90–120 minutes · Level 3 Public Services citizenship. Work individually or in NGO planning groups. With 13 students, use three groups of four and a rotating humanitarian co-ordinator, or use a shared projected screen.
- Briefing · 10 minutes. Assign NGO co-ordinator, protection, community engagement and logistics roles. All places, events, deployments and resource numbers are fictional. Do not enter real case details.
- Five rounds · 12–16 minutes each. Read verified information and label uncertainty. Give every learner 2–3 minutes to make an independent decision and record a rationale before discussion.
- Agree the response. Explain the group decision, at least one risk and its safeguards, partner roles and limits, an aid allocation and all seven protection-report fields. Mark a distribution hub, health post, shelter / support point and aid route. Restricted and operating areas are optional planning tools.
- Submit and learn. Submission locks a snapshot, spends allocated aid points and shows feedback. Remaining points carry into the next window, when new points arrive. Packages apply to that window; output estimates are deliberately simplified and are not Sphere standards, unique beneficiary counts or predictions of lives saved.
- Debrief · 15–20 minutes. Compare your plans. Explain IDPs versus refugees, NGO contributions and limits, a rights trade-off, and a changed decision. Export the report before closing the tab.
Citizenship and rights toolbox
Internal displacement: people forced to leave home who remain within their country. Refugees have crossed a national border; these groups should not be conflated. National authorities retain primary responsibility for protecting and assisting IDPs.
Humanitarian principles: humanity seeks to reduce suffering and protect dignity; impartiality bases help on need; neutrality avoids taking sides in hostilities; independence protects humanitarian priorities from political control. Neutrality does not remove the need to protect rights or assess advocacy.
Rights lens: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes equality / non-discrimination (Articles 1–2), life and security (3), privacy (12), an adequate standard of living (25) and education (26). The UDHR is a declaration, not itself a binding treaty. Binding obligations also arise under applicable treaties and domestic law; international humanitarian law applies in armed conflict. The UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement are guidance reflecting relevant law, not a separate universal IDP treaty. Do not apply UK ECHR article numbering automatically to this fictional international setting.
Active citizenship: support inclusive participation, challenge discrimination, verify information, consult affected people and hold decisions accountable. Needs-based assistance may require different support for different people.
Organisations and teaching references
International NGO examples: MSF, NRC, and Save the Children. Their scenario deployment is fictional. UNHCR and OCHA are UN bodies, not NGOs. The ICRC has a distinct mandate and status.
Frameworks: UNHCR: internally displaced people; ICRC: protection and applicable law; UDHR; Sphere.
Map: choose a pin and click once, or use X/Y coordinate controls. Routes need two points; areas need three. Press Finish shape for routes and areas. Delete obsolete annotations when revising. Do not mark a proposed route as confirmed safe without assessment.
Feedback limits: automatic feedback is a discussion aid, not a grade, legal judgement or operational instruction. The tutor evaluates written analysis and alternative well-reasoned responses. This resource is independently created and is not endorsed by any named organisation.