Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:00Estonia. Naiskodukaitse (Women's Voluntary Defence Organization) is a
00:00:03special organization of the Defense League that supports the Defense League in its national defense and
00:00:06patriotic activities, and brings together ambitious women with similar goals
00:00:10throughout
00:00:11the country.
00:00:14The first film footage of Naiskodukaitse was captured in Tartu
00:00:18in December 1925, when the then
00:00:21Minister of the Interior, Kaare Leenpalu, donated flags to the Defense League battalions.
00:00:25Naiskodukaitse was established as an independent
00:00:28central organization in
00:00:321927, but the women's units of the Defense League are three years
00:00:35older. The Kalevimaa division's company of nurses
00:00:38was founded already in December
00:00:411924, shortly after the Bolshevik uprising attempt.
00:00:45Naiskodukaitse members were again in front of the film camera
00:00:47in 1929, when the Swedish king
00:00:51visited Estonia. In two years, Naiskodukaitse had grown into one of Estonia's
00:00:54largest women's organizations, to whom national
00:00:58representation tasks were entrusted. Before the Second World War, Naiskodukaitse was
00:01:02a true mass organization, where, alongside national defense, national culture
00:01:06was also pursued. Presumably, Estonia's first major
00:01:09dance festivals were initiated precisely by Naiskodukaitse.
00:01:12During the period of the first Republic of Estonia,
00:01:15Naiskodukaitse had quite
00:01:19different goals than it does now. We
00:01:23had our own, meaning,
00:01:26well, purely home defense.
00:01:31"We were assistants to
00:01:34the Defense League, and
00:01:36Naiskodukaitse primarily had
00:01:40such a principle that
00:01:43we must
00:01:46be economically able to cater, if
00:01:50needed, in training camps.
00:01:54Then, we had to complete Samaritan courses, and if
00:01:57there were training camps
00:02:01where men were in
00:02:05polygons, or learning in those places, then a group of
00:02:08Samaritans was always with them. All the men of
00:02:11the Defense League had weapons, as many weapons as they had, and
00:02:15those who had been given them, they had weapons at home.
00:02:18Women didn't deal with
00:02:20weapons, no. Then such
00:02:24common handicrafts were made,
00:02:27gloves were knitted, socks were knitted.
00:02:30"Which were donated again,
00:02:33yes. But weren't there really women who wanted to shoot with men,
00:02:37like now,
00:02:39like today's Naiskodukaitse participates
00:02:43in military competitions? No,
00:02:47there weren't. For that, we had
00:02:50men who carried rifles. But if the men
00:02:53had been in some state of alarm,
00:02:57well, at that time, thank God, everything was...
00:03:01if there had been an alarm, women would have had to keep their homes in order and
00:03:04support their men, at least
00:03:07morally, yes, that don't worry, we
00:03:11are, we are home, we keep the home
00:03:14in order, just come
00:03:15back.
00:03:18In 1940, Europe was at war and the bases of the Soviet
00:03:21Union's Red Army were already in Estonia. The end of independent
00:03:24Estonian state and barely three
00:03:26months.
00:03:30Everyday life. In Tallinn, a joint aid collection was organized to help the poorer population.
00:03:33The driving force of the collection was Naiskodukaitse and the Defense League
00:03:37with approximately one thousand
00:03:39participants.
00:03:43Upon reaching their locations, individual houses are divided
00:03:46among themselves, and the golden heart collectors begin their tasks.
00:03:49The collection was approached with great
00:03:53benevolence. Over 600 packages containing various
00:03:56items, room and household utensils were collected.
00:04:06The collected donations were placed in warehouses, from where they will later
00:04:10be distributed, which will make many
00:04:13in need happy.
00:04:37Naiskodukaitse, which was declared criminal during the Soviet occupation, was restored
00:04:39by the descendants of former Naiskodukaitse members immediately after Estonia
00:04:42regained its independence. This was
00:04:45a new beginning. We think that
00:04:49we have a reason to continue our
00:04:51line. Today's women are indeed more athletic and they are
00:04:55also perhaps more aggressive than women
00:04:5950 years ago. At the same time, we cannot
00:05:02take on tasks that we cannot fulfill. We must
00:05:06realistically understand what our benefit is, and no matter
00:05:10how capable a woman is, she cannot compete with men.
