Teacher Workshop at Stockton Features Carl Wilkins’ “World Outside My Shoes”

Carl Wilkins, the lone American to remain in Rwanda after the start of the 1994 genocide in the African nation, will present an educators’ workshop by the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center and the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage.

The workshop, entitled “World Outside My Shoes,” is intended to show the power of one person’s desire to make a difference. Wilkins, who first went to Africa in 1978 as part of a college volunteer program, has spent 13 years working on the continent. In 1994 at the start of the Rwandan genocide, Wilkins sent his wife and three children with the American convoy leaving the country, but he elected to stay behind and help his friends.  He is credited with saving at least 400 children at an orphanage through his diplomatic activities in his role at the time as head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International. 

Through Wilkins experiences during the Rwandan genocide, he created an action plan for educators, including an interactive workshop designed for early childhood, elementary middle and high school teachers. Among topics addressed are bullying and how people sometimes view others deemed to be “different.” Two professional development hours (PDH) will be available to all educators in attendance.