Guest post by Yasmin Mayne, Red Cross blogger in Alberta
Defining a child soldier, determining appropriate treatment for prisoners of war, and negotiating peaceful resolutions were among the tasks completed recently by university students participating in a Red Cross club workshop at the University of Calgary.
The interactive Paxium workshop focused on
International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and increased awareness of the difficult decisions political, military, and civilian personnel have to make during conflicts.
“[We are] trying to get people to see how war can be pretty complicated, and how IHL affects the lives of people over time,” said Jovey Sharma, Red Cross volunteer and president of the University of Calgary Red Cross club.
The atmosphere in the room was light-hearted when the workshop began, but as students were forced to make decisions about weapons, soldiers, and the lives of civilians, the mood became more sombre.
University of Calgary students play roles in a fictional civil war
“It’s hard, because you think that it’s really straight forward, that everyone has the same goal in mind, and everyone would have the same way of going about it...but that wasn’t the case with some of the characters today,” said Gul Karami, a fourth-year student, completing her BSC in environmental science and a BA in law and society.
Each student was given a character to play in a fictional country engaging in civil war. The characters represented all aspects of government and the military, and students, like Karami, had to convince others on their council of a course of action.
“At one point I felt like I was yelling trying to convince people and they just didn’t seem convinced. So it’s hard.”
Though there was heated discussion amongst the students throughout the workshop, resolutions were finally made and students walked away with an understanding of how complicated war is, how individual biases can steer people away from making humane decisions, and how peace is not everyone’s first priority.
Sharma hoped the workshop will inspire students to start volunteering for the Red Cross and get involved with humanitarian issues.
“If they liked the workshop, hopefully they come back next year and we can get some new people to present, and start a cycle so people can learn about these issues.”
Learn more about
International Humanitarian Law and the role of the Red Cross.