World Affairs Councils of America
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The World Affairs Councils of America (sometimes referred to as WACA) is a non-profit, non-partisan international affairs organization in the United States. Its 484,000 members and participants belong to one of 86 regional councils that all together make up the national association. Each council sets its own policies and practices for members within the framework of the principle of open membership. Founded in 1918, it has grown to become the United States' largest international affairs non-profit organization. Since 2003, former United States Congressman James R. Jones has served as the Chairman of the National Board; Barbara Propes is the organization's president.
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[edit] Programs
The World Affairs Councils of America sponsors over 2,500 programs annually, which include the country's biggest international affairs speakers’ program. The organization also runs international exchanges, school programs, teachers’ workshops, Model United Nations, foreign policy discussions, national opinion polls, travel programs, young professionals’ programs, conferences, corporate programs, journals, newspaper columns, and local radio and television programs.
The national association organizes an annual conference, leadership missions abroad, a speaker referral system, international speaker exchanges, people-to-people diplomacy missions, educational workshops, book tours, subscription discounts, operations workshops, research papers, videoconferences, and national publications. It also runs national program series such as World Bank Town Meetings, Mexican Migration, Two Koreas, Future of Russia, Western Hemisphere, Human Rights Worldwide, the EU, Rising Anti-Americanism, American Security, UN Reform, and The People Speak.
Council programs reach over 20 million people every year.
[edit] Flagship programs
The system has five flagship programs: World in Transition, Great Decisions, the NPR radio program "It’s Your World," Academic WorldQuest, and Travel the World.
[edit] Individual councils
Councils are funded through membership dues, corporate sponsorships, grants, in-kind donations, fundraising events, and fee-for-service activities. Over 2,000 corporations, foundations, and individuals help support council work.
| State | Name | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama WAC | Montgomery |
| Alaska | Alaska WAC | Anchorage |
| Alaska | Juneau WAC | Juneau |
| Arizona | WAC of Arizona | Scottsdale |
| California | Los Angeles WAC | Los Angeles |
| California | WAC of Inland S. California | Riverside |
| California | WAC of Monterrey Bay Area | |
| California | WAC of N. California | San Francisco |
| California | WAC of Orange County | Irvine |
| California | WAC of San Diego | San Diego |
| California | WAC of Sonoma County | Santa Rosa |
| California | WAC of the Desert | Palm Springs |
| California | WACA of California Central Coast | Oxnard |
| California | WAC of Sacramento | Sacramento |
Colorado- Colorado Springs World Affairs Council, Denver World Affairs Council
Connecticut- WAC of Connecticut (Hartford), World Affairs Forum (Stamford)
Delaware- WAC of Wilmington
District of Columbia- WAC of Washington, DC
Florida- WAC of Jacksonville, Naples Council on World Affairs, World Affairs Council of the Florida Palm Beaches
Georgia- Savannah Council on World Affairs, Southern Center for Int'l Studies (Atlanta)
Hawaii- Pacific and Asian Affairs Council
Illinois- Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Peoria Area WAC, WAC of Central Illinois (Springfield), WAC West Central Illinois (Jacksonville), World Affairs Council of the Quad Cities (Davenport-Bettendorf)
Indiana- Indiana Council on World Affairs (Indianapolis)
Iowa- World Affairs Council of the Quad Cities (Davenport-Bettendorf)
Kentucky- World Affairs Council of Kentucky and S, Indiana
Louisiana- World Affairs Council of New Orleans
Maine- World Affairs Council of Maine (Portland)
Massachusetts- WorldBoston, WAC of W. Massachusetts (Springfield)
Michigan- Detroit Council on World Affairs, Great Lakes World Affairs Council, International Affairs Forum (Traverse City), WAC of W. Michigan (Grand Rapids)
Minnesota- Minnesota International Center (Minneapolis)
Missouri- International Relations Council (Kansas City), World Affairs Council of St. Louis
Montana- World Affairs Council of Montana
Nevada- Las Vegas World Affairs Council
New Hampshire- N.H. Council on World Affairs (Concord)
New Mexico- Santa Fe Council on International Relations
New York- Buffalo-Niagara WorldConnect, Foreign Policy Association, World Affairs Council of Long Island, World Affairs Council of Mid-Hudson Valley (Poughkeepsie)
North Carolina- World Affairs Council of Charlotte, Triad World Affairs Council(Greensboro), World Affairs Council of E. North Carolina (Greenville), Raleigh International Affairs Council, WAC of W. North Carolina (Asheville)
Ohio- Akron Council on World Affairs, Cleveland Council on World Affairs, Columbus Council on World Affairs, Dayton Council on World Affairs, Global Center of Greater Cincinnati
Oregon- World Affairs Council of Oregon
Pennsylvania- World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, WAC of Greater Valley Forge, WAC of Reading and Berks County
Rhode Island- World Affairs Council of Rhode Island
South Carolina- Columbia World Affairs Council, Charleston Foreign Affairs Forum, World Affairs Council of Hilton Head
South Dakota- South Dakota World Affairs Council (Brookings)
Tennessee- Tennessee World Affairs Council
Texas- Houston World Affairs Council, World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, World Affairs Council of San Antonio, World Affairs Council of South Texas (Corpus Christi)
Utah- Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy
Vermont- Vt. Council on World Affairs (Colchester), Windham World Affairs Council of Vermont
Virginia- WAC of Greater Richmond, WAC of Greater Hampton Roads
Washington- Olympia World Affairs Council, WAC of Puget Sound (Seattle), World Affairs Council of Spokane, World Affairs Council of Tacoma
Wisconsin- Institute of World Affairs (Milwaukee)
[edit] Notable Speeches
Ambassador Farid Abboud speech before the Los Angeles World Affairs Council on June 28, 1999[1]
