The Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service starts the project "Civil Protection Clubs," a public awareness raising programmed targeted at students. The public presentation ceremony of this initiative will take place in Angra do Heroísmo at the Tomás de Borba Basic Education and Secondary School next Monday on November 21 at 11 AM. The session will be presided over by the Regional Secretary for Science, Technology and Infrastructures.
 
The project aims to build a true safety culture as a priority need for youngsters through a series of actions to be developed in coming years among the school community.

With regard to the creation of a safety school club addressed at the prevention of natural and technological hazards, the programme contents envisages a series of information and training resources for schools that to the acquisition of specific skills in the context of civil protection.

This initiative, through various activities, intends to make youngsters better acquainted with the civil protection system, the main hazards at a local level and the respective self-protection measures.

The project "Civil Protection Clubs" - which complements the project "Safe School: Basic Safety Instructions," targeted at Elementary School students - is primarily addressed at middle and junior high school students, comprising over seven thousand students from 16 regional schools. It is expected to reach over nine thousand students from the remaining schools in school year 2012/2013.

This project is based on a memorandum of understanding with the Regional Directorate for Education and Training.

The official opening of each Civil Protection Club will take place on a day dedicated to this subject and several initiatives will be held at the respective school, including the presentation of the project and Web page; opening of a themed exhibition - to be offered to the school and which must be open during the school year - and a theatre play brought to the stage by the groups "Fala Quem Sabe" or "As Descalças."

This theatre play, based on self-protection measures, intends to instil basic safety rules and promote the acquisition of preventive skills in case of accident or catastrophe.