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Sutter Certified as American Red Cross National Instructor for International Humanitarian Law

TAVERNIER, Fla. (764 words) – As a leader in Monroe County Schools with Monroe Youth Challenge Program (MYCP), bringing students’ minds to a new awareness about global issues is nothing new to Michele Sutter of Tavernier. She is the MYCP district prevention coordinator and has escorted students every year for the past ten years to sit face to face with a survivor of the Holocaust during Student Awareness Day. Her most recent accolade is she was selected as one of twelve Red Cross volunteers across the five-state service area of the Red Cross to be trained and certified to teach International Humanitarian Law (IHL) for the Red Cross at a three-day session in April

She was nominated for this extraordinary opportunity by the local Red Cross chapter. Aida V. Martinelli, Sr. Director, International Services and Branch Operations for the American Red Cross of Greater Miami & The Keys said, “Michele has been instrumental in getting students trained for years and has even brought IHL teams to a Youth Ethics Initiative conference in Miami to teach other students about what’s fair in time of war. We were honored to select her for the certification course and we’re thrilled she’s completed it because we know she’ll put it to good use.”

Keith Douglass, a board member of Youth Ethics Initiative who resides in Islamorada, is a member of the Rotary Club of Marathon who is one of the sponsors of YEI Inc. After learning Sutter became a national certified instructor in IHL for the Red Cross he said, “She has been a dynamic advocate supporting the youth of Monroe County through awareness programs including the Rotary-sponsored Youth Ethics Conference. Our nation’s future leaders are in good hands with her passion and knowledge of the subject.”

The new Humanity in the Midst of War - Introduction to International Humanitarian Law course is intended for all employees and volunteers of the American Red Cross, including National Headquarters, service area and chapter leadership. Sutter was selected because she has strong facilitation skills and an understanding of the subject of international humanitarian law. She has also demonstrated commitment to the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The Red Cross introduction to IHL states, “International Humanitarian Law is everyone’s concern. In a world where warfare and civil strife are a daily reality for millions, International Humanitarian Law provides a framework for protection for civilians and combatants alike.”

The conduct for warfare as embodied by IHL is laid out in the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The American Red Cross has a unique mandate from Congress to educate the American public about the guiding principles and IHL framework as it applies to the protection of members of the armed forces including prisoners of war and civilians.

“This issue has meaning to me because of what I witnessed in my formative years during the Vietnam era. We Americans live often without knowing there are people who are caring and supporting thousands of the world’s suffering on a daily basis. Whether we acknowledge it or not, humanitarian law is important for every person, and if someone wants to make a difference in this area, they can start with taking the class,” said Sutter.

International Humanitarian Law encompasses both humanitarian principles and international treaties that seek to save lives and alleviate suffering of noncombatants during armed conflict. Its principal legal documents are the Geneva Conventions of 1949, four treaties signed by almost every nation in the world. The Conventions define fundamental rights for combatants removed from fighting due to injury, illness, or capture, and for civilians. The 1977 Additional Protocols, which supplement the Geneva Conventions, further expand those rights.

Sutter already taught the new course in the Upper Keys July 8 to a team of Red Cross youth leaders from Miami and the Keys. She has also trained members of the 4-H/MYCP/Red Cross Seasons of Service Team to make an IHL presentation at the 4-H Congress at the University of Florida later this month. “Her leadership in IHL has inspired and motivated students and their involvement in Monroe Youth Challenge Program to be the Change in their schools. They have created programs that promote ethical treatment of all humans. We’re very proud to have Michele working for us,” said Sunny Booker, Monroe County School District Safe School Coordinator and head of MYCP.

Monroe Youth Challenge Program is a project of the Monroe County Education Foundation to foster acceptance, respect, and success in the youth of Monroe County. For more information call Michele Sutter at (305) 852-1664 or go to www.keysschools.com or redcross.org.