In Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, military units make regular visits in schools to provide information on what soldiers are doing there. They also warn of dangerous items such as ammunition that children can find in the terrain. In the current NBG exercise officers from the Finnish Coy in the Battlegroup visited students at Prästängsskolan in Eksjö.
The information was conducted by two CIMIC officers who first talked to the school principal and received permission to inform students at the school. In about 40 minutes they informed about the Nordic Battlegroup. Among other things they talked about why the Battlegroup is set up and what challenges it may face. They also talked about the fictional country that the military units plays that they are in.
The students got empathize with how it could feel for the children in this country when the war affected their families and relatives.
Many questions
"Why do you have any weapons with you? Why is there a soldier in the corridor in the information? What is the worst thing you experienced as a military abroad? Have you shot at someone? " The students had many questions to the officers.
Great information
Three of the students in the ninth grade who took part of this special information, which at once became a lesson in English and social studies, was Elin, Moa and Emmy.
"We thought it was great to get this information", said the girls immediately after class.
"We do not know really much about what you do. We have not thought that much about how it would be to live in another country and experience what they are doing so of course it was useful."