Crisis Lab by CBIReviews of capacitybuildingint.com

This is an international course which brings together people from around the world to discuss topics in disaster response and crisis management. The instructors interact with the students almost daily to build a better understanding of the topics and exchange ideas and develop a better understanding of how crisis management is conducted in different countries.

Kyle advised me on how to become a resiliency grant writer. His advice to become highly specialized on a few flood related grant programs was very helpful. My next step is to submit a list of grants I can write to Kyle and his public works director colleague. --Bobby

Kyle is a great personality and provides very helpful career advice.

This summer, I took two courses offered by the Capacity Building Institute, in partnership with the NATO Crisis Management and Disaster Response Center of Excellence (COE) and the University of California, Irvine to earn a NATO Crisis Management and Disaster Response certificate. The courses examine the fundamentals of disaster response and emergency management in the international context, whilst being transparent about the potential difficulties and setbacks professionals within the field may experience when responding to, diffusing, and managing a diverse range of complex issues within a crisis situation. I strongly recommend this program--it teaches students a wide range of hard and soft skills that are applicable in a wide range of career goals: emergency management, humanitarian assistance, sustainable development, good governance, public policy and research, and many specialties within the military industrial complex. The first half of this program focuses on developing students' understanding of the NATO criss management system, organizational structure, values, and tools used to manage crises and disasters internationally, as well as within the Euro-Atlantic area. The second half of the program relies heavily upon the organizational insight students gain from the first half of the program, but incorporates current events and additional topics faced win the field of CMDR. Some topics covered in my class included: the need to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change from a security perspective; human capital and sustainable development; and efforts to research and build strong, capable, and resilient communities that are prepared for disasters. The workload was challenging yet manageable, as students are given a full week to self-pace and learn from lectures and readings ledgy experts within their fields. Then, students take a quiz and participate in discussions to enhance their understanding of the themes and lecture material, as well as engage with different posts from classmates. Finally, students write short weekly summaries to condense lessons learned and reflect on key takeaways in their own words. Towards the second half of the program, a new exercise was introduced and allowed for students to break off into groups to work through crisis scenarios and response options. My favorite part of the program was our discussion segment, as the discussion questions were some of the best questions I have over come across throughout my academic career. Students could highlight their own personal experience, background, and ideas when answering these questions. Both instructors were student-oriented, actively engaging with each student's discussion post at least once a week. The instructor input greatly improved my knowledge of each week's content, and made me consider different viewpoints within subjects--even the ones I had prior experience in. Moreover, instructors' intentional participation in discussion segments not only gave students individual attention and knowledge tied to instructors' real life and academic experiences, but showed the willingness instructors had to mutually learn from students. As a result, ideas were constantly exchanged within our discussion segment. It was evident that our instructors spent a lot of time and care planning and executing this program. The only thing I would consider modifying in this amazing program is the delivery of lectures. This program could be enhanced by giving students access to transcriptions from the lectures or subtitles while speakers present, as speakers would discuss dense information and spoke quickly. This would benefit learners who retain information best when reading/seeing the material, as students could spend less time note taking. Overall, I learned a great deal of information and garnered insightful perspectives that I double I would have had access to elsewhere. I strongly feel that this program is relevant and needed in our current sociopolitical climate, for the ways it engages a wide range of professionals to think critically about problem solving related to the maintenance of international peace and crisis management operations. The program was engaging, informative, and rewarding. My time in this unique program has helped me identify key areas within the field of crisis management and humanitarian assistance that I am most passionate about, nourishing my desire to pursue those interests further. Learning about NATO's core values, approach to good governance, operations, and partnerships in the field of CMDR has positively influenced my aspirations and career opportunities, solidifying my intent to work in the field.

I have taken NATO Crisis Management and Disaster Response (CMDR) course coordinated by UCI, NATO Centre of Excellence (COE) and Capacity Building International in summer 2020. The course was very interesting, challenging and rewarding overall. Topics were well organized with contemporary subjects and up-to-date materials. Module discussions with classmates provided me different perspectives on the subject matters with full of constructive inputs and rich instructor guidance. Weekly assignments and case exercises helped me understand the depths of the CMDR field even more. I gained a lot of knowledge and practical strategies on CDRM field that will be beneficial to me in my professionally career. The course exceeded my expectations and it has been a truly invaluable learning experience for me.

Kyle was extremely helpful and provided me with very helpful insight on how I can expand on my career. As a young professional trying to navigate the world of international affairs, I found Kyle's advice to be very relevant and valuable. I highly recommend CBI's services.