World Affairs Council of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

After the Airlift: Examining the Afghan Refugee Crisis Post-Taliban Takeover
2021-11-04 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
7pm -After the Airlift: Examining the Afghan Refugee Crisis Post-Taliban Takeover
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

About the Program: In this conclusion to the International Education Summit, Eric Schwartz of Refugees International will give a keynote address regarding the current state of the Afghan humanitarian and displacement crisis. As 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that led to the global War on Terror, learn more about how the U.S. is examining its obligations to the region following the chaos of the Taliban takeover of the government. This session will address how governments, the United Nations, and various humanitarian organizations have worked—and should work—together to respond to the needs of Afghans displaced within and outside of Afghanistan. Participants will learn more about the challenges that face refugees resettling in the United States and how they can advocate to ensure the human rights of refugees and migrants around the world. Mr. Schwartz will also highlight the factors that brought about the humanitarian and evacuation crises as well as make predictions on what issues and trends the refugee and humanitarian communities will face in the coming years.

About the Speaker: Eric Schwartz became President of Refugees International in June 2017. Eric has had a three-decade career focused on humanitarian and human rights issues. Between 2009 and 2011, he served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration. As Assistant Secretary, he was credited with strengthening the State Department’s humanitarian advocacy around the world, initiating and implementing critical enhancements to the U.S. refugee resettlement program and raising the profile of global migration issues in U.S. foreign policy. He was the senior human rights and humanitarian official at the National Security Council during the Clinton administration, managing humanitarian responses to crises in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. He also served as the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery after the 2004 Asian Tsunami; as Washington Director of Asia Watch (now the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch); and Staff Consultant to the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, among other positions in the U.S. government, at the UN and in the nonprofit sector. Just prior to arriving at Refugees International, Eric served a six-year term as Dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. During much of that period, he also served on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and, ultimately, as the Commission’s vice chair. He holds a law degree from New York University School of Law, a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

The Future on the Persian Gulf Security
2021-11-05 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual Event
Is using military force a viable foreign policy option for 2021 and beyond?
The Persian Gulf remains tense as the rivalry between the regional powers of Saudi Arabia and Iran continues. Tensions escalated in early 2020 as the United States began to intervene in the Gulf, launching an airstrike that killed two Iranian military commanders. What are the historical influences that have led to these tensions? What role, if any, should the United States play? Is using military force a viable foreign policy option for 2021 and beyond? This program is presented in cooperation with the World Affairs Council – Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and OLLI at University of Cincinnati.
The group will enjoy a short film about this topic provided by the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decision program. Following this, there will be a moderated discussion by Padamar Niskode, Richard Lauf, and Michelle Harpenau.

Global Supply Chains and National Security
2021-11-09 19:30 - 20:30 | Virtual Event
The shutdown of global supply chains due to the Covid-19 pandemic brought to the fore an issue with the high level of global economic interdependence: what happens when one country is the main source for an item, say face masks, and then can no longer supply the item? Countries suddenly unable to meet the demand for certain supplies are faced with growing calls for economic nationalism. What are some of the lasting effects that the pandemic could have on global supply chains and trade? How would this affect national security?
Guillermo Malpica Soto has a long and distinguished career in Mexico’s Ministry of Economy. In October he was designated to represent the Ministry at the Embassy of Mexico in Washington, D.C. Mr. Malpica has served as Mexico’s Director General for International Trade in Services and Investment in Mexico’s Ministry of Economy since 2008. Since then, he has been instrumental in formulating Mexico’s position in these areas in multilateral, regional and bilateral fora, including the Doha Round in the World Trade Organization, the OECD, ALADI, APEC, TISA, the Pacific Alliance and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).

