Warmia & Mazury · from 2025 onward

Resilience is not a resource you can buy.

Resilience lives in people.

MDP — Youth Firefighting Teams — are one of the last living social networks in small municipalities of Warmia and Mazury. Nearly 300 teams, almost 4,000 young people, present in almost every county. Starting in 2025, together with the Regional Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Olsztyn, we are turning this network into a real asset for the region’s social resilience.


284

MDP teams in the region

Over
3 900

Young people in MDP


50 +

of workshops for MDP Guardians

How we work

🟡 Workshops for MDP guardians from across the voivodeship
🟡 Connecting services, local governments, academia and young people
🟡 Building cooperation between teams
🟡 Testing new youth‑work methods — from making & tinkering to media

Join Us →
This is where resilience begins PSP, MDP, OSP, local governments, academia, young people ◆ ◆ WM Resilience Forum · April 2026 · Stare Jabłonki ◆ ◆ Workshops for MDP guardians · 2025–2026 cycle ◆ ◆ Want to join? Write to: biuro@simrzeczjasna.pl ◆
WM Resilience Forum
27-28 April 2026

This is where resilience begins

The Regional Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Olsztyn and the RzeczJasna Association are honoured to invite you to the WM Resilience Forum — a regional meeting dedicated to building social resilience based on the network of Youth Firefighting Teams.

27–28 April 2026 · Hotel Anders, Stare Jabłonki
Day 1: 11:00–18:00 — panels & keynotes · Gala dinner: 19:30
Day 2: 9:00–15:00 — talks & design‑thinking workshop

Warmia and Mazury — the only region in Poland directly bordering Russia — faces unique security challenges. 284 MDP teams, bringing together over 3,900 young people, form a ready‑made and trusted social network — one we now aim to strengthen wisely.
The Forum brings together emergency services, local governments, academia, NGOs and MDP youth to enhance cooperation, exchange good practices and develop recommendations for systemic support for MDP and OSP in the region.
Guests include: Krzysztof Izdebski (Batory Foundation), st. bryg. Paweł Frątczak (long‑time spokesperson of the National Fire Service), Agnieszka Lichnerowicz (journalist, international affairs reporter), Irena Cieślińska (Programme Director, Copernicus Science Centre), Mateusz Pikuliński (Director of Kortosfera), and mł. asp. Martin Halasz (Regional HQ PSP Poznań, coordinator of “I Choose MDP”).

Raport pokonferencyjny

284

MDP teams in Warmia & Mazury
↑ +57% since 2022

MDP

a tool for building skills, cooperation and crisis‑response readiness

3 901

young MDP members
↑ nearly doubled since 2022

About Youth Firefighting Teams (MDP)

MDP operate at Volunteer Fire Brigades (OSP) and bring together children and young people aged approx. 8–18. Their goal is not only to prepare future firefighters, but above all to develop responsibility, teamwork and readiness to help — the foundations of local social resilience.
They teach fire safety, basic rescue skills and proper behaviour in crisis situations. They also work preventively in their communities — engaging schools, sports clubs and NGOs. Many former members later join OSP units, ensuring generational continuity of the system.

MDP as a civic school

MDP develop responsibility, teamwork and readiness to help — an investment in future firefighters and active citizens.

Resilience is people, not equipment

Shelters and infrastructure matter, but without social ties and local cooperation they cannot ensure real safety.

Modern education in MDP

3D printing, makerspaces, experiments and hands‑on learning — MDP can develop skills useful in crisis situations.

Disinformation as a threat

Information verification and critical thinking are essential for MDP youth, guardians and local leaders.

MDP in the Civil Protection System

The Civil Protection Act requires municipalities to increase risk awareness and build social resilience — and MDP are one of the most accessible tools to achieve this locally. Teams teach evacuation, first aid and crisis assessment long before young people reach adulthood.
Each team has a guardian — usually an OSP firefighter or teacher — who leads practical sessions and shapes leadership skills. This everyday work builds local safety resources and system coherence. Supporting MDP guardians is now one of the key conditions for further development.

Key recommendations

For local governments

🟡Treat MDP as part of the local resilience system, not an add‑on to OSP

🟡Allocate part of OLiOC funds to people — training, integration, youth projects

🟡Ensure transport, meeting spaces and trip opportunities

For PSP and OSP

🟡Strengthen support for guardians — training, materials, good‑practice networks

🟡Create leadership roles for older youth (15–18)

🟡Simplify procedures and foster openness to grassroots initiatives

For organisations and partners

🟡Maintain a platform for regular exchange

🟡Create MDP guardian toolkits — lesson plans, good practices, educational materials

Workshops for MDP Guardians / County Coordinators

From idea to action

Workshop I · October 2025

A two‑day meeting mapping what works and what needs support. World Café method, project outlines, and practical guidance on funding. Led by: Kinga Wiśniewska & Ewa Kasperek

How to build engagement?

Workshop II · November 2025

Practical methods for working with young people of different ages. Motivation systems, effort‑based recognition, proven youth‑work methods from the Polish Scouting Association. Final day: social‑media communication and team image‑building.
Led by: Mateusz Rogaski & Karolina Iszoro

Let’s make something together!

Workshop III · March 2026

Hands‑on, technology‑focused workshop. Guardians worked with 3D printers, CNC plotters and basic electronics. A demonstration of how “make‑it‑yourself” activities build resourcefulness, creativity and long‑term engagement in OSP.
Led by: Paweł Sielczak

Workshop materials for MDP Guardians

Informations