Countdown with Us – A look into our year with you!
CHEERS!!
It was so lovely to see so many familiar faces and new ones as the World Affairs Council held its annual meeting last week for the second time on on Zoom! Thank you to all of you who were able to join us to celebrate the accomplishments of 2021 and talk 2022 things you will see. It has been a challenging year in many ways, but I am so thankful that our community and my team have come together to continue pursuing international awareness and cultural understanding.
I am so proud of the continued work we did adapting to a virtual platform. This past year has strengthened our resolve for the need to continue this important international work.
I cannot say enough about the amazing World Affairs Council team that we have here who been working from home since last March. James McManus, Director of International Programs, and Erika Lundstedt, Global Education Manager, are rock stars and have stepped up in their roles to help build a brighter future for our community and advance our mission in a virtual setting. I want to welcome Ahmed Fahad, International Programs Associate, to the team. Thank you all your hard work!
LET’S TALK HIGHLIGHTS OF 2021 AND TO KICK US OFF, HERE IS 2021 BY THE THE NUMBERS.
2021 has been a demanding year, but leave it to our global community to be a beacon of hope amidst the disorder!
SO I WANT TO CELEBRATE THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITH A 2021 BEST COUNTDOWN!
Here is a roundup of your 5 most loved global content! You can still check out the resources by the clicking on each.
5) Food is Essential: Examining COVID’s Impact on the Global Supply Chain and Food Insecurity
Starting with the 5th – we made new friends with Kroger, LeSoupe, and FreeStore Foodbank as we dived into examining COVID’s impact on the Global Supply Chain and Food Insecurity which was a topic chosen by our local high school students.
4) Languages Equal Opportunity: Language and Culture Career Exploration
Your #4 – students loved hearing more about this topic which was a collaborative program with the Northwest Council of Ohio, a partner of the annual International Education Summit for high school students on the theme of Your Future in the World which went virtual for the second time.
3) Local Solutions to Global Challenges: Creating a Green Cincinnati
Coming in at 3rd – This education program, also a part of the annual Summit for high school students was a collaboration with City of Cincinnati and Groundwork Ohio River Valley to focus on helping students think about local solutions to global challenges by starting here at home.
2) A Conversation with Prerna Ghandi, Global Guide Volunteer from India
Rounding out spot #2 – As we look to the future of virtual learning resources, the powerful story of Prerna Ghandi, our volunteer, made it to the top 5. Prerna was attacked by acid in India at the age of 13 and is an inspiration to women empowerment as she continues to share her story.
1) Teacher Training: A Look at Immigration and Global Migration
And our most loved global content was the Teacher Training on A Look at Immigration and Global Migration with our partner, Cleveland Council on World Affairs. Useful tricks and tips were shared to showcase this topic in the classroom for students.
Alright, the results are in for your 4 top-rated global events! These were your 2020 favorites.
4 Coldest War: Toward a Return to Great Power Competition in the Arctic?
World Affairs Council and the University of Cincinnati’s OLLI program created a new partnership to hold a few discussion groups each year facilitated by Pat Nikosde, Rich Lauf, and Council staff.
3 Listening for the Heartbeat of Iran with Tara Kangarlou
This event showcased the role of media and society in the U.S. and Iran, and shared Ms. Tara Kangarlou, award winning journalist, insights about the Iranian people and culture, a country of 80 million.
2 LGBTQI+ Fireside Chat with Guests from South Africa, Pakistan, Switzerland and Argentina
Our very first webinar in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program was a moderated fireside chat to discuss changes in South Africa, Pakistan, Switzerland, and Argentina that coincided with the end of PRIDE 2021 and 10 years since then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to Geneva and recognized gay rights as human rights.
1 THE ONE WORLD GALA & GLOBAL TRIVIA COMPETITION
As our annual fundraiser hits #1 supporting student access to global programming throughout the year. The One World Gala & Global Trivia Competition went virtual for the first time. It was a tough trivia competition with 32 teams emceed by Kristyn Hartman from WCPO and the winner was a team made up of high school students! We also made cocktails with Molly Wellmann and met the owners of Fausto and MashRoots which are on our International Restaurant Trail.