00:05:13We are much more needed and much more useful if we stick to
00:05:17our historical areas of activity, such as
00:05:20catering, rear-area work, medicine, and
00:05:23specifically first aid and communication
00:05:26specialties. First and foremost,
00:05:28Naiskodukaitse,
00:05:31these people who are here, people who have
00:05:35come here with the desire to contribute to Estonian
00:05:38society, to Estonian national defense. Uh, they are probably
00:05:42uh more active,
00:05:46uh, thinking more about their self-made
00:05:49citizens than the average person who walks on the street. So, actually,
00:05:53that line has, throughout Naiskodukaitse's history, I think,
00:05:57been preserved, that one aspect of the organization's
00:06:00nature is
00:06:02precisely this task-orientedness and the purposeful
00:06:05completion of something necessary, but on the other hand, it is
00:06:09organizing as women, uh,
00:06:12self-realization through this, that every woman who
00:06:16may not have the opportunity in her private life to realize herself
00:06:18in such a role alongside others
00:06:22and
00:06:26to participate in various things, that Naiskodukaitse offers her
00:06:30that opportunity. Figuratively speaking, the flag that fell from the hands of grandmothers
00:06:33was raised by their granddaughters, although before the Second
00:06:37World War, Naiskodukaitse did not yet have its own flag.
00:06:41The Naiskodukaitse flag is the blue color of the pre-war Naiskodukaitse
00:06:43uniform dress and the Estonian summer sky,
00:06:47with white lily flowers forming a cross as a symbol of honesty and
00:06:56continues. On this edge is written
00:06:59Jõgeva. Naiskodukaitse is divided into
00:07:0215 districts according to the Defense League's
00:07:04divisions and Estonian counties.
00:07:10This is Valgamaa. Blue shoulder scarves are worn by
00:07:13the head of Naiskodukaitse and
00:07:43From repeated marching exercises, women's legs
00:08:14"Naiskodukaitse is a youthful organization. A spring boat trip
00:08:17on the small Emajõgi tests women's compatibility and
00:08:20endurance. By acting together, they learn to know their companions,
00:08:23find each other's strengths and weaknesses.
00:08:27From the outside, one sees that a Naiskodukaitse member can be trusted.
00:08:30Naiskodukaitse promotes national defense through healthy lifestyles and
00:08:34sports.
00:08:38Naiskodukaitse organizes first aid instructor courses,
00:08:41training people who can in turn teach the acquired skills
00:08:45to others. This is needed both for Naiskodukaitse to fulfill its organizational
00:08:48tasks and more generally for expanding
00:08:52Estonia's social security network. At the same time,
00:08:55every Naiskodukaitse member gains personal self-confidence
00:08:58for coping in everyday life.
00:09:01Volunteer Naiskodukaitse members train other volunteers
00:09:04in specialties where training in civil society is very
00:09:08expensive. In addition to first aid courses,
00:09:11a Naiskodukaitse in mass catering,
00:09:15disaster relief and mobilization organization, and in communications and staff assistant
00:09:19specialties. In the Defense League school, Naiskodukaitse members
00:09:22study and teach at high-level leadership and pedagogy courses.
00:09:39Also in winter camps, sports competitions are combined with training.
00:09:43Here's an example of a medical drill: what to do
00:09:45if you come home and find your neighbor lying unconscious in front of the house.
00:09:49Instructor Andrus Lehtmes teaches what was wrong here, first with dragging
00:09:53him into the room and with all these side positions and other things,
00:09:56and help must be called if it can be called. If help cannot be called, then don't
00:10:00just shake him. If you shake him like that, then if he wasn't dead before,
00:10:04he will definitely die from
00:10:06that shaking.
