Students kick off year with weekend retreat

by Christine Heckman

Thirty-five students of human rights and humanitarian affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and the School of Social Work embarked on SIPA’s annual weekend retreat in the Catskill Mountains on Sept. 24.

While the retreat may sound much like a weekend at summer camp to some, (think: team-building activities, sleeping in bunk beds, eating in the mess hall and afternoon canoe rides) the two-day event consisted of a number of academic exercises and simulations as well.

Prof. Elazar Barkan, director of the Human Rights concentration at SIPA and ISHR Director, Yasmine Ergas, Adjunct Associate Professor of International Law and International Human Rights Law at SIPA and ISHR Associate Director, and Dirk Salomons, director of the Humanitarian Affairs Program at SIPA and head of the International Organizations specialization, joined the group for dinner and a Q&A session. They each shared their personal experiences working in human rights and humanitarian affairs, their views on the rewards and challenges of such careers, as well as the curricular and extra-curricular opportunities available through their respective SIPA programs.

Daniel Gerstle, SIPA alumnus and founder/editor of HELO Magazine, a publication for and about people working on the ground in humanitarian relief efforts and conflict zones, also joined the group. Gerstle led the attendees in a simulation exercise in which participants were presented with a humanitarian disaster scenario.

For the simulation, students split up into small groups and assumed various roles as actors in a typical humanitarian relief strategy session. While the “local NGOs” competed with one another for face time and funding from the “donor countries,” the “security providers” argued with the “human rights advocates” over issues such as truth commissions and family reunification.

As the negotiations played out, dwindling funds coupled with unexpected incidents (such as an insurgent attack and a cholera outbreak) forced the group to dig deep into their diplomacy and problem-solving skill sets. The simulation proved invigorating for some participants and frustrating for others, but all agreed that taking part in a realistic negotiation scenario was a valuable experience.

The SIPA weekend retreat provided an introduction to the human rights and humanitarian affairs programs, and students were also able to network and develop ideas for future collaboration on events, working groups and other projects. The seeds have been planted, and it will be exciting to see how the results come to fruition.

Published in RightsNews Volume 29, no. 1, October, 2010.
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