Events
The Syrian Refugee Journey - LIB 100/201 APPROVED!
Date and Time
Tuesday, March 24, 2015 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Description
LIB 100/201 APPROVED!
Syrians have for a century welcomed over a million refugees from Armenia, Palestine, Iraq and other countries around the region. Now, due to a multi-year civil war, they have become the source of the world’s largest refugee population. Join us as Jared Kohler, GVSU alumnus and photojournalist who extensively covered the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan and Iraq, reveals both the human and political side of the Syrian Refugee Crisis through the lens of his camera. From the moment of arrival at dusty desert border crossings, to the registration process and on to life for refugees in camp and urban contexts, we will follow the journey and challenges of the refugee experience.
About special guest & GVSU alumnus Jared Kohler:
Jared was born and raised in Traverse City, Michigan but is hard pressed to know where to call home. Passionate, since a young age, about both maps and images, the road took him first to Orlando, FL – attending and then teaching at a film school. He’s studied engineering, has been employed creating digital maps, and generally feels most comfortable while traveling, but his true passion is telling visual stories.
Chasing his love for photography he has driven across the US, hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, gotten lost on South African roads with hippopotamus-crossing signs, tracked wild rhinos, walked into a bar in Lesotho to ask for directions, slept in between the huts of a Mozambican village, ridden Lebanese buses through Hezbollah territory, been stranded on Egyptian trains, bounced over Haitian roads, hiked high into the Sumatran rain forest, and accidentally ended up in Kirkuk, Iraq at night.
He spent several years based in Jordan covering the Syrian refugee crisis – both as a freelancer and as staff for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). His work has appeared in The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Yahoo!, CNN, BBC, The Daily Show, TIME for Kids, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, La Monde, Sydney Morning Herald and numerous other publications and has been used by many international agencies including UNHCR, ECHO, MSF, ILO, CARE, ACTED and others.
Jared holds degrees in Film and Video Production and International Relations (with a focus on Middle Eastern Studies). He has lived extensively abroad and speaks enough Arabic to get himself into trouble and sometimes even back out. He’s constantly inspired by the brave individuals around the world who are making a difference in the face of great odds – they are his heroes and the people he considers himself lucky to photograph. He is currently based in West Sumatra, Indonesia.
Information
For more information, please visit: http://www.jjkohler.com
Contact
Padnos International Center
130 Lake Ontario Hall
Allendale, Michigan 49401
(616) 331-3898