Professional Documents
Culture Documents
IHL Action Campaign
IHL Action Campaign
IHL Action Campaign
Program Overview
Dear Colleague, The American Red Cross IHL Action Campaign is a new program designed to educate youth and young adults about International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the body of law that places basic limits on how war is waged. IHL aims to protect human dignity during times of armed conflict, and to prevent or reduce the suffering and destruction caused by war. The 4 Geneva Conventions and the 2 Additional protocols are at the core of IHL. Educating the public about International Humanitarian Law is a key responsibility "We like the nontradiof the American Red Cross. The IHL Action Campaign uses a peer education model and an active learning process to empower young people to think critically and act on their newfound knowledge of IHL. ~ Central NY Team Member The program aims to teach youth that Even Wars Have Limits and to support their development as problem solvers and compassionate global citizens, able to grapple with ethical dilemmas and global issues.
The IHL Action Campaign program has three aims: (1) to increase young peoples knowledge of IHL (2) to influence young peoples attitudes by making them aware of the importance of rules in times of armed conflict, and (3) to inspire them to take action and design a studentled project or Action Campaign to increase community awareness of IHL. In this way, youth and young adults will develop a range of 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 National IHL Youth Symposium in Washington, D.C., in July 2014. The Symposium will recognize the teams whove designed the most compelling campaigns in the nation.
was awesome to learn the rights that my family memTeam Leaders support IHL Action Team Members to bers have.
Learn about IHL principles and values through a ~ Cincinnati Team Member series of six simulation activities called Raid Cross, offered during a one day workshop by the American 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 awareness 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 approximately 20 hours of direct programming that is broken down into weekly, bi-weekly or day-long sessions. Implementation of the IHL Action Campaign will occur during the spring from January to mid April, 2014. Jessica Lane, the Regional Youth and Young Adult Coordinator, is the IHL Action Campaign Program Manager in the Central New York Region. She is the local Point of Contact for all schools, teen programs and Team Leaders participating in the program. Jessica also plays the role of training the Team Leaders, and oversees the monitoring and evaluation of the program. She can be reached via email and telephone: Jessica.Lane@redcross.org, (607)7857207. 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
BENEFITS
Whats 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.