By Cynthia Whitty

After a two-year hiatus, Ashland’s Great Decisions study group is starting up once again thanks to volunteer Gretchen Bravacos and the Ashland Public Library. Great Decisions is described on its website as America’s largest discussion program on world affairs.

Bravacos first learned about the group from someone she and her husband met at one of the Life-Long Learning courses cosponsored by the Framingham Library and Framingham State University. “When the topic of brainstorming ideas for activities for adults at an interagency group meeting, I described the Great Decision group meeting format. As a result, a group formed in Ashland. Unfortunately, the group fell apart over the past year. I am really hoping to revitalize it!” Bravacos said.

“The Ashland group had been cosponsored by the library and the senior center,” Bravacos said. “Several years ago, it was my suggestion to start an Ashland group, and I want to do whatever I could to keep this group going.”

“Basically Jim and I are lifelong learners,” Bravacos added. “We appreciate the timelessness of the topics chosen each year and the level of professionalism and expertise represented in the Great Decisions briefing book and video. We also enjoy discussing what’s going on in the world and how it impacts our lives with other group members.”  Great Decisions is the longest-running and largest grassroots world affairs educational program of its kind and is sponsored by The Foreign Policy Association, according to its website, www.fpa.org. The Foreign Policy Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring Americans to learn more about the world. Its mission is to serve as a catalyst for developing awareness, understanding, and informed opinion on U.S. foreign policy and global issues. The Great Decision program is offered as a high school or college-level course, as part of a life-long learning series, or is sponsored by various organizations in towns and cities across the country.

Each year The Foreign Policy Association selects critical topics related to major issues in the areas of US Foreign policy and international affairs.  They publish the Great Decisions briefing book with chapters on the selected topics written by diplomats, policy experts, academics, and foreign-service professionals who are experts in their field. These articles provide background information, current data, and policy opinions and serve as the focus for each Great Decisions group meeting. 

Format and Topics

The format for the discussion group meeting is much like that of a book club where everyone reads the article in the GD book in advance, comes together to watch a video, and then one member of the group volunteers to facilitate the discussion. The topics for 2022 are: Changing Demographics, Outer Space, Climate Change, Russia, Myanmar and ASEAN, The Quad Alliance, Industrial Policy, Drug Policy in Latin America, and Biden’s Agenda. (www.fpa.org/great_decisions)

The Ashland Great Decisions discussion group is open to people of all ages and will meet the third Thursday of every month beginning Thursday, Feb. 17, 7 to 8 p.m. The meetings will be held virtually until further notice. To register, visit https://bit.ly/greatdecisionaashland