The Future of Arctic Security: Conversation with ADM. Karl Schultz, Commandant U.S. Coast Guard, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, U.S.
2021-11-16 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual Event
Speaker Biography:
Admiral Karl L. Schultz assumed the duties as the 26th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard on June 1, 2018. As Commandant, he oversees all global Coast Guard operations and 41,000 active-duty, 6,200 reserve, and 8,500 civilian personnel, as well as the support of 25,000 Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers.
He previously served from August 2016 to May 2018 as Commander, Atlantic Area where he was the operational commander for all Coast Guard missions spanning five Coast Guard Districts and 40 states. He concurrently served as Director, DHS Joint Task Force-East, responsible for achieving the objectives of the DHS Southern Border and Approaches Campaign Plan throughout the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Region, including Central America.
Prior flag assignments include Director of Operations (J3), U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Florida; Commander, Eleventh Coast Guard District in Alameda, California; and Director of Governmental and Public Affairs at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Previous operational assignments include Sector Commander in Miami, Florida, as well as command tours aboard Cutters VENTUROUS, ACACIA, and FARALLON.
His senior staff assignments include Chief of the Office of Congressional and Governmental Affairs; Congressional Liaison to the U.S. House of Representatives; Liaison Officer to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs; Assignment Officer at the Coast Guard Personnel Command; and Command Duty Officer in the Seventh Coast Guard District Operations Center in Miami.
A native of Connecticut, Admiral Schultz graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1983, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. In 1992, he was awarded a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut, and in 2006, completed a one-year National Security Fellowship at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He and his wife, Dawn, have five children – Kelsey, Lindsey, Annaliese, Eric, and Zachary.
His personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, four Legions of Merit, four Meritorious Service Medals, three Coast Guard Commendation medals, two Coast Guard Achievement Medals and various other personal and unit awards.
___
Special Guest Biography:
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska’s senior U.S. Senator, is a third generation Alaskan proudly serving as the first Alaskan born senator.
Since joining the Senate in 2002, Senator Murkowski has worked tirelessly for Alaskans and earned a reputation in the Senate for her ability to work collaboratively and across the aisle to reach common sense solutions. Murkowski is well-known for her love and dedication to her state, which means putting Alaska first.
A leader on energy and public lands issues, Senator Murkowski recognizes that sound national policy will promote not only job creation and economic growth, but also higher standards of living and greater global stability. She supports the safe and efficient production and use of all forms of domestic energy, as well as research to help develop emerging technologies. Senator Murkowski continues to pursue policies to advance renewable energy, increase energy efficiency, and make America’s energy cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable.
Senator Murkowski has long advocated for the Arctic as a national priority and continues to push the United States to invest in the infrastructure and assets critical to supporting an Arctic strategy. She is leading the charge to recapitalize and expand America’s fleet of icebreakers and has introduced legislation to raise the nation’s presence in the Arctic through two bills that support responsible research and development as well as giving those who live in the region a greater voice on policy and research.
She is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee (Subcommittees –Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Defense; Energy and Water Development; Homeland Security; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies), Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee, member of Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
Murkowski was born in Ketchikan and raised in towns across the state, including Wrangell, Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage. She is married to Verne Martell, and they have two grown sons. Lisa loves spending time in the Alaska outdoors. She’s an avid skier, has hiked on glaciers, enjoys fall duck hunts, and has an impressive King Salmon mounted on her office wall.
___
Moderator Biography:
Heather Conley is senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic and director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS. Prior to joining CSIS as a senior fellow and director for Europe in 2009, Conley served four years as executive director of the Office of the Chairman of the Board at the American National Red Cross.
From 2001 to 2005, she was deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs with responsibilities for U.S. bilateral relations with the countries of Northern and Central Europe. From 1994 to 2001, she was a senior associate with an international consulting firm led by former U.S. deputy secretary of state Richard L. Armitage.
Ms. Conley began her career in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She was selected to serve as special assistant to the coordinator of U.S. assistance to the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union, and she has received two State Department Meritorious Honor Awards.
Ms. Conley is frequently featured as a foreign policy analyst and Europe expert on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, and PBS, among other prominent media outlets. She received her B.A. in international studies from West Virginia Wesleyan College and her M.A. in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
___
Commandant’s White House Fellow Biography:
Victoria Herrmann is a 2021-2022 White House Fellow placed with the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Prior to the Fellowship, Dr. Herrmann was an Assistant Research Professor at Georgetown University, a National Geographic Explorer, and the Managing Director of The Arctic Institute, a nonprofit with a mission to inform policy for a just, sustainable, and secure Arctic. Victoria directed strategic planning and oversaw the implementation of global research partnerships by a 45-person team.
Her research focused on Arctic climate change and resilience. As a recognized expert in the field, Victoria has testified before the House and Senate, served as the Alaska Review Editor for the National Climate Assessment, and contributes to national and international media. At Georgetown, she served as the Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation-funded Research Coordination Network on Arctic migrations. The three-year initiative aims to build a lasting, policy-oriented network of Arctic scientists to strengthen communication between nations and scientific disciplines.
Beyond the Arctic, Victoria studies climate-induced displacement, migration, and relocation in North America and Fiji as a National Geographic Explorer. In her first National Geographic project, America’s Eroding Edges, she traveled across the country interviewing 350 local leaders to identify what’s needed most to safeguard coastal communities against the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
Her project, Rise Up to Rising Tides, is creating an online matchmaking platform that connects pro bono experts with climate-affected communities. The project seeks to safeguard heritage by connecting national expertise to some of the 13 million Americans at risk of being displaced due to rising waters in the coming years.
Victoria was a Junior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Fulbright Awardee to Canada, and a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow at the National Academies of Sciences. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Scholar, an M.A. in International Affairs from Carleton University, and a B.A. from Lehigh University.

