“Not all those who wonder are lost” (J.R.R.Tolkien)

This evening at 7 p.m., guest speaker Sam Ducharme will take the audience on a modern day adventure of hiking the Appalachian Trail at the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library.  In March of 2015, Sam Ducharme set out on a 2,180 mile, 14 state backpacking trip from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin Maine. During his six month journey he documented the rugged beauty of the Appalachian mountains, the wildlife, the hardships encountered on the trail, as well as the people, culture and humanity at its finest.

Come join him as he takes you through the trail towns, over the mountaintops and through the backcountry. The images and stories will leave you with a renewed awe of the beauty of our country and its people. You will also see his gear, how he cooked, and hear what it is like sleeping in a hammock for six months through three seasons.

The Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) hosts Curt Goering from the Center for the Victims of Torture on Tuesday, April 12, at Blaustein Hall, Connecticut College, New London.  Goering will speak on “The Story behind the Syrian Refugee Story – the Need for Rehabilitative Care during Humanitarian Crises”

The reception preceding the talk begins at 5:30 p.m.; the presentation itself begins at 6 p.m.

Goering is the Executive Director at the Center for the Victims of Torture (CVT), where he oversees an international staff with offices in St. Paul (MN), Washington D.C., and healing projects in Africa and the Middle East.  CVT provides comprehensive care for victims of government-sponsored torture, conducts research and training, and undertakes policy efforts to commit the U.S. and other governments to work against torture and to aid torture survivors.

Prior to joining CVT in 2012, Goering was the Chief Operating Officer at Amnesty International USA.  In addition to directing its day to day operations, he was involved in strategy development, public policy and planning, financial oversight and external relations.

Over his professional career, Mr Goering led a dozen Amnesty International missions, including ones in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Mongolia, Taiwan, Turkey, and Tanzania.  In addition to his positions with Amnesty as a researcher, an advocacy director for Europe and the Middle East, and several executive roles, he served as Head of the Gaza office for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2009 and 2010.

Milt Walters, SECWAC’s Chairman, offered how gratified we are “that this worldwide leader will share from direct field experiences a message to help us understand the depth of human healing needs emanating from the Syrian refugee tragedy.”

As a staunch advocate, Goering’s writings has appeared in scores of outlets, including McClatchy-Tribune News Service, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, The Hill, and StarTribune.His media appearances include ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, BBC, NPR, The Newshour, Al-Jazeera, HuffPost Live, and many networks/stations around the world.

A dinner follows immediately after the presentation for a limited number of members and guests at Conn College. To attend the dinner, a reservation is required – call 860-912-5718 or email info@secwac.org to make your reservation. A vegetarian option is available but it must be reserved.  All reservations or cancellations must be received 24 hours prior to the program.

Bring your check payable to SECWAC or for the total number of your reservations at $35 each.   Courtney Assad will collect your money when you arrive to get your name tag. Credit card payments can also be made at check-in. At the same time, you will be given dinner tickets for each reservation to be collected by the server as confirmation of your payment.

SECWAC is a membership organization. Guests are welcome; call 860-912-5718 or email info@secwac.org to reserve a guest pass.

Jonathan Stevenson, US Naval War College, will speak on “Centenary of Sykes-Picot: Order and Chaos in the Middle East and the US Position” at the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, Main Street, Lyme, on May 10.

Editor’s Note: SECWAC is a regional, non-profit membership organization affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America and fosters an understanding of issues of foreign policy and international affairs through study, debate, and educational programming.  Our principal activity is to arrange 10 meetings per season to provide a forum for nonpartisan, non-advocacy dialogue between our members, U.S. policy makers and other experts on foreign relations (http://www.secwac.org).