President's Letter; Council of the Month; WAC Kentucky's Japan-U.S. Program; Brazil Summer Study Contest; March
Cover to Cover
and Global I.Q. Minute; Council Leadership Meeting Registration Opens; Councils Hiring and in the News + More!
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Dear Council Leaders and Program Staff,
Dear Local Members and Friends,
The WACA National Speaker Database 2.0 has arrived!
This database tool has the potential to amplify and expand world affairs programming at Councils of all sizes. As such, it represents a major new benefit to our more-than-90 Member Councils – and by extension the communities you engage in timely discourse about the most pressing issues facing America and the world.
When we launched the revamped WACA website to acclaim at our 2017 National Conference, the proverbial elephant in the room was the to-be-created Speaker Database. We confronted three main challenges: Content, Technology, and the Past.
Last thing’s first: the old WACA website’s password-protected speaker database was hardly ever used, despite massive promotion by my predecessors at the DC headquarters. We will promote the new database actively from here, but for it to be robust will depend not just on ongoing WACA staff inputs but also and especially on crowdsourcing. We need you to
share your speakers often –
how about once a week? – and we want your feedback on how to make this tool as valuable as possible for you.
The speaker database interface, like the website itself, is a vast improvement on the past. As we tested beta versions however, we realized that our technology is not yet suited to having Councils upload pictures and text that may not match our specs and style. This could be the holy grail, or at least 3.0. But for now, the
Submit Your Speaker Form (remember, it's password-protected) is a highly effective way to share. Submit your suggestions, and we will upload them quickly (if you don't remember your Member account information, please email
Liz Brailsford.
Content is king, and more content is coming. We will add speakers to the database regularly and – it can’t be emphasized enough –
please share! Perhaps we will add Yelp!-like comments someday, but you have the power now to prioritize recommendations of gettable, compelling speakers that love our mission and what we do.
As convenient as we hope the new system is, we also welcome conversation by phone. Many of you have asked to pick my team’s Rolodex brains, and we remain at your disposal for speaker requests, as well as questions and concerns of any kind. From now, you can be sure that we will never miss an opportunity to ask you for your latest, best speaker.
Regular readers will know that, for the past several months especially, we have been stepping up how we highlight the very best in Council convening power in this newsletter. You can see this below and, along with our website, we will continue to showcase Councils.
Thank you,
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Bill Clifford, WACA President and CEO
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Council of the Month: WAC Philadelphia Marks 70th Anniversary
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The
World Affairs Council of Philadelphia hosted
President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine for dinner and a conversation with Council President Craig Snyder. Poroshenko received the
International Statesman Award, Council's highest annual honor, following his earlier address at the UN General Assembly. Watch the remarks and award presentation
here.
These distinguished programs are among the many in a series to celebrate
WAC Philadelphia's 70th Anniversary. Stayed tuned for others.
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WorldOregon Presents International Speaker Series
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WorldOregon began its 2019
Welcome to the World International Speaker series on March 3 featuring the
Hon. Julian Castro. Next up are:
Jaya Dukureh,
Farah Pandith, and
Erica Fernandez.
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WACA
Engage America
Programs: Japan + Germany + Korea
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We are currently accepting applications for the WACA-Korea Economic Institute co-sponsored
Future of Korea 2019 program. We will select 6-8 Councils. Please see
full program details and apply by
Friday, March 15
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Councils
,
Promote!
: Contest for Brazil Summer Study Scholarship
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The World Affairs Councils of America is pleased to partner with
Liaison America, an international education organization connected to five countries and dedicated to working with young people who want to impact lives and make a change in the world.
WACA and Liaison America are offering a
30-day scholarship opportunity
for one (1) university student to live and experience Brazil this summer through immersion in culture, education, and language! See scholarship details
here.
Deadline for submissions is
Tuesday, March 12
.
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March
Cover to Cover
: Amb. William Burns o
n
The Back Channel
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Register now for WACA's
Cover to Cover conference call on
Thursday, March 21, at 2:00-2:30 pm ET, featuring
Ambassador William Burns,
President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, on his forthcoming memoir,
The Back Channel, making the case for U.S. diplomacy's renewal.
