Your World Affairs Council is Bringing You the World

We are pleased to bring to your attention the hard work of your World Affairs Council which has resulted in a series of outstanding programs in the past week — and to ask that you, as a stakeholder in the global awareness prospects for your fellow citizens, get involved in the sustainability of this important work.

The Tennessee World Affairs Council is a nonprofit (501c3), nonpartisan educational charity based in Nashville that works to build understanding of global issues in our communities. Learn more about the Council and find how you can join, donate and volunteer at: www.TNWAC.org —

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LAST Thursday your Council hosted the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, Her Excellency Anne Anderson, who talked at a luncheon meeting at Belmont University about the “Changing Ireland and the Changing Europe.” This timely and insightful presentation was organized by your Council and the Nashville Chamber International Business Council — our great partner in global affairs awareness programming.

H.E. Anne Anderson, Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland to the United States addresses a TN WAC / IBC / Belmont luncheon on “Changes in Ireland and Changes in Europe.”

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The Tennessee World Affairs Council was pleased to bring Ambassador Anne Anderson to a Nashville luncheon to have a conversation on important issues in US-European affairs.

A few days later we hosted a historic visit — first ever by a Russian Ambassador to Nashville — of His Excellency Sergey I. Kislyak, the top envoy of Moscow to the United States. His four days in Tennessee included programs organized by your Council at the Nashville Rotary Club, a Town Hall open to the public at Belmont University, a breakfast program at the International Business Council and meetings with officials including Mayor Megan Barry and Governor Bill Haslam. Over 600 Tennesseans had the opportunity to hear and question Russia’s representative on questions about the United States’ most important strategic relationship over the last seventy years. The Jan 31-Feb 3 trip was capped by a trip to Memphis for a visit with Fedex.

Ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak, the first Russian Ambassador to visit Nashville, presented remarks on US-Russian relations to a meeting of the Nashville Rotary Club at the Wildhorse Saloon.

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Ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak at the Nashville Rotary Club responded to questions about US-Russian relations and hot topics in global affairs.

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Russian Ambassador Kislyak met with Mayor Megan Barry and WAC President Patrick Ryan, during his historic visit to Nashville.

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Belmont University Associate Provost Dr. Mimi Barnard served as moderator for Ambassador Kislyak’s Town Hall meeting with the public and students.

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As with all the venues where Ambassador Kislyak appeared during his Jan 31-Feb 3 visit to Tennessee, the Belmont meeting room was standing room only.

Russian Ambassador Kislyak provided a presentation on US-Russian relations and global issues to the International Business Council of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

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Capping off his World Affairs Council hosted Nashville visit, Ambassador Kislyak met with Governor Bill Haslam to talk about US-Russian relations and trade and investment issues.

Also this week we completed the signups for the State Championship Match of Academic WorldQuest — a competition among high school teams that encourages students to learn about hot topics in international affairs and to follow current global events. Our Council will host teams from across Tennessee (and a couple from Alabama and Georgia who don’t have the opportunity to participate in WorldQuest in their local areas). The TN WAC will provide funding and hosting of the winning team from the Championship Match to travel to Washington in April to compete against teams from around the 96-council network. The team will also visit international affairs venues like embassies, think tanks, NGOs, Capitol Hill and other “insider” places that will give them special access to global affairs expertise. (Come out and watch!)

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Academic WorldQuest is a competition among high school students that encourages global affairs awareness. The matches, like this one at Belmont University, attract teams from across the state and region.

To top the week’s news at your Council it was announced that it was selected to participate in the “Spotlight on Turkey” cultural grant program for teachers. That means the Council will host a three part program to give teachers access to resources and study abroad to give them an edge on teaching global issues. Part one is a grant funded day-long teacher seminar (Feb 27), part two is an extensive travel program to Turkey in the summer for about five Tennessee educators, and part three is a Fall 2016 public awareness program organized by the teachers who participate in the study tour to Turkey.

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The Tennessee World Affairs Council’s participation in the “Spotlight on Turkey” program provides for summer study in Turkey for Tennessee teachers and a day-long cultural affairs seminar for educators like this one where TTU Professor Jeff Roberts talked about Turkish history.

While this has been a week more noteworthy than most, these accomplishments are examples of what your World Affairs Council is constituted to achieve — global affairs awareness to inspire and educate the community — and has worked hard to accomplish. Your World Affairs Council is 100% volunteer staffed and exists as a virtual organization.

So, what’s the takeaway here. It’s that you are a stakeholder in making sure Nashvillians, Tennesseans and all Americans are given the opportunity to “know the world.”

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You are a stakeholder!

We need your help to support and sustain these works that are critical to a global city like Nashville, an internationally invested state like Tennessee and a global superpower like the United States.

Here’s our ASKS:

BECOME A MEMBER
MAKE A CONTRIBUTION
BECOME A VOLUNTEER
GET YOUR BUSINESS INVOLVED IN THE COUNCIL
SHARE THIS STORY WITH YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND COLLEAGUES

We are very pleased at what we were able to present to you this week but mindful that to continue this important work we need you to help sustain it. Thank you.