September 10, 2018

WACA Weekly

This Week: New Conference Scholarship Program; New Speakers; Cover to Cover with NYT's C.J. Chivers; Santa Fe Gala Features McFaul; plus, Council Jobs & Program News

WACA 2018 National Conference: Braving the New World Order

November 7-9

The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC

Ten New Student Scholarships Announced!

WACA is pleased to offer 10 new scholarships to DC-area undergraduates to cover Conference registration fees. Funding for these scholarships has been generously provided by the Mr. and Mrs. Ray Rothrock Charitable Gift Fund. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, October 10.

Please use this Application Form and send your resume, a statement of interest, and a letter of reference to waca@worldaffairscouncils.org. Selected applicants will enjoy full access to the WACA 2018 National Conference: Braving the New World Order, November 7-9 at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.

The ten new scholarships are in addition to the 25 scholarships for undergraduate students that the WACA Board, in partnership with The Gambrinus Company and Mr. Carlos Alvarez, has traditionally provided. The purpose of both scholarship programs is the same: to advance WACA's and the Council Network's shared educational mission and to prepare future leaders for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. 

The deadline for Council nominations of undergraduate students in their city or region for these 25 slots is Friday, September 21.

Conference speakers added!

Peter W. Singer

Strategist and Senior Fellow

New America

Steven E. Sokol

President

American Council on Germany

Bookmark the WACA 2018 National Conference website for speaker and program updates!

WACA Thanks Its Sponsors

Tomorrow! Cover to Cover Author Chivers Discusses The Fighters

Author C.J. Chivers

Cover to Cover will feature a conversation with C.J. Chivers, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent for the New York Times, on his new book, The Fighters: Americans in Combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.

You are able to contribute to the World Affairs Councils of America at no additional cost to you! If you shop at Amazon through this link or the Amazon Smile logo to the left, a portion of your purchase will be donated to WACA. Bookmark our page today!

USIP's 2018 #PeaceDayChallenge

The United States Institute of Peace's Peace Day Challenge coincides with the International Day of Peace on September 21 to raise the profile of the day and affirm peace as a real alternative to the violence we see every day in the news.

It is all about inspiring a day of action, focused on building peace through real-life activities, and then sharing on social media at #PeaceDayChallenge.

This summer, USIP collaborated with Scholastic to create a new Poster Teaching Guide for the Peace Day Challenge in 2018. This is being distributed to 50,000 middle school classrooms across the U.S. to support educators and their students in taking action on the International Day of Peace and continuing their learning and engagement all year long.

Here is what Councils need to effectively participate in USIP's Peace Day Challenge this year:

·     The website www.peacedaychallenge.org is the hub for information, action ideas, and other resources to support engagement in the Peace Day Challenge. 

·     For more on USIP's public education work, click here.

Personal contact information for Ann-Louise Colgan, Director of Public Education at USIP: acolgan@usip.org or 202-429-3894. We encourage you to contact her for action ideas, advice, or other suggestions to support your Council's engagement in the Peace Day Challenge.

South Dakota WAC Hosts Funsch for Oman 2018 Grant Series

South Dakota World Affairs Council will present Oman’s Role in Promoting Peace in the Middle East, featuring Dr. Linda Pappas Funsch (left) on Thursday, September 13. Dr. Funsch spoke last month at WAC Albuquerque.

SDWAC's program is the fourth of eight in WACA's Engage America: Oman 2018 program series, generously funded by the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center. Coming up soon, WAC Dallas/Fort Worth and Columbia WAC will host experts recommended by SQCC.