Ontario teachers build camps for refugees displaced by armed conflict at an Exploring Humanitarian Law Educator Training.
Students today are bombarded with images and headlines of humanitarian crises. The Syrian refugee crisis and violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) around the world have made humanitarian education in the classroom more relevant than ever.
The Canadian Red Cross offers Exploring Humanitarian Law Educator Trainings to teachers across the country. Participants learn the basic rules of International Humanitarian Law (also known as the law of armed conflict), such as protections for civilians and people who are detained, and identify violations such as the destruction of cultural property and targeting of medical personnel. They critically think about the legal (national, international and hybrid courts) and non-legal options (reconciliation, reparation and forgiveness) for dealing with violations of IHL as well as the humanitarian response to armed conflict.
Guest blogger and teacher Nanda Shirke recently shared a few highlights from the training she attended in Nova Scotia and reflections on how she feels the program will benefit newcomer students in her classroom.
On August 23-24, 2016, the Ontario IHL team held its 6th annual Exploring Humanitarian Law Educator Training in partnership with Global Affairs Canada and the Humber College International Development Program. High school teachers from the GTA learned about International Humanitarian Law using resources from the ICRC and Canadian Red Cross.
Participants created basic rules of armed conflict, navigated a prop landmine field, learned about national and international courts, and built models of camps for people displaced by war. The training was supported by a group of field experts including Ontario Teacher Champions Marilyn Wylie and Ruth Kagan, University of Geneva PhD candidate Sophie Rondeau, Major Eric Weaver of the Canadian Armed Forces, and a group of special guest participants from the Red Cross in Uganda.
The newest cohort of Ontario Educators trained at the Exploring Humanitarian Law Educator Training August 23-24, 2016.
The next EHL Educator Training will take place Oct. 21 and 22, 2016 at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Education.