00:10:11Approximately 10 years ago, Naiskodukaitse was more than three times smaller than
00:10:14it is today. The almost non-existent size of the first budgets is
00:10:17astonishing today, yet they
00:10:20managed. We have four active members. In addition, we have
00:10:23supporting members and there is
00:10:27a reserve. The reserve consists of women who are at home with
00:10:30small children or have gotten married or have just started studying and
00:10:34changed their place of residence. We don't count them, we only count our active members, and
00:10:38there are currently 400 of them. The annual budget of Naiskodukaitse is 600,000
00:10:41kroons, it could certainly be more, because we are growing so
00:10:45rapidly. Last year's growth percentage was
00:10:4856.8, so it will probably be
00:10:52difficult this year if so many women join, but
00:10:55we hope that
00:11:16fantastic people, that the more you are, the
00:11:20more friends you get and
00:11:22you come to such gatherings with joy because
00:11:26you see people from all over Estonia, it's such a joy to meet people.
00:11:29I have so many friends from all over Estonia that if an event is canceled, if one spot becomes free, then
00:11:33you start to think that there's nothing to do. My whole
00:11:36life, my whole work schedule revolves around Naiskodukaitse events,
00:11:40so I'm very grateful to my colleagues,
00:11:43who always come forward, that they are willing to swap
00:11:46shifts with me so I can go everywhere and
00:11:49and it is, if you
00:11:52actively participate, then that free time,
00:11:56then it's already a beautiful day, then it's already a beautiful day, yes, that's your free
00:12:00time.
00:12:02Sakala always manages. Sakala, Sakala,
00:12:06always manages.
00:12:08Sakala.
00:12:11In the old days there were pioneer camps, children were there, no more pioneer camps,
00:12:15now there are Home Daughters and Young Eagles, now children need to be sent
00:12:18there, but then mothers have to come along too, they then go under the wing of
00:12:22Naiskodukaitse and start leading the same camp. My husband, what
00:12:25does he say, my husband, well, if he's a good man, then he comes along
00:12:29and is a Defense League member, and if he's not a good man, then he goes to the sea
00:12:32separately, so the husband agrees exactly as
00:12:36the children grow up, the husband is also a Defense League member,
00:12:40and accordingly, the children have grown
00:12:43up, so there's more time to devote to Naiskodukaitse and he
00:12:55In 2007, Naiskodukaitse had 1100
00:12:57members. Naiskodukaitse is a broad-based organization, including
00:13:01very different people. Maire
00:13:04Arro, head of the Järva district, is in her private life a shop
00:13:07manager and a teenage son's mother, so to speak,
00:13:11"Maasool," who values her home region and encourages Central Estonian
00:13:15women to participate in national defense. Kristiina
00:13:18Karu is a young scientist, a doctoral student at the University of Tartu.
00:13:21She represents a new generation of highly
00:13:25educated women in Naiskodukaitse who, while already living in a new, developed and
00:13:28European Estonia, also value traditional
00:13:31values. I joined because my friends
00:13:35went, and I didn't even have a clear reason, because
00:13:39I didn't even know what Naiskodukaitse was. It's easier
00:13:42to talk about why I stayed there, and I think
00:13:45I stayed because I liked those people and I liked the principle
00:13:49by which Naiskodukaitse operates. Active
00:13:52leisure, where you can get training, you can
00:13:55improve yourself, you can get physical exertion, and all this can then
00:13:58be applied in various fields. Knowledge,
00:14:02for example, these exercises for searching for people, and
00:14:06it does take up your free time, but actually it's not like wasting it,
00:14:10but it's like a useful
00:14:13expenditure or useful
00:14:17self-improvement, and
00:14:19it basically comes to us for free, just by me investing my
00:14:23time here.
00:14:27It's like, somehow, you went to one event, then you went to the next
00:14:30event, and then you just started going, and then
00:14:34this crazy tension developed, that you want to get somewhere and participate in everything,
00:14:38then came all sorts of medals and awards, all possible
00:14:41trainings, see all these small
00:14:44things, yes, that everyone
00:14:47wanted to get, what you did was also recognized,
00:14:50and that is very
00:14:51important.
