Humanitarian Intervention Training Programs

Abstract

Humanitarian intervention is a global phenomenon, implicating not only the beneficiaries – often, peoples who have been forced to migrate (e.g., refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and undocumented migrants), but also actors who fund, coordinate, and deliver the interventions. A plethora of literature exists on the ethics, legalities, and history of humanitarian intervention, some literature exists on humanitarian intervention guidelines and best practice; there is a paucity in the literature on evidence-based research and practice, while less still has been written on teaching and training of those who work in this field. This chapter will focus on humanitarian intervention training programs: from curriculum design to training delivery. The authors will critique andragogical theory and practice, particularly relating to assessment, planning, and service delivery of training programs. By deconstructing how training programs might encourage self-directed learning, drawing from practical experience, making theory–practice links, and assuming new roles, suggestions will be made as to how andragogy can support learners adopt a more critical, proactive, and refugee-centred approach in their work. As an illustration of these suggestions, the chapter will introduce the Distance Learning MSc Humanitarian Intervention, provided by the School of Psychology at the University of East London that offers a specific training on psychosocial aspects of humanitarian intervention and will discuss the experience of designing and delivering such course by distance learning.