International Impact

By Matt Hawkins

Bradley’s International Humanitarian Law team was the lone university finalist honored by the American Red Cross for creative awareness campaigns last school year. As a reward, Bradley students joined four other top teams at a youth leadership summit this summer in Washington, D.C.

During the 2014-2015 academic year, the IHL team organized two campaigns to raise awareness about international law. In the fall, with the help of Nathan Thomas, vice president for student affairs, the team went into 16 freshmen university experience classes and conducted prisoner-of-war simulations.

Freshmen students' reactions were then used in a study conducted by the psychology department on the effectiveness of awareness campaign simulations.

That was followed in the spring by “War: The Things We Leave Behind,” a simulated war refugee experience.

“To be recognized for the hard work we put in meant the world to me,” said health science major Meredith Brewer ’18, of Mahomet, Illinois. “Being nationally recognized two years in a row shows that we’re continuing to be creative educators as we promote IHL awareness on campus.”

Students at 41 universities and high schools reached more than 56,000 people through the peer education program, which was in its third year as a Red Cross initiative. Bradley’s collegiate competitors included Valparaiso University, Harvard University and Columbia University.

“IHL is working because it’s not simply idealism,” said international studies, criminal justice studies and Spanish triple major Livi Lu ’16, of Morton, Illinois. “It’s our duty to know about international law because we can make a great impact improving the world by helping enforce it.”

Students said the year of campaigns and leadership summit networking encouraged them to keep fighting systemic injustices.

These experiences helped them take seriously a challenge from international studies professor Dr. Jeanie Bukowski, who urged them to use their privilege to impact the world.

“Why wouldn’t you find IHL to be a good cause?” Lu said. “We share the world with over seven billion people, so let’s respect each other and our basic human rights.”