What is IES?

The World Affairs Council – Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky hosts our annual high school event, International Education Summit (IES) each year during International Education Week. IES raises student awareness about global issues and global careers.

2020 IES | Peace and Justice

This year, we hosted a virtual International Education Summit on “Peace and Justice.” It was held during International Education Week (November 16-20, 2020). We expanded the week-long program and worked with regional World Affairs Councils in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

All videos from this years program have been recorded and edited for easy viewing. Students and teachers will hear from a diverse group of speakers representing governmental, community, business, and nonprofit organizations on this year’s theme of “Peace and Justice.”

Thank you to our sponsors!


What does Peace and Justice mean to you?

“True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

In order to inspire our students on this years theme of Peace and Justice we asked members of our community to share their thoughts. Check out this 5 part mini series montage of what peace and justice means to our friends and neighbors! Then ask yourself – what does peace and justice mean to you?


Welcoming Remarks

Executive Director, World Affairs Council

NKU’s Inaugural Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer


The Journey to Justice Through Solar

Presented by the World Affairs Council – Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

Classroom Edition Full Version

About the Speaker: Nathan Thomas, is the founder of SUN (Solarize Uganda Now).

As a Raleigh Midtown Rotarian he works with Rotary Clubs throughout the U.S. and in Uganda and with his foundation All We Are, to install solar LED lighting in schools, refrigeration and LED lights in medical clinics and solar-powered water wells.

About the Program: This local Cincinnatian will share his journey from age 16 when he discovered his passion for grassroot change which blossomed in local communities. He will discuss what he did wrong as well as what he did right as he unveiled important life lessons on patience, resilience and leadership.

Solar Installation Project - Watch SUN by Cincinnati Rotary Club - Watch


How a kid from Dayton helped: The Yugoslav Wars, Economic Sanctions, and the Dayton Accords

Presented by the World Affairs Council – Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

Classroom Edition Full Version

About the Speaker: Since 2017, Todd Schwartz has been the Executive Director of the European American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati which supports trade and investment between the Cincinnati Tri-State Region and Europe. Previously Schwartz had been a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, with diplomatic postings in West Germany, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Qatar, the Philippines, Kuwait, Canada, and Iraq, as well as several assignments at the State Department in Washington DC. He is a graduate of Centerville High School (go Elks!) and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics from Miami University in 1986.

About the Program: The Dayton Accords, concluded in 1995 at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, formally put an end to the 3-1/2 year Bosnian war, one of numerous conflicts that erupted as Yugoslavia disintegrated after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Rich Lauf, Board Member of the World Affairs Council – Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, will provide a brief overview of the period and how the Dayton Accords were reached, then Todd Schwartz will explain his role on the “Serbian Sanctions Task Force” at the U.S. Department of State enforcing U.S. and United Nations Sanctions aimed at ending the conflict by stopping the flow of fuel and other supplies – work for which he received a Meritorious Honor Award in 1993 to 1994. 


Teacher Training: Using SDGs to Your Advantage

Presented by the World Affairs Council – Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

***To receive your free CEU credits (1 hour) please comment on the youtube video (listing a tool you would like to know more about) and email Global Education Manager, Hannah Gerth at hgerth@cincyworldaffairs.org

Watch Here

About the Program: Attendees will be introduced to various technologies as they relate to integrated global education into their classrooms.  This session will focus on the connection of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to each content area and will highlight various instructional technology strategies and tools to use with students in an in person and/or virtual setting.  This session will be in the form of a mini-activity which has been developed to allow participants to experience the use of this technology first-hand while delving deeper into resources centered around global education.


Toward An Anti-Racist World: Global Competency and Systemic Racism

Presented by Columbus Council on World Affairs

Watch Here

About the Program: Global competency has become a staple in education curriculum. Schools and academic institutes of all kinds have recognized the need for students to be able to successfully navigate an increasingly diverse and interconnected world. This means being able to work and live with people of diverse backgrounds, recognize different perspectives, communicate cross-culturally, and take action on complex global issues. Yet, as global competency has grown, systemic racism continues to plague the fabric of society and our economy, not just in the United States, but globally.

So how can international educators lead in crafting a vision for a post-racist world?  How can we leverage the multiple tools that intercultural learning and cross-cultural communication provides to develop the next generation of anti-racist leaders? How can we work to normalize cross-cultural and intercultural diversity in the communities that we inhabit? Join us on November 17th as experts, Dr. Harvey Charles, Dr. Roberta Espinoza, and Dr. Darla Deardorff, talk about why international educators should be leaders in dismantling systemic racism.


