Parallel Sessions IV

D) Considerations in the Design of Small Arms Control Training Material

Conveners:

Michael Ashkenazi, Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC), Germany
Christine Beeck, Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC), Germany
Julie Brethfeld, Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC), Germany
Marc von Boemcken, Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC), Germany

Chair:

Michael Ashkenazi, TRESA, Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC), Germany

Speakers:

Mike Bourne, Centre for International Cooperation and Security, Bradford University, UK
Owen Greene, Centre for International Cooperation and Security, Bradford University, UK
Christine Beeck, TRESA, Bonn International Centre for Conversion, Germany
Don Bosco Malish, Institute for the Promotion of Civil Society (IPCS), Yei, Sudan

Abstract:

The TRESA (Training and Education on Small Arms) project at BICC has been tasked with the preparation and propagation of training tools on small arms control. Since its inception in late 2003, the project, together with collaborators from other organisations, has designed and is field testing a comprehensive approach to small arms training.

In the workshop we propose to

Raise awareness of main issues and problems of small arms action in the context of human security
Present the modules designed to date.
Show what considerations served as the background for issues of format and content.
Discuss ways forward in small arms control training based on the experiences of TRESA and other organizations.

After lengthy debate, TRESA products have crystallised into three distinct types of products:

Tools are questionnaires, films, activities, and so on that assist learning.
Modules are generic stand-alone training elements with all the didactics and material included in them for a narrowly defined topic.
Courses are specific constellations of modules and tools constructed for training a particular audience at a particular place and time.

Design considerations were based on a number of assumptions:

Flexibility: Training tools had to be useful for a number of target groups in different parts of the globe. They must also be culturally flexible for different audiences.
Didactics: Providing trainers with useful didactic techniques to reinforce the material.
Timely material: The material must be updateable easily, given the nature of the issues.
Cost: TRESA distributes its products for free, and many of them will be used in places where even reproduction costs are an issue.
Co-operativeness: A better and more desirable product is one that uses world-known experts, and it is their knowledge we want to distill into the tools.

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