It is because of your generosity that we were able to continue providing our youth with the resources they need to become the next generation of global leaders. 
3 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Alumni Program Launches
We launched an alumni program to better connect with our exchange participants. Through the course of last year, we realized how important it was for our virtual visitors to feel connected to our community in new ways. This gave us the opportunity to create a survey tool to collect not only their feedback on programs, but also leave messages for the Greater Cincinnati Community about their experience and the important work going on in their home countries.
We’re pleased to share this interactive story map for the very first time with you and look forward to periodically sharing new stories from our exchange groups this year!
Click here for the IVLP Interactive Story Map!
2 New Virtual Exchange Program Topics
Virtual programming has allowed us to engage with new audiences and highlight different areas of expertise in our community! Progam topics like Countering Holocaust Distortion & Denial and Animal Welfare and Rights Advocacy made for interesting conversations and collaborations with The Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center as well as The Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo!
This is diplomacy at its best.
1 IVLP Virtual Grows
In the second year of IVLP virtual programming our exchanges took on a life of their own growing 269% over our 2020 early pandemic levels. This valuable tool will continue to assist the council in its mission even as we look forward to the resumption of in-person programming this year.
Even in a year where we were just trying to do our best, you stepped up and made the lives of this community better. You didn’t stop helping!
2 Summer Camp Creating Young Global Ambassadors
The Covington elementary school students are intelligent, strong, compassionate, and hard working. Through the recent transition to remote learning they have been hit with some barriers as a school community that were hard to overcome. Sixth District is a high priority school where 91% of students are on free and reduced lunch, so technology is not always at the top of list for families to purchase, making remote learning and technology access a serious obstacle for continued learning. In 2020, our community raised funds to provide 30 Chromebooks, WiFi, and Culture Boxes full of art supplies so students could become Global Ambassadors as they celebrate and create art projects highlighting Japan, Mexico, China, and India.
In 2021, our community raised additional funds to support all 5 Covington elementary schools to have a week of summer camp. Students explored the world as they were able to Build the World (geography), meet someone from a different country, create global art, and read books about culture. Students were also able to take home with them a culture box and an international book to start their at home library.
1 i-EATS International Restaurant Trail Launches
This delectable initiative promotes our mission of encouraging cultural diversity and at the same time, helps out some of our region’s family-owned, international restaurants. Our (6) participating restaurants feature delicious specialty dishes from around the world. We encourage you to experience the trail and Tour the World, One Restaurant at a Time!
When you eat at 4 of the 6 restaurants and turn in your i-EATS Passport, you will receive a World Affairs Council coffee mug and complimentary one year membership.
We cannot do this work without you!
From our donors, who helped to purchase the art supplies to create Culture Boxes and the volunteers who put them together – From our volunteers who created videos about their country’s culture, gave language lessons, or helped create a new art project – From our corporate sponsors and foundations who continue to believe in this important global cause – From our entire board and advisory members always being there for advice and signaling leadership to the community – Michele Mansfield who finished her second year as board chair which was again quite demanding. I, also, cannot thank enough: Rich Lauf, Oxana Prokhorova, and Jason Riveiro (board members) as well as Chris Huntington and Leslie Maloney (advisory members) who are rolling off the board or advisory group this year for their leadership and service over the years.
I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR MAKING THIS CHALLENGING YEAR BETTER, BECAUSE WE KNEW YOU WERE IN IT WITH US!
For a quick look into 2022, you will be seeing some big programs come out this year! We will be hosting events like Around the World, new community engagement events, and make sure to keep an eye out in February for information about our Annual One World Gala.
We also are working to connect better with students and teachers with the creation of a global resources page with monthly teacher training workshops. Even though exchanges are postponed in person through the end of March, we will still be programming virtually.
And members, we have some new ways to give and benefits coming soon!
Despite everything, this has been one of our community’s most successful years to date. Thank you for continuing to support us.
No matter what year it is, one thing rings true: you show up to the challenge! We love serving our community and are looking forward to a great 2022! Thank you!
