This summer, JLO implemented three, week-long virtual seminars for the Institute of Security Governance (ISG) that examined Women Peace and Security (WPS) issues in the security sector including one multilateral course for participants from Latin American and Caribbean countries and two bilateral courses for the armed forces of Colombia and Argentina.
The first virtual course, titled “Women in Defense and Strategic Decision-Making”, was a multilateral seminar held in June of 2021 with participants from twelve countries across the Latin American and Caribbean regions. In planning for the virtual course to be delivered in English and Spanish, our team worked closely with ISG personnel and a professional interpretation team in the design and testing of the virtual classroom configuration with simultaneous interpretation to facilitate communication and collaboration between participants in both languages. JLO subject matter expertise also developed new curriculum for this course that reviewed global empirical examples on current WPS initiatives and policies at the Ministry of Defense and individual service levels, examining best practices and providing recommendations for incorporating those concepts to create actual change for recruiting and retaining women in defense and security organizations.
The second course, titled “Women’s Integration into the Armed Forces”, was a bilateral seminar held in late August of 2021 and in partnership with the Escuela Militar de Cadetes General José María Córdova (ESMIC) and the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá for members of the Colombian armed forces. ISG personnel and course participants were co-located on-site in Bogotá, Colombia while experts from government, military, and academic backgrounds provided instruction virtually via Zoom. JLO’s technical team worked quickly to collaborate with the ESMIC and adapt our approach for remote interpreted courses to meet the dynamic requirements of this hybrid setting. Aligned with the overall program, JLO's subject matter expertise contextualized the newly developed recruiting and retaining modules for the Colombian context.
The third course was held in September of 2021 and was another bilateral virtual delivery of the “Women’s Integration into the Armed Forces” seminar, but this time for members of the armed forces of Argentina. With all participants and instructors connected virtually, the JLO team drew on not only lessons learned from the first two bi-lingual seminars, but also best pedagogical practices for virtual education and adult learning methodologies to maximize engagement and dialogue in the online classroom.