Year 10 History meets Carl Wilkens

In History 2: Extreme Events, Year 10 students have been studying the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed in 100 days, while the world watched on and did nothing to intervene. At the same time that most westerners were evacuated from Rwanda, a single American, Carl Wilkens, elected to stay to do what he could to help his friends and others under his care. As the director of ADRA, an Adventist aid organisation, Carl was instrumental in saving the lives of hundreds of Rwandan orphans from the massacres which tore the country apart. 

Each year, we are privileged to speak with Carl Wilkens via MS Teams about his experiences, and what we can learn from them to make our current world a better place. Here are some reflections from Year 10 History students:

Having an incursion with Carl Wilkens was very beneficial and it was an honour to be able to speak with him. He provided us with valuable information along with many interesting stories. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be able to speak with Carl Wilkens. Hadassah R (10.3)

Carl Wilkens was a gentleman; he was very patient and was able to give us well detailed answers to our questions. It was very cool to hear about his experiences and to learn about his courage during the situation. Daniel L (10.4)

The incursion was a great learning exercise for gaining second-hand experience of the goings on in Rwanda. Having a witness and being able to ask questions was a privilege, that I appreciate. It was an interesting experience overall. Micah A (10.2)

It was a wonderful experience, being able to speak to someone who is so well known and important. It was fascinating learning about his views on the genocide and how he helped. He was a lot different to what I was expecting, he was a lot funnier than I thought he would be and acted like a kind and joking grandpa! Charlotte M (10.4)

Carl's story is truly incredible, and getting to meet him was even more inspiring. To me, what makes Carl, and his story stand out are choices, the thing that makes him different is that he proved we always have a choice. From what I could tell he still lives this out, the essence of what he taught us is the same, we have the choice of how we will perceive others and the situations around us. Isaac A (10.4)

I really liked the incursion as getting information from a person who was in the genocide is really different from reading a book. The person gives you a real-life experience that is never talked about in books. It is like you’re in the genocide seeing how it plays out. Carl Wilkens is an amazing speaker, and I loved hearing his own personal stories. Aaron N (10.3)

Miss Melanie Haley

Head of Humanities