Every humanitarian, development and emergency responder has a responsibility to do no harm, as well as protect people and communities from harm. Best practice in protection is as critical as it is complex, something that was recently explored at RedR Australia’s Essentials Framework: Protection course in late July.
Delivered by an expert training panel of RedR Australia CEO Helen Durham, Peter Grzic and Ulf Edqvist, this course was designed for humanitarians, development workers and diplomats to better understand protection in a theoretical and practical context.
The pilot course attracted participants from a diverse range of organisations, such as World Vision Australia, Australian Red Cross, Australia Assists and Humanitarian Advisory Group, as well as university master's students and RedR Australia staff. Everyone came with some understanding of protection, with most noting that they were keen to refresh and expand their knowledge. Participants had the chance to deep dive into ways to identify risks, mitigate harm, and advocate for vulnerable populations.
The course proved to be very engaging, and post course feedback was also positive:
“(It was) A really good grounding in Protection and a useful way of understanding how this intersects with my work,” - George, Australia Assists.
Participants also spent time looking at how protection in the humanitarian sector is uplifted by the global benchmark of The Sphere minimum standards.
Throughout the course, participants gained theoretical knowledge, as well as applying protection principles in practical, scenario-based exercises that help put learning into practice.
“Great job combining theoretical and practical exercises so well. I found the training really interactive and quite comprehensive despite the fact that it’s just one day long,” - Daria, World Vision Australia.
The course was run as part of our Essential Frameworks series, designed to provide professionals with an in-depth understanding of the protection principles and frameworks that are fundamental to safe and effective humanitarian response during conflicts, disasters, and development programming.
Helen Durham, RedR CEO commented, “It is critical for RedR Australia to ensure our training reflects the needs of the humanitarian, development and wider sector. In this course on protection, it was clear that everyone advanced their knowledge with the information and scenarios that were played out. It was also great to see participants learning from each other – a rich combination of theory, practice and experience”.
As a pilot, there are plans to deliver the course again and explore online modalities. Stay tuned!
Want to learn more about protection in the humanitarian sector? Listen to a fascinating chat with RedR Australia Trainer and protection specialist, Ulf, on the Humanitarian Conversations podcast.
Have a question or feedback about our courses and training? Reach out: [email protected]
