Mid Sweden University

In recent years, the Students Barents Rescue (SBR), a student-focused spin-off of the Barents Rescue, has been implemented at universities in Sweden, Finland, and Norway. This exercise is specifically designed for students enrolled in programs related to risk and crisis management studies. Barents Rescue itself is a civil international crisis management exercise aimed at developing the capacity for cross-border collaboration in response to disasters, accidents, and other emergencies in the Barents region. Through table-top emergency scenarios, the exercise fosters cooperation between participants from different countries and disciplines, emphasizing the importance of coordinated crisis management in a region where cross-border cooperation is essential.

The SBR exercise is designed to engage university students in a hands-on, collaborative environment where they can experience first-hand the complexities of cross-country cooperation during times of crisis. SBR provides a unique opportunity to develop essential skills in communication, teamwork, and crisis management, while also gaining a deeper understanding of how national and cultural differences can influence decision-making in a collaborative setting.

We argue that exercises like SBR can improve students' learning and understanding of cross-country collaboration. While we will touch on the exercise’s aims and learning objectives, the focus will be on student evaluations, which provide valuable insights into how participants perceive the exercise's effectiveness. In addition, we will examine how the development of case scenarios within the exercise has evolved over the years. These case scenarios are an essential component of the exercise, providing students with realistic, real-world situations to respond to, further enhancing the learning experience and preparing them for future roles in crisis management.