In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) by K.S. Ruff

Author:K.S. Ruff [Ruff, K.S.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2014-10-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7 – Change the world

“Are you ready to do this?” Shae asked.

I nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” I followed her into the classroom. My feet slowed when I saw how many students there were. “Dr. Sandstrom said our enrollment levels were high. He didn’t say it was going to be standing room only.”

“There must have been some last minute enrollments,” Shae surmised. “I’m glad we made extra training manuals.”

We pulled together a few more chairs for the students who were standing and widened our discussion circle before claiming our seats.

Shae began the introductions. “I’d like to welcome everyone to our three day personal risk seminar. If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to record your name and contact information on the sign in sheet so we can ensure you receive credit for attending the course. My name is Shae Garlington. My colleague’s name is Kristine Stone. We’d like to share some information about who we are and the reasons why we’ve developed this course before we delve into the agenda items that are listed in the front of your binders.” Shae looked at me.

I took a deep breath. “This is our second year attending George Mason’s master’s program in conflict analysis and resolution. We have completed the training offered by the Northern Virginia Mediation Service to become certified mediators. We currently work at Seeds for Peace, which is an NGO dedicated to peacebuilding. Shae and I develop and teach conflict resolution seminars at universities in conflict ridden countries for this organization. Our end goal is to empower a subset of university students to help resolve conflict among their classmates and to start conflict resolution programs in high schools and middle schools within their communities. It’s basically a train the trainer program.”

Shae nodded. “We learned some valuable lessons about personal risk when we were teaching in Ukraine earlier this year. Our preliminary research did not prepare us for the risks we faced. We were assigned minders who followed us everywhere we went. The minders were helpful at times, but they made attempts to hijack our schedule and limit our access to SIM cards. We needed the SIM cards and cell service for security purposes. The Russian mafia attended a government function honoring our work in Ukraine. We felt threatened by their presence. Little did we know, the Russian mafia attends all government functions in Ukraine. They are that entrenched in governance. Still, the mafia proved to be the least of our worries, especially after we were abducted by the SVR.”

“The SVR?” a student asked.

“Formerly known as the KGB,” I explained.

A number of students gasped.

“The SVR accused us of being spies. We were brutally beaten and tortured in ways you can’t even imagine,” Shae continued. “The Russian mafia helped secure our release.”

The students’ jaws hung open, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“We’ve learned some valuable lessons,” Shae repeated. “We’re going to share those lessons with you over the next three days, but we’re also going to explore some strategies for reducing risk and strengthening personal security.

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