Training the next generation of Red Cross leaders

Participants crouch down in groups on the ground of a hotel in Ottawa with dried spaghetti sticks and marshmallows. The aim of the team-building exercise is to work together to come up with a way to create the highest structure topped by a marshmallow.

The exercise is part of a training of future Red Cross Operations Managers. It’s the second year the Canadian Red Cross is running it, with financial support from Global Affairs Canada. This year there are not only Canadians making up the 20 participants, but people from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as well as other National Societies, such as the American Red Cross and Swedish Red Cross.            

“The Canadian Red Cross developed this training because we saw a gap in knowledge in the aid workers we were sending to support local Red Cross Societies affected by disasters,” says Stephane Michaud, Director of Emergencies and Recovery at the Canadian Red Cross.

The aim of this training is to build a strong network of Red Cross emergency response professionals with a variety of different skillsets and expertise who can be rapidly deployed to manage and support small to medium-scale operations. Disaster trends over recent years show an increasing number of these emergencies, which often receive limited international support and therefore limited funding from donors.

All participants in the training have experience working in international disaster response, although some are new to the Red Cross Movement, such as Nicole Fassina.

“The way the Red Cross works resonates with me,” says Fassina. “The structure and tools they use are outstanding in my opinion and I think the reason why is that they’re driven by the fundamental principles, you can see it in the staff and volunteers and it shines through.”

The training lasts a week and participants are given a scenario to work through as well as technical training in relevant areas, such as finance and procurement.

Nicholas Verdy, currently the Senior Manager of International Operations for the Canadian Red Cross, took the training last year.

“It taught me how the different components of the Red Cross Movement interact with each other and this is key in terms of coordination in disaster response operations,” says Verdy. “Good coordination will allow us to assist people affected by disasters in the most efficient way,” says Verdy.

The next steps for Canadian Red Cross is to work with colleagues from the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to explore how this training can be standardized and offered to other National Societies to use. The ultimate goal is to make sure managers of medium to small-scale operations that never make the headlines have the proper training to support people affected by disasters as their recover.