World Outside My Shoes is a non-profit educational and professional development organization committed to inspiring and equipping people to enter the world of “The Other”. “The Other” may be under our own roof or on the other side of the globe.

(Official website for Carl Wilkens)

 

New Book!    

 

Click Here to make a donation and receive a copy of I'm Not Leaving

And on the same page you can now make donation and receive a copy of African Rice Heart – the book I've told many of you about by Emily Wilkens  - An excellent read! Click to receive

 Click to listen to a chapter 

 

 

Worldoutsidemyshoes Facebook page 

 

What can we do to end violence and build peace? (click)

 

 

CLICK HERE for SPEAKING SCHEDULE and contact info

Watch the play – I'm Not Leaving 

 

 

Recent BBC Interviews:

BBC Newshour - 04/04/2011 – Rwanda anniversary

Don Damon speaks to Carl Wilkens who remained in the country during the

massacre of 800,000 people in 1994. (11 minutes into the hour long program is the interview 

with Carl. It's 6 minutes long)

————————————————–

BBC Wittness: Jean-Francois Gisimba survived the genocide and helped hundreds of others who had taken refuge in the family-run orphanage to stay alive as well.  He shares his story including the work of Carl Wilkens.



  World Outside My Shoes  

An Educational Non-Profit

 

Learning from Rwanda to equip and inspire each one of us to enter the world of the “Other”. The “Other” may be under our own roof or on the other side of the globe.

Carl Wilkens is the former head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International in Rwanda.  In 1994, he was the only American who chose to remain in the country after the genocide began.  His choice to stay and try to help resulted in preventing the massacre of hundreds of children over the course of the genocide. 
 
Wilkens was featured in Frontline’s "Ghosts of Rwanda" and "The Few Who Stayed: Defying Genocide," an American Radio Works documentary which aired on National Public Radio.  His story reminds us of the profound connection between history and the moral choices we face each day.  It also arms us with new insights in the fight against genocide  along with tools and inspiration for re-evaluating the relationships we are part of every day.
  
Wilkens’ humanitarian work has been recognized with several awards including the Dignitas Humana Award from Saint John’s School of Theology Seminary and a 2005 Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

This year, Wilkens has embarked on a multi-city tour of the United States to share his story with students, teachers, activists, policy-makers and community members.  While sharing experiences of what day to day life in Rwanda was like during the genocide, Wilkens focuses on the courage and resilience he witnessed with people facing horrendous choices in the middle of unimaginable slaughter.
 
Wilkens asks if we really do believe what we see, or is it more often that we see what we believe, which makes exploring what we believe about ourselves and others so important in shaping the world we are a part of.
 
 Our Goal:      To inspire and equip people to stand up

                       against genocide, racism, and intolerance.

 Our Values:  Integrity • Dignity • Community

                       Simplicity • Respond-ability

 Our Motto:     One person really can ignite change

                        when they discover the power of choice!

If you would like to book Carl Wilkens for a school, community, or church/temple event please email him at: carl@worldoutsidemyshoes.org..

 
Wilkens’ telling of his own experiences puts a human “face” on genocide,  showing us that the perpetrators, victims, and resistors will not soon be forgotten, and teaching participants how one person really can make a difference.
 

 
While some schools budgets allow them to contribute and/or do fund-raising to support Wilkens work of speaking at schools around the country, some schools are very limited in the support they can give.

All donations to World Outside My Shoes go directly to making visits at these schools possible.

("donate button" at the top right-hand corner)

Thank You!
 
 
 
Below is a 25 minute presentation divided into 3 parts.
 
Below is a clip from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's film
 

Click here to watch "Ghosts of Rwanda" clips – Youtube
 
 

Wilkens Presentations:

"I can still hear very clearly the sound of hoes thwacking into the earth… the men swinging them were not gardening, they were digging up mass graves.”

"…Take a moment to try and put yourself in the shoes of the family members and friends who had loved ones taken from them.  Surviving is more than just staying alive; surviving is learning how to live again"

Carl Wilkens, former head of Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) in Rwanda, was the only American to remain in Kigali, Rwanda once the genocide began in 1994.

 Come hear Carl’s personal first-hand account of life for the people of Rwanda as their country collapsed, as well as stories of those who stood up against the killers.   His presentations highlight what we as global citizens have in common, how our commonalities are so much greater than our differences and what that means for our response to violence – from bullying to genocide.

SPEAKING SCHEDULE  
 

 The School for Ethics and Global Leadership

"Carl Wilkens is, hands down, the best speaker I have ever introduced to my students.  He is inspiring, honest, kind, passionate, and genuine.  He is an extraordinary, riveting storyteller.  Most of all, he will gently challenge you to examine your life and your connections with others."
– Noah Bopp
Founder and Director
The School for Ethics and Global Leadership
PO Box 11633, Washington DC  2008             Tel:202.680.3264
 www.schoolforethics.org



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