Comparing Religious Beliefs and Practices in Islam, Catholicism, and Judaism

Presented by World Affairs Council Northwest Ohio

Part One- Watch Here

Part Two- Watch Here

Part Three- Watch Here

About the Program: Join global speakers as the dive into the religious worlds of Catholicism, Islam, and Judaism.  Each speaker will discuss basic information on their respective religions and how they address Peace and Justice.  To conclude, Tamás Szilágyia religious scholar from Hungary will synthesize the discussions and expand on the ideas introduced.

Part One of this series features Jason Miller, Director of Campaigns and Development at the Franciscan Action Network and Abdel-Wahab Soliman, the former president of the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo.

Part Two of this series features Andrew Askuvich, Midwest Regional Trainer at the Institute for Curriculum Services where he serves as a local resource for teachers, school districts, and Jewish community partners in the region.

Part Three of this series features Tamás Szilágyi, a religious scholar from Hungary who will synthesize the discussions and expand on the ideas introduced by the panel of religious speakers in Part One and Part Two.


Webinar for Educators: A Look at Global Protests

Presented by the Cleveland Council on World Affairs

***To receive your free CEU credits (1 hour) please comment on the youtube video (listing a tool you would like to know more about) and email Manager of Global Education, Elizabeth Coerdt at ECoerdt@ccwa.org.

Watch Here

About the Program: Join the Cleveland Council on World Affairs for an hour-long webinar on global protests. We invite middle school and high school teachers (grades 7-12) to participate in a webinar that will focus on global protests and demonstrations since 2019, including a look at the Black Lives Matter movement both in the U.S. and abroad. We will share lesson plans, resources, and tools for educators to address this challenging topic in their classrooms. The workshop is appropriate for middle and high school history, social studies, and humanities teachers, including AP and IB educators.


Identity, Belonging, and International Responses to Racism

Presented by the World Affairs Council of Kentucky & Southern Indiana

Watch Here

About the Program: Dr. Renee Campbell, Clinical Assistant Professor & Coordinator of Online Field Program at University of Kentucky College of Social Work and Executive Director, Phoenix Global Humanitarian Foundation will speak on her work in the United States and in Ghana. Dr. Campbell will discuss her identity, belonging, and international responses to racism.


Your Mental Health Matters: In Conversation with Norman Sartorius

Presented by the Indiana Council on World Affairs, Inc.

Watch Here

About the Program: The COVID-19 global health crisis illustrates many of the transnational governance challenges the United States faces today. In today’s interconnected world, health has moved beyond being “just” a humanitarian issue to being one with national economic and security interests. Recently, the White House announced that the United States is withdrawing its support for the WHO and will not take part in a global effort led by the WHO to develop and distribute a vaccine for the coronavirus.

In this timely session, Dr. Norman Sartorius will review the history and mandate of the organization and the roles that the USA has played since its inception. He will convey how it benefits the USA to be engaged in the work of the WHO and what is likely to result from its absence both in terms of who will fill those voids and the potential negative outcomes.

Dr. Sartorius will also describe the development of the mental health program of the WHO and the work that he and his successors have done to put mental health on the agenda and to improve the care and treatment of persons with mental illness around the world – a subject closely related to the wide-ranging impact of a global pandemic on all aspects of health.


Speed Networking: Meet Global Professionals

Presented by the World Affairs Council – Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

Round One - Watch Here Round Two - Watch Here

Through Speed Networking students can hear from a panel of global professionals as they discuss their global career, pathway, and more.

Speed Networkers have the opportunity to empower young people globally as they share their career trajectory. Through this webinar Speed Networkers will encourage students to broaden their global awareness, navigate a globalized world, and provide a dynamic understanding to a global career.

Round One Features:

      • Katherine Brown PhD, President and CEO of Global. Ties U.S.
      • Deborah Schultz, President, Transborders Solutions
      • Francois LeRoy, Executive Director, Center for Global Engagement & International Affairs, Northern Kentucky University
      • Catalin Macarie, Assistant Professor – Educator, Department of Management, University of Cincinnati
      • Bjorn Schwarzenbach, Senior Porgram Associate, Virtual Exchange & Data Support, Global Ties U.S.

Round Two Features:

      • Barbara Dickerson, Retired Foreign Service Officer, US Agency for International Development (USAID)
      • Oxana Prokhorova, Director of Global Engagement, College of Engineering & Applied Science, University of Cincinnati
      • Michele Mansfield, Retired, Associate Director of Global R&D, Procter & Gamble
      • Christian Caudill, Senior Associate, Communications, Global Ties U.S.
      • Mike Hawkins, Partner in the Labor & Employment and Appellate Practice Groups, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

As a social studies teacher, I have found the World Affairs Council to be an excellent classroom partner in education. From providing international guest speakers, to hosting the International Education Summit, to participating in Academic World Quest, the WAC has promised and delivered each and every time for my students. This has been a valuable relationship for over 10 years for myself and my students.”
- Jim O’Connor, Princeton High School Teacher