HostileWorld is an interactive training platform that delivers hostile environment training online for aid workers, journalists, contractors and volunteers deploying to hostile and challenging environments.  It is ideal for those who either do not have access to traditional face-to-face hostile environment awareness training or have previously completed a HEAT course and need a refresher. 

Good games make good learning environments

HostileWorld uses gaming technology to enhance learning through realistic, ‘point-of-view’ video simulations. Interactive learning is often called serious gaming, we call our unique video-based gaming technology: Near-Life™.

In the HEAT course games, learners are presented with a series of common security challenges. They must make decisions under time-pressure. Each scenario tests learning that was newly or freshly acquired in the particular learning module.  The scenarios then unfold based on the decisions that learners make.

The digital nature of the training means that learners are able to try things they hadn’t before.  They can explore how different decisions affect the outcomes, in doing so, they are able to better understand why certain actions are more effective than others.

This innovative approach results in an immersive and engaging learning experience, making hostile environment training more memorable so that when presented with similar situations in the real-world, learners are more likely to make the best decision, intuitively. This is essential within the current global security context.

HostileWorld was developed by DTS in partnership with Blue Mountain Group and the Resilience Advisors Network. Local actors, authentic locations and an award-winning production team help make the learning experiences as realistic as possible.

Course Details

The HostileWorld hostile environment awareness training course gives participants the latest in HEAT training content while our Near-Life™ interactive scenarios test learners’ ability to deal with real time threats.

The hostile environment awareness training course covers:

What makes HostileWorld so effective?

HostileWorld combines a range of e-learning techniques to fully engage the user.

• Short films featuring Steve Cook, Blue Mountain Media Safety Advisor, give additional knowledge and insight.
• Concise and relevant written content.
• Assessed, interactive ‘point-of-view’ video scenarios. The interactive video scenarios allow learners to explore “the problem space” by giving them multiple opportunities to practice – helping them to understand the range of ways that decisions are right or wrong.
• Learners also receive feedback at each decision point.

Who should take HostileWorld?

HostileWorld has been designed to meet the security needs of organisations with field staff working in hostile environments who can benefit from flexible online self-study.

HostileWorld is intended to be accessible to as many people as possible – particularly local NGO staff who can’t attend residential courses because of Visa or travel restrictions, freelance journalists who might not be able to cover the cost of face-to-face training, or anyone who has done a HEAT course in the past and needs a refresher.

The principles of hostile environment training and the situations covered in the interactive scenarios are transferable so anyone working or travelling in potentially risky environments, including students on foreign placements or on a gap year.  Those travelling off the beaten track would also benefit.

To get started, visit: www.hostileworld.org