Workshop I & 2:
WORKSHOP 1:
Countering Human Trafficking: Building Military Resilience in Multicultural Contexts
University of Palermo
This workshop has been designed specifically for military personnel who operate in complex, multicultural environments where human trafficking often intersects with military operations. Over the course of this training, you will develop critical skills to recognize, prevent, and respond appropriately to trafficking situations while maintaining operational effectiveness and respecting cultural differences.
Why This Training Matters
Human trafficking is not just a humanitarian issue—it’s a force protection concern, a mission integrity issue, and a violation of international law that directly impacts military operations. Whether you’re deployed in conflict zones, participating in peacekeeping missions, stationed near vulnerable communities, or managing contracted services on base, you may encounter trafficking in various forms. Understanding how to identify and respond to these situations is essential to maintaining ethical standards, protecting vulnerable populations, and ensuring mission success.
This is an interactive, scenario-based workshop designed around realistic situations you might encounter in operational contexts. Rather than lectures, you’ll engage in:
- Small group discussions where you’ll analyze complex scenarios, debate
ethical challenges, and develop practical solutions - Case study analysis examining real-world situations from different cultural and
operational contexts - Tabletop exercises practicing reporting procedures and coordination protocols
- Role-based simulations, experiencing the perspectives of various stakeholders
in counter-trafficking efforts - Practical deliverables, creating materials you can actually use in your units
We encourage active participation, honest dialogue, and a willingness to grapple with difficult questions. Some scenarios may challenge your assumptions or raise uncomfortable issues—this discomfort is often where the most important learning happens.
What You’ll Take Away
By the end of this workshop, you will:
- Confidently identify trafficking indicators across diverse operational contexts
- Understand proper reporting procedures and your specific role in counter
trafficking efforts - Navigate cultural complexity without compromising recognition of exploitation
- Recognize trafficking vulnerabilities in military supply chains and contracted
services - Possess practical tools for maintaining ethical resilience in challenging
environments - Appreciate the complexity of multi-stakeholder counter-trafficking responses
2/2 - Have developed concrete materials to brief your units and implement learning
A Note on Sensitivity
We recognize that some participants may have direct or indirect experience with trafficking situations, either professionally or personally. While we’ve designed activities to be educational without being gratuitously graphic or retraumatic, please know that support resources are available throughout the workshop. You’re welcome to step out of any activity if needed, and we encourage you to approach facilitators privately if you have concerns.
WORKSHOP 2
Creating Adaptive Forces: Building Military Resilience in an Evolving International Landscape
Character-Based Emotional Intelligence for Adaptive Military Leadership
As future leaders, you will be operating in a world marked by rapid change, cultural diversity, and complex security challenges. Technical proficiency is essential—yet it is your inner capabilities that will determine your effectiveness under pressure. This workshop is designed to help you strengthen these capacities by exploring the connection between Character Strengths and Emotional Intelligence (EI) through the Character-Based Emotional Intelligence (CBEI) framework.
Why This Matters for You
Military leadership today requires more than tactical skills. It demands the ability to understand yourself, read your environment, navigate conflict, regulate your emotions, and support your team—especially in uncertain or high-stress situations. Research shows that leaders with strong EI, grounded in character strengths such as integrity, perseverance, judgment, curiosity, courage, and compassion, are better equipped to make sound decisions, build cohesion, and maintain resilience in demanding contexts.
By examining how your strengths contribute to EI competencies such as empathy, adaptability, self-regulation, and teamwork, you will gain a clearer understanding of how to lead with clarity, authenticity, and purpose.
What You Will Be Doing
This is not a lecture-based session. You will engage in:
- Small group discussions analyzing realistic leadership scenarios
- Strength-to-competency mapping exercises using the CBEI model
- Practical tools to support your personal and professional leadership development
You will be invited to reflect, participate actively, and apply what you learn to situations you may face as officers.
What You Will Take Away
By the end of the workshop, you will:
- Understand how character strengths enhance emotional intelligence
- Recognize your own leadership assets and growth areas
- Strengthen your ability to regulate emotions under stress
- Apply EI skills to support team cohesion and mission success
- Build confidence in navigating difficult interpersonal or operational situations
- Take home actionable tools to continue developing adaptive leadership
A Note for Your Well-Being
Some activities may touch on themes such as stress, conflict, or personal challenges. You are welcome to step out briefly if you need to. Support is available throughout the session, and you may approach the facilitator privately at any time.