The awareness campaign (“Mettiamoci al sicuro — Conto su di te” / “Let’s Get to Safety — I’m Counting on You”) aims at promoting a strong culture of Civil Protection among students, teachers, and school communities. The initiative, led by the City of Turin, focuses on increasing awareness of risks, encouraging responsible behavior in emergency situations, and strengthening preparedness through educational activities, workshops, and outreach programs across schools.
Map
Let’s Get Ourselves to Safety
General Information
Civil Protection Division – Emergency Management and Safety of the City of Turin
“Mettiamoci al sicuro — Conto su di te” (“Let’s Get to Safety — I’m Counting on You”) is a Civil Protection project designed for schools to teach children and young people how to behave in emergency situations. It was created out of the need to talk about safety in a simple, positive, and non-alarming way.
The program features Protettino, a friendly mascot and symbolic guide who accompanies students as they explore the world of prevention. Activities are tailored to different age groups: stories and games for early childhood, quizzes and simulations for primary school, and more in-depth content and real-world scenarios for middle school students.
Through storytelling, play, and active participation, students learn what to do and what to avoid in risky situations..
Il progetto si fonda su una stretta collaborazione tra scuola, famiglie, volontari e comunità, valorizzando il contributo di ciascuno. La sicurezza viene proposta come una responsabilità condivisa, costruita attraverso comportamenti consapevoli e partecipazione attiva. Al centro del percorso c’è lo sviluppo di competenze fondamentali: mantenere la calma nelle situazioni di emergenza, aiutare gli altri e rispettare le regole. Anche i più piccoli possono avere un ruolo significativo, contribuendo con atteggiamenti corretti e responsabili. Essere cittadini consapevoli significa rafforzare la sicurezza di tutti, perché solo insieme si costruisce una comunità più preparata e resiliente.
Hazard Type
Geographical Scope - Nuts
Geographical Scope
Population Size
Population Density
Needs Addressed
Children and young people often lack basic knowledge of how to behave in emergency situations such as earthquakes, floods, or fires. Topics related to emergencies are frequently perceived as too complex or frightening to be addressed in schools, especially with younger students. As a result, there is limited awareness, uncertainty, and a general lack of preparedness within the school community. This project responds to the need for age-appropriate, engaging, and non-alarming education on safety and Civil Protection, fostering early awareness and encouraging responsible behavior.
As vulnerable groups, children and young people are a key focus of the project. It uses age-appropriate, interactive materials designed to make learning about safety accessible, engaging, and effective, helping them understand and retain essential behaviors in emergency situations.
The initiative follows a centralized governance model, as it is designed and directly implemented by the Civil Protection Department of the City of Turin. While schools are actively involved in the delivery of activities and in engaging students, strategic direction, coordination, and oversight remain firmly under the responsibility of Civil Protection authorities. This structure ensures consistency, alignment with public safety objectives, and uniform standards across all participating schools.
This initiative focuses on basic emergency preparedness, with a strong emphasis on awareness-building rather than technical or operational training. Its primary goal is to introduce fundamental concepts of safety and risk awareness, helping students recognise potential emergencies and understand appropriate first steps in a simple and accessible way.
The initiative requires only basic infrastructure readiness, as it does not depend on complex or highly developed systems to be implemented. It is designed to be flexible and easily integrated within existing school environments, using standard classroom spaces and minimal additional resources.
The purpose of engagement in this initiative is to actively involve students, teachers, and the wider school community in building a shared culture of safety and prevention. It is not limited to passive information delivery; instead, it encourages participation, interaction, and experiential learning.
The initiative uses interactive, age-appropriate engagement methods designed to make learning about safety active and participatory rather than passive. Key methods include storytelling and guided narratives that introduce safety concepts in a simple and relatable way, especially for younger children. These are complemented by educational games, quizzes, and group activities that reinforce learning through play and repetition.
Children and young people have high influence through increased awareness and knowledge sharing within their families, but low decision-making power, as the program’s content and governance are defined by Civil Protection authorities and implemented through schools.
The initiative contributes to capacity building and long-term empowerment by progressively developing knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to safety and emergency preparedness among students.
Vulnerable Groups
Governance
Emergency Preparedness
Infrastructure Readiness
Engagement Level
Empowerment Level
Implementation
- A positive, non-alarming educational approach to safety and emergency awareness.
- Age-differentiated activities tailored to different school levels.
- Use of storytelling and a symbolic character (Protettino) to guide learning.
- Interactive and participatory teaching methods that encourage active engagement.
- Active involvement of the wider school community, including teachers and families.
- Emphasis on safety as a shared responsibility within the community.
Italian
The Civil Protection Department of the City of Turin
The Civil Protection Department of the City of Turin has a high level of experience in DRRM, as it is the specific municipal body responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing policies and actions in this field.
The Civil Protection Department of the City of Turin and the schools within the municipality, which collaborate in the implementation of the educational activities.
The City of Turin’s Civil Protection Department provides key resources for implementing the initiative, including expert personnel, educational materials tailored to different age groups, and organizational support for activities in schools. It also contributes technical knowledge on local risks and emergency procedures, ensuring the content is grounded in real contexts and official protocols.
Experience of the Implementing Organisation in DRM
Target Audience
Resources Required
Timeframe & Phases
Participation Results
Challenges
- Addressing emergency topics without causing fear among children. Adapting content to a wide range of age groups.
- Maintaining student attention and engagement over time.
- Translating technical information into simple, accessible messages. Actively involving schools, families, and the wider community.
Adaptive strategies
- Use of storytelling, play, and symbolic characters (Protettino).
- Age-differentiated activities based on school level.
- A gradual approach, moving from storytelling to real-life operational scenarios.
- Interactive methodologies such as quizzes, simulations, and group games.
- A strong positive framing, emphasising safety as a shared responsibility.
Risk & Mitigation Plan
Scalability and Sustainability
The project is sustainable due to the replicability of its activities and its integration within the school environment. Collaboration with schools and the wider community ensures continuity while requiring limited resources. The skills and knowledge conveyed generate a long-lasting educational impact.
The initiative is easily scalable and can be transferred to other municipalities by adapting its content and activities to local risks and contexts. Its flexible and modular structure does not require complex infrastructure, making replication straightforward. While maintaining a common framework, it allows for local customization to ensure relevance and effectiveness in different territorial settings.
In this initiative, the role of technology is limited, as the activities are primarily based on direct interaction, storytelling, and hands-on educational methods rather than digital tools or advanced technological systems. Any use of technology is supplementary and not central to the delivery of the program.