2022 World Affairs Council of the Year
Network of Independent World Affairs Councils of America
The Tennessee World Affairs Council (TNWAC) Anne Smedinghoff Academic WorldQuest (AWQ) is the flagship youth education program of the Tennessee World Affairs Council and the national network of World Affairs Councils of America (WACA). High school students from across Tennessee are invited to play. TNWAC has also welcomed teams from other states who do not have a nearby AWQ program available.
The TNWAC AWQ program is named in honor of Anne Smedinghoff, a United States Foreign Service Officer posted at the U.S. Embassy, Kabul Afghanistan. She was killed in the line of duty in 2013 by a car bomb while an American team was delivering books to an Afghan school. Learn more about Anne Smedinghoff HERE.
WorldQuest is a team game testing high school students’ knowledge of international affairs. In the game, four-person teams compete by answering multiple-choice questions divided into ten engaging thematic categories (below). Academic WorldQuest is unique to the World Affairs Council system.
The Tennessee World Affairs Council organizes a TNWAC Championship Match and a practice match each AWQ season. The championship match (Mar 2023) will be in person at Belmont University. The two practices sessions will be virtual.
Recent WorldQuest seasons have been impacted by Covid-19 measures. There are no restrictions in place as of September 2022 but TNWAC will ensure compliance with CDC, WACA and other appropriate steps should public health concerns arise.
The top-ranked Tennessee WAC finisher in the competition will be designated the TNWAC champions and will represent TNWAC at the National Championship match in Washington, D.C., April 2023 at the United States Institute of Peace.
The Tennessee World Affairs Council will provide an escort for the team visit to Washington and will schedule visits to international affairs institutions and organizations. In the past these have included foreign embassies, think tanks, NGOs and Capitol Hill visits with Congressional representatives. Covid-19 restrictions may limit venue availability.
WorldQuest is a flagship program of the World Affairs Council’s education outreach efforts and is integrated with other elements such as the “What in the World?” Weekly Quiz — which sharpens students’ knowledge of current global events and the “Global Scholars Diploma” program.
Plans for 2022-23
Dates
Notes
Carlos and Malú Alvarez National Championship Match. The World Affairs Councils of America will host a national match among many of the 90+ WACs from around the country.
The national competition is attended by 200-250 of the nation’s most promising high school students each year, along with their parents, teachers, and chaperones. The 4-hour AWQ competition is a unique opportunity for students to visit the nation’s capital, perhaps for the first time. A weekend of substantive programming is included to enhance the experience.
Prizes
Students. TNWAC will announce student prizes for the TNWAC Championship Match and WACA will announce prizes for the National Championship Match.
Teachers. In recognition of the role teachers play in the advancement of global literacy in the classroom TNWAC will award grants to the teacher sponsors of the top three teams in the TNWAC Championship match. The grants can be used by the teachers for global affairs related materials in the classroom.
First Place Team Teacher – $500.00
Second Place Team Techer – $250.00
Third Place Team Teacher – $250.00
Resources
Links to the Study Guide, Teachers Guide, Operations Information and flyers are contained in THIS LINK.
1. Securing the Future of the World’s Wildlife
2. The Arctic Council: Frozen Cooperation
3. Atrocity Prevention and Accountability
4. Combating Global Food Insecurity
5. Economic Sanctions – A Double-Edged Sword
6. Great Decisions
7. Country in Focus: Ethiopia
8. The Future of Supply Chains
9. Battle of the Century: Autocracy vs. Democracy
10. Current Events
* TNWAC Practice and Championship matches will NOT include the Great Decisions category. A second Current Events topic round will be substituted. (The Great Decisions category is based on a magazine available for sale from the Foreign Policy Association. The winning TNWAC championship team will receive copies of the magazine to prepare for the National Championship match where Great Decisions will be used as a topic.)
Study Guide
The AWQ Study Guide provides the topics and reference materials used in the TNWAC practice match and championship match, except for the “Current Events” questions. Current events questions are drawn from the “What in the World? Weekly Quiz.” Get the quiz by signing up for the TNWAC newsletter list on our home page.
For more information on TNWAC’s Anne Smedinghoff Academic WorldQuest (AWQ) program contact Catherine Kelly, Education Outreach Coordinator at < cgkelly@comcast.net > and Patrick Ryan at <pat@tnwac.org >
THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS AWARENESS AND EDUCATION OUTREACH
THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS AWARENESS AND EDUCATION OUTREACH
THE MISSION of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Tennessee World Affairs Council is to promote international awareness, understanding and connections to enhance the region’s global stature and to prepare Tennesseans to thrive in our increasingly complex and connected world.
THE VISION of the Tennessee World Affairs Council is a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events.