Summer institute gives students firsthand experience in D.C.

This summer, the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy (DRLA) at Tulane University will offer students a chance to hear firsthand from the policy and operational actors who are on the front lines of global humanitarian and development challenges in countries like Syria, the Central African Republic and Nepal.

Applications are now open for the DRLA’s Summer Institute in Washington, D.C., which will immerse students in lessons on humanitarian advocacy, disaster operations and other areas of disaster response. The institute offers students two three-credit courses: Institutions & Politics of Humanitarian Advocacy (July 1–15) and Case Studies in Disaster Operations (July 18–29).

Ky Luu, executive director of the DRLA, says Washington, D.C., was chosen as the Summer Institute’s site because dozens of agencies involved in disaster management base their offices in the nation’s capital.

“Washington, D.C., is the ideal setting for the institute because it is home to dozens of agencies involved in disaster management, including FEMA, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Defense and InterAction,” Luu says. “Students will be able to hear firsthand from the policy and operational actors who are on the front lines of global humanitarian and development challenges.”

DRLA, which is part of the Tulane School of Social Work, promotes research, stimulates global communication among disaster resilience leaders and trains current and future leaders in disaster resilience and humanitarian assistance.

The summer courses will cover a variety of topics including humanitarian decision-making, practical tools for policy change, dynamics between diplomacy and humanitarianism, resilience, and human security along with attributes of an effective disaster operations capability.

The Summer Institute is open to all graduate students and all undergraduate students in good academic standing. The application deadline is April 1.

For more information, contact Meredith Feike, DRLA director of recruitment and student affairs.

Joseph Halm is marketing/communications coordinator for the Tulane School of Social Work.