AUBURN — It wasn’t exactly what you’d expect most in the Twin Cities to do on a Saturday afternoon – dodging land mines, being taken as prisoners of war and stepping into the shoes of military decision makers, humanitarian workers, battlefield medics, civilians and more.

But 13 members of Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine’s Auburn/Lewiston Clubhouse recently got a crash course in international humanitarian law through an insightful, thought-provoking, experiential learning activity put on by the American Red Cross.

Known as Raid Cross Training, the structured program helped teens learn about the challenges faced by civilians, wounded soldiers and prisoners of war in conflict through a series of simulated activities that opened eyes and provoked questions about conflicts across the globe.

“It was a long evening with a lot of heavy and intense subjects discussed, but everyone involved seemed to understand how important the information was and wanted to know more about it,” said Emily Pietrasik, a youth and young adult engagement intern with the Red Cross. “Humanitarian aid is a subject that is not often talked about or taught in schools so they may be some of the first people in their friend groups, families, or classes to have this information.”

Pietrasik was one of four adult volunteers from the Maine Region of the American Red Cross who led students in the four-hour seminar. According to Eric Gagnon, regional director of volunteer services, the training was the first of its kind to be held in Maine in more than a decade.

Given today’s world of constant media, video games and movies, adolescents are bombarded with violence. Raid Cross aims to make adolescents aware of the realities of armed conflict and humanitarian action while giving them tools to interpret events and situations they encounter every day.

“My biggest takeaway was the fact of how much they do,” said Christian O’Brien, a 17-year-old junior at Lewiston High School who participated in the program. “All of them who go into the Red Cross are selfless.”

Developed by the French and Belgian Red Cross, the activities challenged participants to role-play and explore armed conflict dilemmas from all sides. During the activity, participants were sent to a war-zone in the fictional country of Haddar, which has been under attack by its neighbor, Deldar. Teens took on the roles of civilians, soldiers, prisoners and humanitarian workers over the course of several different activities.

With a central theme of international humanitarian law, the teens tackled issues facing Red Cross workers in war zones on a daily basis – including the protection of life and human dignity in wartime, while educating participants about the basic rules of war.

“I think this program was an eye-opener for the members,” said Joyce Campbell, program director for Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine’s Auburn/Lewiston Clubhouse. “They began to learn what the Red Cross does outside our American borders and what an important role they play during war and civil unrest.”