A U.S. based humanitarian NGO is invited into a country that is facing nationwide wildfires and a long-standing ethnic and cultural internal conflict.  The commitment is made though it is facing a 40% reduction in its operating budget due to USAID cuts.  As a result, the country’s government and local groups are skeptical of its ability to assist.  Groups including the national emergency response agency, the Red Cross affiliate, a religious based home building not for profit, a medical aid group, a local mayor, the local press, and an advocacy group for the LGBTQ+ community are all competing for its attention, support, and funding. And IDPs (internally displaced persons) are inundating the NGO pleading for help.

This is what 15 graduate students faced June 27-29, 2025,  in the fictional country of Costero while serving as members of the Forage Corps.  They were met at the border by national police officers, who raised questions about the failure of some to properly compete their visa applications.  After entry, the work began with the setting up of the field headquarters, training by country staff (including an alcoholic staff member) and a demanding country director, the unexpected arrival of IDPs, and meetings with local groups.  With the goals to create trust and build relationships as well as complete an assessment, the team, gets to work, fixing their own meals, maintaining security, preparing for meetings, and doing the day-to-day work of humanitarian workers.

This was the 17th immersive simulation held by the Forage Center for Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Education, a U.S. based 501c3 corporation founded in 2015 and the 5th  exercise held at its training site in Swanton, Maryland, USA.   This year’s participants came from the Joan B. Kroc School for Peace Studies at the University of San Diego, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, and the master’s in peace studies program at Rutgers University.  Supporting the exercise were nearly 35 role players, many alumni of the program, but others humanitarian and development professionals who volunteered their time.

“Experience and reflection are the most meaningful and impactful ways to learn,” stated David J. Smith, president of the Forage Center.  “We are responding to the unprecedented decrease in the global capacity to meet humanitarian crises by continuing to offer our training,” continued Smith.

Students attending this year reflected:

“The Forage Center offered an experiential humanitarian experience that forced participants to engage in creative ways and adapt quickly to complex, high-pressure scenarios reflective of real-world crisis situations. It’s a tough education, but it is a critical to have these experiences to be able to best work in teams in the complicated humanitarian space,” commented Catherine Greenberg of the University of San Diego.

Shannan Rawcliffe of Rutgers University noted: "Experiencing the raw, exposed moments of life as a humanitarian in the field in a foreign country with the Forage Corps gave me a chance to grow and learn in ways my limited experience never have allowed. More importantly, it helped me define my role in the humanitarian community—by supporting others via pathways such as generating funding, supporting policy and analytical data that truly matter to those on the ground."

George Mason University student Christopher Conklin commented that: “The humanitarian simulation is a unique experience that allows you to explore the more practical side of humanitarian education. Participating will give you a better idea if you are a good fit for this kind of work and at the same time teach you some valuable lessons about what to do on the ground during a crisis. Even as someone working in the humanitarian field already this was an invaluable learning experience, simulations are a must have for any proper humanitarian education."

Putting on an exercise of this nature demands considerable planning and support.   The Forage Center wishes to thank various Garrett County, Maryland businesses for supporting the effort including Brenda’s Pizzeria, Shop ‘n Save Supermarket, and Simon Pearce.  The Forage Center is grateful to St. John’s Lutheran Church Meadow Mountain for allowing the use of its basement as the headquarters and place where students slept. Finally, the United Service Foundation based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania awarded the Forage Center a grant to support the exercise.

About the Forage Center: The Forage Center for Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Education, Inc. empowers emerging humanitarians by providing educational opportunities and experiential-based training for students, educators, and professionals working in peacebuilding and humanitarian environments around the world. For more information go to foragecenter.org.  Please consider supporting our efforts  by making a financial contribution.   The Forage Center is a 501c3 corporation.