Disarray & Disaster in the Taliban's Afghanistan
2021-11-18 18:30 - 19:30 | Virtual Event
Please join us for a special, exclusive event featuring Lt. Tom Schram, a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer, who specializes in the study and reporting on national security and political-economic events in China, the Western Pacific, the Middle East, and Afghanistan.
Thursday, November 18 at 6:30PM EST
via Virtual Zoom Presentation
The disaster and chaos in Afghanistan just keep getting worse. With the government unable to pay its bills, the infrastructure crumbling, the ruthless treatment of remaining Afghans who could not escape during the U.S./NATO airlift, the ruling Taliban are finding it complex and difficult to govern and manage as they change from fighting a war to state building, all in a failing economy with no workable financial system in place.
The Taliban’s approach to government has been and continues to be a strict Sharia law under a vicious theocracy. Their merciless approach to those not conforming exactly to these beliefs knows no mercy for those left behind following the U.S. departure. Women’s rights are almost non-existent.
Our evening presentation will touch on the history of the region, previous conquests, topographic challenges, war after 9/11, the evacuation debacle and the poor planning decisions by National Command Authority. Last but not least, our speaker will discuss the strategic implications for the U.S. and the world going forward.

Our Presenting Guest Speaker
Tom Schram holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the United States Naval Academy, Class of 1969. Tom also has an MBA degree in marketing and finance from the Shidler School of Business, University of Hawaii. He was commissioned in the Navy’s Restricted Line and
served 7.5 years as a special intelligence officer in the Naval Security Group. He was stationed in both Japan and Okinawa while serving on multiple deployments. In 1973, he was assigned to NSGA Anchorage, AK as Executive Officer. He resigned his commission in late 1976.
His specialty was electronic intelligence collection while serving in the Naval Security Group. He played a role in the Saigon evacuation in 1975. After leaving the Navy, he had an eclectic career starting with Procter & Gamble where he worked in manufacturing, research & development, advertising brand management, and sales. He was a co-owner of an advertising agency that he helped grow from $2M/year in revenue to $12M over five years. He ran a ballistics research firm for eight years, helped start a microbrewery and led an Internet security firm who had developed an unbreakable firewall.
Tom’s innovative approach in each of his endeavors led to patents and unique business opportunities. However, he never lost his interest in discovering and publishing about world events. For the past twenty years, he has been deeply involved in studying and reporting on geopolitical events around the world with special focus on the Middle East, Afghanistan, and China. His resurgence in learning about all things geopolitical began on 9/11/2001 when he lost his very close friend and USNA classmate in the South Tower of the World Trade Center during the attack on America. Most recently, Tom played a direct role in assisting 757 Afghan refugees flee in the recent aftermath of the Taliban takeover and is now currently assisting another group of refugees who desperately need to evacuate Afghanistan.

