Raid
Cross, a game created by the French and Belgian Red Cross Societies,
was organized for the first time in Turkmenistan by the National
Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan in May 2005. Volunteers
from five regions of Turkmenistan were invited to learn the
game.
The volunteer training lasted four days and involved writing
and assigning roles; preparing working equipment and visual
aids; selecting locations for the seven posts; and preparing
make up for “wounded”.
Learning by playing
Following their training, the volunteers invited 20 school children
from different school of Ashgabat were participate in the game.
Everything was unusual and interesting for them. During the
few hours that the game lasted, the school children played the
roles of soldiers, prisoners, and humanitarian workers, and
learned about rules of war.
The Red Crescent youth volunteers who facilitated the game also
played their roles, for example as unstoppable and brutal “aggressors”
when dealing with the “prisoners of war”. They “jeered”
their “victims” as much as they could; the school
children were forced to do physical exercises while lying on
the earth, sing songs, and jump on one foot. Generally the roles
played by the facilitators were rude and unceremonious. But
finally for the good fortune of the “prisoners”,
representatives of Red Cross came to visit.
Writing a letter home was a great pleasure for the “prisoners”!
It is terrible to be a prisoner, but to be detained by those
who have no idea about Geneva Conventions is even worse! Step
by step school children learned the rules of war.
At the “wounded” post, the participants needed to
decide which of the wounded needed first aid, and in what order.
Separating friends from enemies was not acceptable – all
“wounded” were given first aid according to the
extent of their injuries. “Dead soldiers” were the
last to be removed from the “battle field”.
Raid Cross relay
The game was brought to Turkmenistan by one of the youth workers,
Saparova Durdygul, who participated in Eurojam in August 2005.
This dissemination of Raid Cross is a clear example that youth
networks are effective fora to share good practices. During
Eurojam, Raid Cross was organized for scouts and other young
people from all over the Europe. Less than one year later, on
World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, Saparova handed on her
experience to the local volunteers, thus continuing the relay
of spreading International Humanitarian Law.
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the post concerning the wounded, the participants learn
the obligation to tend all wounded, following no priorities
except medical ones. |
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| Raid
Cross allows children and young people to learn the rules
of war through role plays and discussions. |
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