Drawing on a trove of newly declassified cables and memos, Amb. Burns gives readers a rare inside look at the practice of American diplomacy. His dispatches from war-torn Chechnya and Qaddafi’s bizarre camp in the Libyan desert and his warnings of the “Perfect Storm” that would be unleashed by the Iraq War will reshape our understanding of history – and inform the policy debates of the future.
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WAC-DFW Amb. Pickering Event & Global I.Q. Minute with CRF's Lindsay
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Book Your Academic WorldQuest National Competition Hotel!
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WACA has secured a group hotel block at the
Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel at a special rate of $169 / night plus tax (2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, DC 20008). These discounted rates will expire
April 4.
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Registration for the
Carlos and Malú Alvarez 2019 Academic WorldQuest National Competition is now open! The AWQ championship weekend program will be held in Washington, DC on
April 26-27.
Local champion teams of Academic WorldQuest competitions hosted by World Affairs Councils around the country must complete the
Registration Form in order to participate in the AWQ National Competition.
Registration Forms are due no later than Fri., March 22.
Register your AWQ team!
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Participate in the Great Decisions Teachers Institute
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The
Foreign Policy Association's 15th annual
Great Decisions Teachers Institute for high school educators affiliated with World Affairs Councils will take place
July 8 through July 12 in New York City (
updated dates).
Topics will include Global Migration, Nuclear Negotiations, and Trade with China. For the full list of topics and more information, please visit the Institute's
webpage.
To apply for the Great Decisions Teachers Institute, you must complete a questionnaire, which can be accessed by clicking
here. High school educators nationwide are invited to apply by
March 29. All applicants will be notified by
April 12.
If you have any questions in regards to the application or the Great Decisions Teachers Institute, please email
teachers@fpa.org, or call the Foreign Policy Association at
212-481-8100 x 249.
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Council Leadership Meeting in Kansas City Registration Now Open
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The World Affairs Councils of America will convene its semi-annual
Council Leadership and WACA Board Meetings in Kansas City, MO on
June 13-15, 2019. Register here to attend the Meetings.
Click
here to see the meeting flyer for more details and other special opportunities! The schedule will be updated periodically, and we will announce exclusive hotel accommodations soon.
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WorldDenver to Hire Executive Director
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An innovative, visionary, mission-driven, and results-oriented leader to lead the organization into the future is sought. A keen interest in global affairs and promoting greater international understanding, as well as a deep knowledge of our Denver and Colorado environments, will be desired hallmarks.
Apply here.
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WACA 2019 Summer Internship Season Opens!
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WAC Cleveland's Van Vliet Interviewed by IdeaStream
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Tune in to watch an interview with
Cleveland Council of World Affairs CEO
Carina Van Vliet, conducted by
IdeaStream, a consolidation of WVIZ/PBS, on the organization's legacy and future. The video segment was taped Feb. 25 and is available
here.
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World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
World Affairs Council of Orange County
World Affairs Council of Western Michigan
World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh
Cleveland Council on World Affairs
World Affairs Council of Atlanta
Northern Nevada International Center
World Affairs Council of Harrisburg
World Affairs Council of Greater Houston
Dayton Council on World Affairs
WorldBoston
International Affairs Forum (Traverse City)
Vermont Council on World Affairs
Foreign Policy Association
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Travel the World with WAC Philadelphia
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Travel with Council Leaders - hear them lecture on Travel the World tours from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia!
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2019 travel schedule includes trips to:
- Michelle Harpenau, Executive Director, World Affairs Council of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky,Springtime in Provence & Burgundy, May 15 - 23, 2019
- Dr. Carla Thorson, Senior Vice President of Programs, World Affairs, Northern California, Arctic Expedition: June 21 - July 1, 2019
- Derrick Olsen, President, WorldOregon, Trade Routes of Coastal Iberia: Oct. 13-21, 2019
- Jacqueline Miller, President & CEO, World Affairs Council of Seattle, Passage along the Danube River: Oct. 12-24, 2019
- Craig Snyder, President & CEO, World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, Exploring Saudi Arabia & Qatar: Nov. 7-17, 2019
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World Affairs Councils of America | 202-833-4557
1200 18th Street NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20036
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