Introduction to the World of Butoh
2021-11-19 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual Event
Join us as University of Michigan Professor Erik Santos provides insights into the history of Butoh and shares his perspective on this unique and sometimes controversial art form. Together with his wife, Japanese filmmaker Toko Shiiki, Professor Santos will share several Butoh dancers’ answers to the fundamental question: What is Butoh for you?
The webinar will feature two video clips, including “Manna” by Kumotaro Mukai, with an original musical score by Erik Santos, and artwork by Toko Shiiki. The Butoh dancer Mukai performed in 2008 at the University of Michigan, and the video of the performance has never been released to the public.
The presenters will also talk about the collaboration with Butoh dancers Jun Wakabayashi and Rie Kim and discuss their process for building a dance performance.

Role of International Organizations in a Global Pandemic
2021-11-30 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual Event
The Covid-19 pandemic has thrust the World Health Organization (WHO) into the limelight, for better and for worse. While some of the Trump administration’s criticism of the organization was unfair, the response to the early stages of the pandemic left many experts wanting more from the WHO. What is the WHO’s role in responding to international pandemics? What can be done to improve the WHO’s response to future global health crises?
Dr. Samira Asma is the Assistant Director-General for Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact at the World Health Organization where she leads WHO’s efforts to use timely, reliable and actionable data to drive progress towards the Triple Billion targets and health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the urgency to strengthen country health information systems. By aligning with countries and partners, Dr. Asma is working to ensure every country has a robust data and health information system, to make health data accessible, and to use data to improve health.

Teacher PD: Educating for the Global World of Work
2022-01-04 08:00 - 17:00
Virtual Zoom Webinar, Thursday March 17, 2022 from 4-5:15 pm. Register here to receive a Zoom invitation prior to the event.
About the Program: What skills are needed to succeed in a fast-paced, technologically advanced, and globalized economy? In this session, we will discuss ways in which to bring career exploration into your subject area and highlight enrichment opportunities available for students to set themselves up for success. Teachers will hear from a panel of individuals from organizations focused on technical education and experiential learning that help students prepare for the jobs of the future. We will also reflect on how this work contributes to the Asia Society’s “Investigate the World” global competency theme as well as P21’s “Life and Career Skills” focus. This session is open for middle and high school teachers of all subject areas and teachers have the opportunity to earn 1 CEU for participating in this session.
Learning Outcomes
Teachers will be able to

Identify social and cross-cultural skills that are needed in the modern workplace.
Identify ways in which students can further develop technical or industry-specific skills to better position themselves among other future job applicants.
Develop a strategy for introducing career exploration into a lesson or unit plan.
Reflect on ways in which their lessons can help students develop necessary soft skills such as initiative, flexibility, leadership, and accountability.

