Great Decisions Meeting–February 20 at 2:00 pm

Our branch program on February 20 marks the launch of our Great Decisions Discussion Group–a collaboration between AAUW Bennington and the UU Fellowship (see story in January newsletter). The topic for this month’s meeting is “Russia and the United States.” A grassroots model adopted more than 50 years ago, Great Decisions continues today with tens of thousands of participants taking part in local discussions annually. We are thrilled to be able to offer this program in Bennington!

The meeting will start with a brief video from the Foreign Policy Association, followed by some background comments by Gudrun Hutchins. We will then divide the audience into smaller Zoom breakout groups for discussion. We’ll end with reports from groups and a brief wrap up. So that we have an accurate count of who is planning to join us, please send an email to AAUWBennvt@gmail.com. We will send you the Zoom link and additional information about the program.  If you can’t attend this month, you are welcome to attend any of the subsequent sessions.

Schedule of Meetings

Feb. 20–Russia and the United States
March 20–Drug Policy in Latin America
April 24–Industrial/Economic Policy in the US
May 15–Changing Demographics
June 12–Climate Change 

We strongly recommend that all participants read the relevant chapter in the Great Decisions 2022 Briefing Book before each meeting. The chapters are only 10-12 pages long. The first topic is “Russia and the U.S.”  You can access the Briefing Book in several ways:

    • The paperback is available at the Great Decisions Bookstore ($35.00); The Kindle edition is available through Amazon ($24.99).
    • The Bennington Bookshop has ordered several copies of the book.
    • The Bennington Free Library has several  copies available at the reference desk (non-circulating).
    •  AAUW has a few books that members can borrow.

The topic of our first meeting—Russia and the U.S.–is a volatile one, with new information emerging daily.  Do you have sources you think others might be interested in reading?  If so, send an email to AAUWBennVT@gmail.com. An updated list of readings is available on the AAUW website under Great Decisions 2022.

We look forward to seeing you on the 20th at 2:00 pm.