
Ben Duncan - EPIC11 |
|
10:35 – 10:50 |
Participants pre-training assessment |
Lydia Asoniti - EPIC11 |
|
10:50 – 11:10 |
Coffee break |
|
|
11:10 – 11:50 |
1 Risk communication & community engagement (RCCE) 1.1 RCCE essential skills: theory and knowledge |
Ljubica Latinovic - EPIC11 |
|
11:50 – 13:05 |
1.1.2 Group work session: Applying risk communication tools to PPR |
Ljubica Latinovic - EPIC11 |
|
13:05 – 14:05 |
Lunch break |
|
|
14:05 – 14:20 |
1.2 Going beyond risk communication: empowering communities |
Ljubica Latinovic - EPIC11 |
|
14:20 – 15:00 |
1.2.1 Group work session: Developing engagement strategies for different communities |
Ljubica Latinovic - EPIC11 |
|
15:00 – 15:30 |
Coffee break |
|
|
15:30 – 16:15 |
1.2.2 Plenary discussion of group work |
Ljubica Latinovic - EPIC11 |
|
16:15 – 16:45 |
1.3 RCCE Good practices during COVID-19 (based on WHO/Europe Compendium of Case Studies) |
Ben Duncan - EPIC11 |
|
16:45 – 17:15 |
1.3.1 Roundtable discussion on RCCE good practices |
Training participants |
|
17:15 – 17:30 |
Closing |
Training participants |
|
17:30 |
End of Training Day 1 |
|
|
18:00 |
Dinner |
|
Day 2
|
Time |
Session |
Speaker / Trainer |
|
09:00 – 09:15 |
Recap of Day 1 Introduction of Day 2 |
EPIC11 short interactive round |
|
09:15 – 10:00 |
2 RCCE Strategy Development 2.1 Introduction to capacity development, strategic planning and response planning |
Ben Duncan - EPIC11 |
|
10:00 –10:30 |
2.1.1 Group Work session: Mobilising partners |
Ben Duncan - EPIC11 |
|
10:30 – 10:45 |
Coffee break |
|
|
10:45 – 11:15 |
2.1.2 Group work session part 2 |
Ben Duncan - EPIC11 |
|
11:15 – 11:45 |
2.1.3 Group work session: Prioritising actions and aligning resources |
Ben Duncan - EPIC11 |
|
11:45 – 11:55 |
2.2 Explanation of exercise: “Going from vision to strategy” |
Ben Duncan - EPIC11 |
|
11:55 – 12:55 |
2.2.1 Group Work session: developing an RCCE Strategy |
Ben Duncan - EPIC11 |
|
12:55 – 13:40 |
2.2.2 Plenary Session |
Ben Duncan - EPIC11 |
|
13:40 – 14:40 |
Lunch break |
|
|
14:40 – 15:10 |
3 Infodemic Management 3.1 Introduction to infodemic management |
Ljubica Latinovic - EPIC11, with expert commentary from Ben Duncan |
|
15:10 – 16:00 |
3.1.1 Group work session: Developing cross –border risk communication strategies |
Ljubica Latinovic - EPIC11 |
|
16:00 – 16:15 |
Coffee break |
|
|
16:15 – 16:45 |
3.1.2 Plenary Session |
Ljubica Latinovic, - EPIC11 |
|
16:45 – 17:00 |
Hot debrief |
EPIC11 trainers |
|
17:00 – 17:15 |
Post-test assessment Participant satisfaction survey |
Lydia Asoniti - EPIC11 |
|
End of Training Day 2 and Departure |
||
Trainers
