With the help of international expert Suzanne Moll and national expert Sorina Ștefîrță, the members of the CCC Căușeni learned what a crisis is, how it can manifest itself, and why it is important to identify the parties involved in a conflict. The agenda also included topics on communication, communication tools and platforms appropriate for different audiences. International expert Suzanne Moll emphasized the importance of communication in any context, but especially in a crisis: "Communication is a real help when information comes in time, through the right channels, and people feel safe.”

The agenda also included information and discussions about false information that can cause rumors and social tensions in the community, and the need for CCC Căușeni members to have the skills to inform themselves correctly and provide citizens with verified messages. Also tricks of public communication, media relations, language and ways to convey different messages were some of the topics explained to the participants by Sorina Ștefîrță. "The press release, the conference, the interview, the story, the social networks and the images are tools and platforms that will be used within the CCC Căușeni to convey useful information of public interest, to arouse interest and to call for action among Căușeni residents," S. Stefîrță says.

Renata Lupăcescu, a journalist from Studio-L, one of the members of the CCC Căușeni, noted that Moldova had recently faced various crises, such as the pandemic, energy and refugee crises, but also the crisis of communication. "There were many situations, especially at the beginning of the crises, when the responsible authorities avoided communicating with the citizens, either because they were afraid of saying something that could jeopardize the crisis management or because they were unwilling to assume certain responsibilities. As a result, citizens found themselves in an information blockade, not knowing where to go, whom to trust, and from which credible sources they should seek advice and instructions. Such a cell is more than necessary in all regions of the country, and the authorities must learn to communicate effectively with the population, which is not an easy exercise. I am sure that the crisis cell set up in Căușeni will have a positive impact on citizens and become a useful tool for communication in crisis situations.”

Another member of the CCC Căușeni, Liuba Osipov, Director of the Public Library "Ion Ungureanu" in Căușeni, says that the library is an institution interested in informing citizens, and the participation in the CCC Căușeni helps them to achieve their mission: "The information products that we will work on in the project will be born in the library and will have a long life, because we know how to promote ideas effectively. We hope to come up with something of good quality and really useful, clear and easy to use."

In the next period, the members of the CCC Causeni will participate in two more trainings in the field of communication, after which they will choose a topic of local interest to be addressed in an information package. This information package will include various explanatory materials for Căușeni residents. The materials will be distributed both in Căușeni and in the neighboring villages.

This activity is part of the "TRIMEDIA – Trustworthy Reporting, Impactful Media, Engaged Communities" project, jointly implemented by DW Akademie and the Association of Independent Press, with financial support from the European Union and co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).