Youth are actively involved with the Canadian Red Cross in the promotion of humanitarian values and the dissemination of international humanitarian law. Understanding the need for limits to war and the value of humanitarianism in the world, youth volunteer-leaders facilitate numerous educational workshops for their peers across the country, building awareness of IHL.

One highly successful educational workshop engages high school and university youth in a role-playing activity called paxium. This multi-hour activity begins with the sudden onset of civil war in the fictitious country of Paxium. Throughout the simulation, participants play out the roles of key decision makers in the conflict and debate options on how to conduct the war. Participants create rules around some urgent conflict-related issues, including whether to lay landmines, order military air-strikes near civilian infrastructure and interrogate prisoners of war "freely".

After the role-play, a full debriefing process takes place. Participants and facilitators explore how the situations played out in paxium relate to the real world, how and why IHL has developed over time and challenges to placing limits on war. Participants are encouraged to think critically about these issues and to take action.

Through interactive experiential-learning workshops such as this, the Canadian Red Cross works with youth in creating awareness and taking action around critical global issues.

Read more about the Canadian Red Cross IHL programme here!

Article written by Chiran Livera, youth leader, Canadian Red Cross.