March 30, 2020
WACA Weekly
WACA's Members-Only Section: Network Resources; Montana WAC's New Webinar Series; Second Council CEOs Conference Call; Cover to Cover on China's Geopolitics; Councils' Virtual Programming; COVID-19 Resources; Councils on Podcast; and FPA Great Decisions on Video
Access Network Resources Via WACA's Members-Only Website Portal
WACA is busy preparing a number of additional resources for the Members-Only section! WACA strives to provide Councils with easy access to tools, guidelines, events, and more that add value to our Members both personally and professionally, to our Councils' overall operations, and to the Network as a whole. This is a top priority for the National Office, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. That is why we've added two resource sections dedicated to COVID-19 related information and digital programming available to the public by Councils.

The goal is to make the Members-Only section a one-stop shop for all Council needs. However, these sections are only as good as the information contained within, so we are calling on all Councils to please submit any documentation per the categories below, or any other information helpful to the Network.

The Members-Only section is a private benefit for our Council Members. Please contact Rachel Pastor at rpastor@worldaffairscouncils.org for login details and account creation.
---------------------------------------
Council Highlight: Montana WAC's New Webinar Series
The Montana World Affairs Council launched a new webinar series called Connect Montana this week! The initiative is designed to bring engaging international topics directly to the public every Tuesday and Thursday, connecting the issues with what matters to Montana and Montanans. BUT - you don't have to a Montanan to join!

Connect Montana's inaugural event is tomorrow, March 31 with author Tiff Roberts on " COVID-19 and China's Future." China, the country hit earliest by the virus, shows real signs of recovery. Will it be a lone bright spot as other major economies struggle and will China once again be a key driver of global growth? And can it use the crisis to push its global soft power?

For more on new Council digital initiatives, please see the Councils' Virtual Events resource page in the Members-Only section of the WACA website.
---------------------------------------
Council Leaders Call: Spring Leadership & Board Meetings, AWQ + more!
WACA will host a second conference call for Council executives tomorrow, March 31, at 1:00 PM ET. Please reference the below agenda for discussion priorities.

Thank you to all those who submitted their input via the Spring Leadership & Board Meetings survey and the Academic WorldQuest survey. We hope you will all join us for this important Network discussion.

Please fill out the registration form to indicate your attendance. Call details were sent out to all leaders earlier today. We ask that you please dial-in 10 minutes early to be sure there are no bandwidth issues and to ensure a clear call quality for our prompt start at 1:00 PM ET.

Call Agenda:

  • Spring Leadership and Board Meetings
  • Possible date change
  • Logistics
  • WAC Philadelphia Travel the World Program Update
  • 2020 Academic WorldQuest National Competition
  • Virtual option
  • Alternatives
  • IRC (Kansas City) Matthew Hughes Digital Programming Update
  • Other Business
WACA Office & Staffing Update:
The WACA National Office is closed for social-distancing purposes, and staff and interns will telework from home through Monday, April 27. We will reevaluate at that time and update you accordingly. Please email Rachel Pastor at rpastor@worldaffairscouncils.org if you have any questions.
Cover to Cover : Daniel Markey on China's Geopolitics

Register now for WACA's Cover to Cover conference call on Thursday, April 9, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET, featuring Daniel Markey, Senior Research Professor and Director of the School of Advanced International Studies' Global Policy Program at Johns Hopkins University, on his new book China's Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia.

Under the ambitious leadership of President Xi Jinping, China is zealously transforming its wealth and economic power into potent tools of global political influence. But China's foreign policy initiatives, even the vaunted "Belt and Road," will be shaped and redefined as they confront the ground realities of local and regional politics outside China.
Everyone is invited!

Monday 3/30  

Tuesday 3/31 

Wednesday 4/1
  • World Affairs Council of Connecticut: Ambassador (ret.) Robert Ford, U.S. Ambassador to Syria (2011-2014), and Emma Sky, Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program at Yale University -- “Syria, Iraq, and the U.S.: What’s Next?”
  • Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall: Zhihang Chi, Vice President for North America at Air China, and Stephen Cheung, President of the World Trade Center Los Angeles -- “Why Fly the Empty Skies?”
  • World Affairs Council of New Hampshire: Global Pop Trivia Live!

Thursday 4/2 

Friday 4/3

Saturday 4/4

Sunday 4/5
COVID-19 Updates & Tracker

Professional Resources

Health & Wellness

Educator Resources
  • Ohio Council for the Social Studies Resource Document -- Bill Hilt, President/CEO, WAC Northwest Ohio
  • To help alleviate some of concerns with distance learning and explaining the current health crisis, the list is a compilation of K-12 Social Studies lessons, activities, and resources. It also has guidelines for explaining COVID-19 to young people.
  • Zoom CEO announcement of free platforms for K-12 schools

WACA Updates:

Messages from President and CEO Bill Clifford

  • Monday, March 30 Reminder
  • Friday, March 27 Reminder
  • Monday, March 23 Announcement
  • Tuesday, March 17 Update
  • Monday, March 16 Update
  • Thursday, March 12 Update
  • Monday, March 9 Announcement

*To view Council Member Resources on the WACA website, you must be a Council leader, staff, or board member and have an account

Please contact Rachel Pastor at rpastor@worldaffairscouncils.org if you don't have an account.
Councils on Podcast & Video
Foreign Policy Association Drops Special Great Decisions Video
In a democracy, it takes an informed public to inform policy. During this period of isolation, groups across the country are using teleconferencing tools from Google Hangouts to Zoom to continue their discussions online. During this time of public health crisis, the Foreign Policy Association has decided to release the 2020 Great Decisions series to the public via YouTube. WACA encourages the entire Council Network to watch and share the videos to inspire debate, discussion, and decision.

Click here to view a special bonus video of " Americans and the World" featuring interviews with WACA President and CEO Bill Clifford and Global Minnesota President Mark Ritchie.
WACA's National Speaker Database Needs You!
We have recently debuted WACA's Speaker Database 2.0. In this new iteration, we have expanded our list of speakers and made it easier than ever for you, as Council staff and board members, to engage with it. We want your speakers! Please submit your speakers through the " Submit Your Speakers" button on our website.

You need to have an account through our website in order to view and interact with the database and submit your speakers. To check if you have an account, please visit your Council Member page on the WACA website and see if you are listed as a staff or board member. If you are not, you will not be able to interact with the database yet.

If you do not have an account or are having issues accessing the website and/or the Speaker Database, please email Rachel Pastor.