International+Committee+of+The+Red+Cross


 * [Subject Matter Background]**

Established in 1863, The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an independent, humanitarian organization. Henri Dunant's ideas encompassing protection of the sick and wounded in combat offered the Geneva Public Welfare Society a basis to create a group of twenty-five Swiss citizens to act as an intervention. The ICRC's role is to serve as a neutral intermediary during armed conflicts, as well as offer aide to victims of war. Along with the growth of the Red Cross, modern humanitarian law arose, internationally-agreed rules, which was applicable to all conflicts and guarantee assistance for the wounded, sick, prisoners and civilians. With it's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the ICRC is based in approximately 80 countries all over the world. The core principles of the ICRC include monitoring compliance of disputing parties, sustain care for the wounded, help search for the missing and treat prisoners of war, and protect and care for the civil population. Due to the ICRC's prestigious responsibilities under humanitarian law, both the International Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement were initiated as a correspondence to the ICRC.

The Swiss Confederation - commonly known as Switzerland - is bordered by Germany, France, Italy and Austria, and is situated between the Alps and Central Plateau of Western Europe. Among its two most economically stable cities are Geneva, home of the ICRC headquarters, and Zurich. With a population of nearly 8 million people, Switzerland is considered one of the richest countries of the world, while German, French and Italian are the three main languages and cultures of the country. Switzerland is home to many organizations, as well as having had endured neutrality among nations.

I would like students to become familiar with Switzerland's geography, history, government and culture. I also want students to understand the concept of humanitarian organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, and how they play such a crucial role in health services for society today. In order for students to learn this subject matter, I will bring a flag of a red cross/Switzerland to entice their attention. After a brief teacher-centered introduction of the topic, I will divide the class into groups. Each group will be given a particular topic - Switzerland, ICRC history, ICRC organization/responsiblities, and Swiss neutrality during times of war and secession into the United Nations. Once groups have researched, we will have presentations and a corresponding handout for students to fill in, in order to fully grasp each topic. In terms of assessment, I would like to hold a class debate in which students are debating the topic of Switzerland's neutrality (the two sides would be "for neutrality" and "against neutrality") and how it has impacted modern day society. Each student will be given the chance to formulate an opinion and support their argument with strong points learned through our classroom lesson/presentations of Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Students will be encouraged to use the fact that the ICRC is a Noble Peace Prize winner, in order to further their claim.
 * [Instructional Ideas]**

http://www.icrc.org/eng http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1963/red-cross-history.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland
 * [Sources]**