Exploring humanitarian law is the educational program for the youth. The program had been developed by the International Committee of the Red Cross with cooperation with the Educational Development Center (EDC), and with the active participation of several countries around the world. Exploring humanitarian law is not about mastering facts and memorizing historical details. It is about applying concepts concerning the respect and protection of human life and dignity to real situation of conflict and violence. During this program young people are exploring the basic rules and principals of international humanitarian law; law that protects the victims of armed conflicts and limits the means and methods of war. Built on experiences of large number of countries, this program is applicable in different political, social, cultural and religious contexts. Significant steps toward realization of the program exploring the humanitarian law in 2003 / 2004 were taken by the 90 countries of the world.
           Exploring humanitarian law is a pack of material which contains five main modules and didactical means for teachers and students. Foresaw for 30 hours of activity this program is created in the way which offers the educators the educational materials which could be integrated in various schools and out of school programs. Interactive educational methods and critical pedagogy of Exploring humanitarian law can contribute to the reinforcement of many important academic and life skills such as communication, disagreeing respectfully, supporting options with reasons, exploring, problem solving and decision making, critical thinking etc.
           Serbia and Montenegro Red Cross Society is conducting the Exploring humanitarian law program in cooperation with the Danish Red Cross from year 2003. This main objective of this project is to disseminate the international humanitarian law to the young people in Serbia and Montenegro. Since 2003 until today 36 Red Cross local branches from Serbia and Montenegro conducts or conducted the Exploring humanitarian law program. The purpose of teacher education is that their pass their knowledge to the youth, and today this program is implemented in following Red Cross local branches: Subotica, Sombor, Ada, Kikinda, Vrbas, Zrenjanin, Sremska Mitrovica, Ruma, Pančevo, Šabac, Savski Venac, Zvezdara, Smederevo, Aranđelovac, Paraćin, Kragujevac, Žagubica, Zaječar, Knjaževac, Kraljevo, Kruševac, Ćićevac, Požega, Užice, Bajina Bašta, Loznica, Prokuplje, Gadžin Han, Babušnica, Bosilegrad, Bujanovac, Kuršumlija, Podgorica, Bar, Berane, Nikšić.
Until today the Serbia and Montenegro Red Cross Society educated one hundred and sixty teachers and 450 young people from mentioned Red Cross local branches. At the same time the International Committee of the Red Cross in cooperation with Ministry of education and sport of Republic of Serbia is conducting the pilot phase of this program in high schools in Belgrade and Police High School in Kamenica.
If you are interested to joint us, to explore humanitarian law together, contact your Red Cross local branch or headquarters of Serbia and Montenegro Red Cross Society.