IHL Action Campaign

8/12/2019 IHL Action Campaign

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IHL Action Campaign

International Humanitarian Law

Action Campaign

Program Overview



IHL Action Campaign

Dear Colleague,

The American Red Cross IHL Action Campaign is a new program designed to educate youthand young adults about International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the body of law that placesbasic limits on how war is waged. IHL aims to protect human dignity during times of armedconflict, and to prevent or reduce the suffering and destruction caused by war. The 4 GenevaConventions and the 2 Additional protocols are at the core of IHL. Educating the publicabout International Humanitarian Law is a key responsibilityof the American Red Cross.

The IHL Action Campaign uses a peer education model andan active learning process to empower young people to

think critically and act on their newfound knowledge of IHL.The program aims to teach youth that “Even Wars HaveLimits” and to support their development as problem solvers and compassionate global citi-zens, able to grapple with ethical dilemmas and global issues.

The IHL Action Campaign program has three aims:

(1) to increase young people’s knowledge of IHL

(2) to influence young people’s attitudes by makingthem aware of the importance of rules in times ofarmed conflict, and

(3) to inspire them to take action and design a student-led project or Action Campaign to increase communityawareness of IHL.

In this way, youth and young adults will develop a rangeof valuable skills, such as critical thinking, facilitation,decision-making and teamwork.

Compete Nationally and Gain Recognition

Teams will compete for a chance to present their Action Campaign at the 2nd Annual NationalIHL Youth Symposium in Washington, D.C., in July 2014. The Symposium will recognize the

teams who’ve designed the most compelling campaigns in the nation

"We like the nontradi-tional aspect of [the

program]…that it wasinteractive.”

~ Central NY Team Member

Our national surveyshowed that…

Almost half of youth have never even

heard of the Geneva Conventions or

International Humanitarian Law.

59% believe there are times when it is

acceptable to torture the enemy.


acceptable for the enemy to torture

captured American prisoners.


acceptable to kill enemy prisoners in

retaliation, if the enemy has been killing

American prisoners.



IHL Action Campaign

How does it work?

Team Leaders are young people below the age of 25 who have been selected to guide andmentor their IHL Action Team throughout the program. Team Leaders are typically recruitedfrom local colleges or universities. They are passionate about empowering other youths andhave undergone specialized training provided by the American Red Cross, to successfully

implement the program.

Team Members are young people between the ages of 14 and 21 who commit to being partof the Team for the duration of the program. We aim to engage a diverse group of partici-pants to be part of this experience. Young peoplewith varying backgrounds, skills, interests and lifeexperiences are encouraged to join us!

Team Leaders support IHL Action Team Members to

Learn about IHL principles and values through aseries of six simulation activities called RaidCross, offered during a one day workshop by theAmerican Red Cross. To find out more, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Scs1jbyLQ

Design and present a youth-led Action Campaign that aims to raise community aware-ness about a specific IHL issue such as the use of child soldiers, landmines, torture, etc.

Team Leaders must commit to: 1. attend a four day training in the fall 2. Lead and guide their

Team for the duration of the program. The IHL Action Campaign consists of approximately20 hours of direct programming that is broken down into weekly, bi-weekly or day-long ses-sions. Implementation of the IHL Action Campaign will occur during the spring from Januaryto mid April, 2014.

Jessica Lane, the Regional Youth and Young Adult Coordinator, is the IHL Action CampaignProgram Manager in the Central New York Region. She is the local Point of Contact for allschools, teen programs and Team Leaders participating in the program. Jessica also playsthe role of training the Team Leaders, and oversees the monitoring and evaluation of the pro-gram. She can be reached via email and telephone: [email protected], (607)785-

7207.

What do we provide?

All program materials

Trained IHL Team Leaders, with completed background checks

Initial presentation to the school to recruit Team Members

Educational Material about IHL

“A lot of my family mem-bers are in the military. Itwas awesome to learn therights that my family mem-

bers have.” ~ Cincinnati Team Member

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Scs1jbyLQ



mailto:[email protected]







IHL Action Campaign

What do we need from you?

To make this program a success, we ask that you:

Choose a method for recruiting members for the IHL Action Team. Your institution could: 1. cre-ate an opportunity for the Red Cross to present the program to the young people you serve; 2. rec-ommend a pool of candidates to be part of the program; 3. incorporate the IHL Action Campaign in

an existing course like Global Studies, Civics, etc. 4. integrate this program into your institution’s reg-ular curriculum as an elective course.

Appoint a committed staff member, parent or volunteer to be the Point of Contact (POC) at theschool for logistics and communications purposes.

Provide a room or space where the IHL Action Team can meet at least once per week.

Offer school-wide support and encouragement We want your institution to be represented at theNational IHL Youth Symposium in Washington, DC in June. Young people are capable of achievingthis, and so much more with the strong foundation of a supportive community.

Keep in mind that Team Leaders and Team Members must commit to actively being part of the Teamfor the duration of the program (from January – April).

Please contact Red Cross staff member, Jessica Lane, if you have any questions or if you would liketo discuss the criteria above.

BENEFITS

What’s in it for young people?

Empowered to have a better understanding of armed conflict and world issues.Exposure to IHL rules, principles and values.Increased critical thinking and team working skills.Increased skills in designing, planning and implementing a campaign.Fulfillment of service learning requirements.

What’s in it for your school?

Increased youth opportunities for hands-on learning and self-expression.Training and support for your students.Local and national visibility for your school and students.Opportunities for faculty and students to engage in a cross-disciplinary initiative. Opportunity to partner with the American Red Cross on a progressive, cutting-edge program

with the potential for a long-term partnership.

If you are interested…

A limited number of institutions are being selected to host this program. To explore this opportunity

further, please contact Jessica Lane via email [email protected] or by calling (607)785-

7207.




IHL Action Campaign

Documents

Transcript of IHL Action Campaign