00:14:55because it's such free extreme sports,
00:14:58alpinism became too expensive and then I thought
00:15:00that you can crawl in the forest, you can get
00:15:04adrenaline, you can get a lot of
00:15:07physical activity, why
00:15:10not? So many
00:15:13student corporations have members. I don't know if Marja, you
00:15:16came, you came through that, yes, Airi and Liisa recruited
00:15:20people there, who would like to go to basic training, or rather, who would like to join Naiskodukaitse and who
00:15:24would like to go to basic training right away. And then they probably didn't think
00:15:28I would be the right candidate or that I would fit into that organization, but then I heard them
00:15:32talking about all the things they do in basic training, all these
00:15:34weapon trainings and soldier skills, and then it just seemed
00:15:38so intriguing that I thought, I want to go there. In addition
00:15:41to that, we have our own
00:15:43shooting trainings,
00:15:46but exactly as much as each person wants to participate.
00:15:50There are people who like such a thing, and there are
00:15:54people who get the
00:15:57basic training, but they don't want to continue with it, and that's
00:16:00completely acceptable. I find that this is
00:16:04the plus of Naiskodukaitse, that you can choose
00:16:07what you yourself want, that nothing is forced
00:16:10upon you, that you have to go into the forest and you have to shoot a weapon,
00:16:13that is not right
00:16:15actually.
00:16:19Welcome everyone to our district's bicycle tour, and now we
00:16:23will start moving towards Vasalemma
00:16:26and make our first stop after 12
00:16:29kilometers. Maire Arro, head of the Järva district,
00:16:33organizes a bicycle tour from Viljandi to Türi. On the way, they detour to
00:16:36Lõhavere to see the ancient heroic Estonian king Lembitu's
00:16:40castle hill. The men of the Defense League, husbands, and
00:16:44older children also come along with the women on the hike.
00:16:47The Defense League is a whole-family organization precisely thanks
00:16:50to Naiskodukaitse. Women, mothers
00:16:53create a certain softer image
00:16:56for the Defense League, which has a military background.
00:17:01In Tartu, in the Naiskodukaitse district room, Kristiina is at the same
00:17:04time accepting membership candidates.
00:17:08I'll tell you what it is, right? If you
00:17:11fill out the application form, then that means you become our
00:17:14membership candidate, which basically doesn't
00:17:17oblige you to much
00:17:20yet, except that if you've signed up to come to an event, then you still
00:17:24have to show up, okay. Then you need three
00:17:27recommenders, and one must definitely be a Naiskodukaitse member, and they
00:17:31must have been a Naiskodukaitse member for at least a year. But, well, most
00:17:34of our active members have already
00:17:40can be Defense League
00:17:41members.
00:17:47Maire lives in Paide, today she is sending her son
00:18:07Maire, for years the best athlete in Järvamaa, joined Naiskodukaitse through
00:18:48she is often away from home for that reason,
00:18:51it's even good that she has something else to do after work,
00:18:54that for me she has time during the week, so let her
00:18:58go somewhere else on the weekend where they do
00:19:01such, I don't know, women's things, handicrafts, and
00:19:05they go for walks in the forest together. "Then she likes such
00:19:08things and she is very happy about it.
00:19:12Well, actually, it also comes from the structure, that we are like the
00:19:16subordinate organization
00:19:18or supporting organization of the Defense League,
00:19:22so, well, actually, our men from the battalion are
00:19:25very used to us, that if
00:19:28something is needed, especially regarding catering,
00:19:32let's say, then it's still, well, first they contact
00:19:35us, and they never have to be disappointed that none of us can
00:19:39ever come or there's some problem, well, our biggest
00:19:43event is in the fall, this
00:19:45autumn exercise, and that's also
00:19:48catering for 150-200 people
00:19:52for several days, so, but
00:19:55now we do all the youth camps, well, I forgot to mention earlier that
00:19:59Naiskodukaitse and the Defense League, but then the youth come along,
00:20:02right? So another part of it is helping the youth.
00:20:06aitamine.
00:20:14Maire goes to work, the Defense League has ordered food supplies for catering
00:20:18the youth camp through the store
00:20:20under Maire's management.
