VIVA LA POLOGNE! (Long live Poland)

Picture: Panel Discussion between students and UNHCR, The Polish Red Cross and Polish Aid Organisation PCMC/ Source: CCOE/ Lavalette

Camp White Eagle located at the Multinational Training Centre for Foreign Operations (MTCFO) in Kielce Poland provided a perfect venue to host the NATO CIMIC Fieldworker and Staffworker Course (NCFSWC). As Poland is a CCOE Sponsoring Nation, this satellite course runs once a year in Kielce. This year the course ran from Monday 6 till Friday 16 June 2016.

11 Students for the fieldworker – and 9 students for the staffworker course, participated. Students came from Poland, Lithuania, Czech Republic, the United States and Australia. Preparations started already the week before with the arrival of the syndicate coaches and the execution of the familiarization program.

“The NATO CIMIC Field Worker/Staff Worker is one of the most important courses which is organized in MTCFO in Kielce. This year, I had the pleasure to be the Senior Instructor. That was challenging, demanding and teaching. It is a great responsibility for the Senior Instructor, to be both a teacher and a judge, who has to mitigate differences of opinion between students. The ultimate success of the NCFSWC is mainly due to the entire coaching staff: the director of the course, coaches, representatives of the CCOE and others who supported our course, which I thank you for.” (Senior Instructor – Capt. Waldemar TUTAJ POL-A)

Picture: Panel Discussion; Source: CCOE/Lavalette

During the first week program, lectures about different topics like Civil-Military Cooperation, Gender, the influence of the civil environment on military operations, Cross-Cultural negotiation and mediation lectures, and practical case studies were conducted. Also lectures from the Polish Red Cross, UNHCR  – the UN Refugee Agency and the Polish NGO PCPM (Polskie Centrum Pomocy Międzynarodowej (PCPM) – Facebook) and a panel discussion were included in the program.

A one day cultural visit to the former capital of Poland, Krakow, was part of the weekend program.

The second week, a 3 day practical application was conducted. Within the Cerasia scenario the fictitious country of Tytan and its capital Unakos provided the background for some interesting challenges, meetings with local actors and possible solutions. The course ended with a well deserved Polish Cuisine based Course Dinner. At Friday the participating students were handed over their CIMIC Certificates.

The article is written by CCOE/ Training & Education/ Etien Lavalette (NLD)