Recentering the Human
in Humanitarianism
At LLST, we take a simulation-
based approach to learning.
LLST is no longer active!
After 4.5 exciting, educational, and game-based years, LLST concluded business operations in July 2022.
We would like to thank our students, funders, clients, partners, and employees.
If you would like to reach out to Matt, please see his new projects at:
https://matthew-r-stevens.ca/
Why Lessons Learned?
At Lessons Learned we design and facilitate training simulations for the humanitarian sector. Our bespoke training courses are spaces to learn, be creative and test your employees’ critical thinking skills. In all our courses, we promote localization and accountability to the communities we serve, preparing your teams to build better, more humane interventions.
Who Have We Worked With?
Who Have We Presented With?
Where Have We Been Certified?
The Day My Life Froze: Urban Refugees in the Humanitarian System
LLST’s flagship course is a two-day professional development course structured around an intensive in-class educational simulation.
Click below to learn more about The Day My Life Froze.
Projects, Past and Present
Along with our facilitated training courses, LLST works on a wide variety of projects including:
digital training design; design consultation; research and reporting; seminars, webinars, and podcasts; and recreational learning games.
News & Updates
LLST continues to expand the scope of its voice in the fields of simulation-based training and serious games.
Want to know what LLST is up to right now? Find out by visiting our news page.
Our Courses and Simulations
LLST designs custom training modules and simulations to fit your organisation’s needs. Our pre-developed simulations and training modules can be adapted to fit into a pre-existing training session scheduled by your team, or an entirely new course or simulation can be custom-built to meet specific learning outcomes or to give your staff a chance to practice their skills.
A Safe Space to Fail
Making mistakes in humanitarian work can have real, dire consequences. We support your team in testing new approaches by giving them a safe space to fail.
Stakeholder Embodiment System
Help your team step into the decision-making spaces of stakeholders via models built on real-life experiences.
A Space to Say "A-Ha"
LLST builds guided reflection into every one of our training courses and modules. Nothing generates “a-ha!” moments like a comprehensive debrief.
Learn by Doing
Many training systems advertise “critical thinking”, “problem solving”, and “strategic thinking”, but these hard-to-define skills don’t come from the lecture hall—they are honed when the clock is ticking and decisions are made under pressure.
A Space to be Together
You can’t understand a machine by studying one component—why would a humanitarian crisis be any different? We believe that opportunity lies in listening, reflecting, and making decisions based on real-life goals and motivations.
Our Method
Via detailed briefings and dynamic logic models, students learn to analyse events the way that different groups of affected people do, to better ensure that humanitarian response efforts are built on common goals.
Our Newsletter
What People are Saying
Our Team
Matthew Stevens
Founder & Director
LLST Director Matthew Stevens has worked with refugees and migrants globally since 2008, from downtown Cairo to the Peruvian Amazon. Most recently, he served as Country Director for an INGO in Amman, Jordan, delivering online higher education to displaced youth.
Jessica Roberts - PhD
Editor & Researcher
As the editor for LLST, Jessica ensures the consistent quality and clarity of written documents, and she also provides research, writing, and workshop facilitation support. She completed her PhD in English with a research focus on the published life narratives of former child soldiers.
Ben Stevens
Project Assistant
As a project assistant, Ben helps to maintain the LLST blog and website, while also assisting on the design and facilitation of many LLST simulations. Outside of working with LLST, Ben’s experience is in professional theatre, educational interpretation, and the gaming industry.