00:20:24Alongside serving large clients, Maire also has to advise ordinary
00:20:28customers. Her knowledge of food products and menu planning
00:20:32is important to clients and
00:20:33customers.
00:20:37Catering the large camp for the organizations, Young Eagles and Home Daughters, is Naiskodukaitse's
00:20:40summer job
00:20:43every year.
00:21:14to the camp from other Estonian cities and shops.
00:21:18Catering for hundreds of children in the field.
00:21:26Naiskodukaitse members from the Tartu district have been invited to the Defense League's
00:21:29soldier's test. Kristiina's task is to prepare
00:21:32the air rifle range, cordon off the area with safety tape, clear
00:21:36away obstructing bushes and grass, and be an assistant judge for the arriving competitors
00:21:39in fulfilling the task.
00:21:42Among younger Naiskodukaitse members, such soldier tests and exams are very
00:22:25not necessary. The soldier's trial trek consists of many
00:22:46want to earn the silver badge in the soldier's trial, while women from the Tartu
00:22:49academic unit want to pass the Defense League's basic training
00:22:52course exam, the same basic training that was talked about
00:22:56in sports camp.
00:23:05Among Defense League members and Naiskodukaitse members,
00:23:08the undoubtedly most popular event is the international long-range reconnaissance patrol
00:23:11competition Erna Retk. This is one of
00:23:14life's highlights, like graduating from university and other such
00:23:18events, that the soul has always yearned to do it once. Well, do you still think
00:23:21about going through to the end? Always, always, always to
00:23:24the end. If only health didn't fail, then everything would be
00:23:28fine. We have a very good team, everyone has to live their personal lives too,
00:23:31so we didn't have much time for training, we hope we'll last.
00:23:46Considered one of the world's toughest military-athletic competitions...
00:23:50the trek can also be called a great attrition game. It is a
00:23:54reconnaissance trek behind enemy lines, where one must move covertly and
00:23:57hide from counter-insurgency fighters. In this very
00:24:01macho special forces competition, however, it is customary
00:24:04every year for young Estonian
00:24:06Naiskodukaitse members to also compete.
00:24:40long and five-day trek is structured
00:24:43with checkpoints where various strength and
00:24:46endurance, but also cleverness-based intermediate tasks
00:24:50or even neck-breaking tasks must be completed.
00:24:53At the Erna hike, no allowances are made for anyone or any gender. There are only
00:24:57those who can cope and those who
00:25:21control point of the Erna trek, knowledge of disaster
00:25:24medicine is also required.
00:25:55medical instructor how the Estonian Naiskodukaitse members coped with the task.
00:25:58The task was set up in such a way that a
00:26:02casualty collection point had to be established, and this casualty collection point had to be
00:26:05outdoors. The men managed it in zero time. The women simply lacked the strength,
00:26:09which is why they were a bit behind on time, but basically they didn't do
00:26:13anything
00:26:29the women's smaller reserves of strength, compared to men, are compensated by their
00:27:08The only thing that competitors are allowed by the rules to be given from the side of the track is
00:27:12water.
00:27:20The Erna Retk base camp in Kautla operates thanks to
00:27:22the help of Naiskodukaitse. Naiskodukaitse members check documents
00:27:26at the gate, work as staff assistants and as communications
00:27:30operators in radio cars.
00:28:00competition of approximately 600 participants has been the responsibility of Naiskodukaitse.
00:28:04Catering for competitions is also practical training for Naiskodukaitse's
00:28:07field cook course. In the kitchen, they get
00:28:11women must hold all professions. Alternately, they are both head chefs
00:28:15and military pressure cooker stokers. Here they learn
00:28:18teamwork and the rapid replacement of one another.
00:29:24From the competition with the muscle men, the Estonian women's home guard
00:29:27emerges victorious. Already before the final run on the early morning of August 9th,
00:29:30it is clear that out of twenty-eight teams that started
00:29:34the competition, as many as eight were given a long
00:29:37beating.
00:30:40actually that this is such a great experience that
00:30:44I won't push in and take their spot, but