Teacher PD: Using Inquiry-Based Learning to Teach Global Topics
2022-01-20 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual
Virtual Zoom Webinar. Register to receive a zoom invitation.
Join us for the kick off to our professional development series, “Skills for Students’ Future in the World.” In this session, teachers will learn more about the Inquiry Design Model and how inquiry-based learning can help students develop skills within the “investigate the world” domain of the Asia Society’s global competency framework. Teachers will explore resources that they can use to bring inquiry into the classroom. This session is geared toward middle and high school teachers who may be new to inquiry-based learning or want to view inquiry lessons that are more specific to cultural or global topics. Teachers have the opportunity to earn 1 CEU for participating in this session.
Learning Outcomes
Teachers will be able to:

Define inquiry-based learning and develop a rationale for how it can contribute to the development of global competency.
Identify resources that they can use to develop their own inquiry-based lessons, including lesson and unit plan templates, as well as other pre-made inquiry lessons that are ready to use in the classroom.
Explain the difference between guided inquiry and direct inquiry and determine which would be appropriate for their students at a particular point in their learning.
Identify at least one concept and/or unit in which they would be able to use an inquiry-based method of instruction in the classroom and develop compelling and supporting questions for the lesson.

Standing Against Authoritarianism: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarus’ Opposition Leader on Fighting the Lukashenko Regime from Exile
2022-03-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual Event
Sponsored by World Affairs Council of Orange County
Conversation moderated by:
Melinda Haring, Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center
—
Hosted in Partnership with UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies
—
A Zoom webinar event
Thursday, March 3, 2022, at 9:00 AM PST
Speaker Bio:
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces who independent observers agree won the presidential election on August 9, 2020, against the autocratic President Aliaksandr Lukashenka.
As the leader of the Belarusian democratic movement, she has visited 26 countries, gathering support and advocating for the release of almost a 1000 of political prisoners and a peaceful transition of power through free and fair elections. In meetings with President Biden, Chancellor Merkel, President Macron, President von der Leyen, President Charles Michel, and other world leaders, Tsikhanouskaya emphasized the need for a braver response to the actions of the Belarusian dictatorship.
Tsikhanouskaya’s story began when she entered the race after her husband Siarhei Tsikhanousky was arrested for voicing his presidential aspirations. Lukashenka publicly dismissed her as a “housewife,” saying that a woman cannot become president. Nonetheless, Tsikhanouskaya united and successfully led the democratic coalition along with two other leaders, Maria Kalesnikava and Veranika Tsapkala. Following her forced exile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya inspired unprecedented peaceful protests in Belarus, with some rallies numbering at least 200,000 people.
In 2020–2022, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya became a symbol of the peaceful struggle for democracy and strong female leadership. Among dozens of distinctions, she is a recipient of the Sakharov Prize awarded by the European Parliament, 2022 International Four Freedoms Award, and Charlemagne Prize. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Members of the Norwegian Parliament. Tsikhanouskaya has been recognized in Bloomberg’s Top 50 Most Influential People, Financial Times’ Top 12 Most Influential Women, and Politico’s Top 28 Most Influential Europeans.
Moderator Bio:
Melinda Haring is the deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. Previously, she was the editor of the Atlantic Council’s popular publication, the UkraineAlert blog. She is the author of the report Reforming the democracy bureaucracy (FPRI, 2013) coauthor of Biden and Ukraine: a strategy for the next administration (Atlantic Council, 2021), Biden and Belarus: a strategy for the next administration (Atlantic Council, 2021), Ukraine’s internally displaced persons hold a key to peace (Atlantic Council, 2017), and a contributor to Does democracy matter? (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017).
Haring has worked for Eurasia Foundation, Freedom House, and the National Democratic Institute, where she managed democracy assistance programs in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia. A graduate of Georgetown University, she holds an MA in Government with a certificate in Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies.
Haring is the vice-chair of the board of East Europe Foundation in Kyiv, Ukraine, a member of the supervisory board of Right to Protection in Kyiv, Ukraine, and a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. She is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Expo Community Conversation
2022-06-23 18:30 - 19:30 | Virtual Event
Join us for this Expo Community Conversation event brought to you in partnership with the World Affairs Council – Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, Global Ties, the U.S. Department of State and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Join us for a discussion on how we bring Expos back to the United States and do so in a more inclusive way that highlights our country’s diversity as a strength of our democracy. Expos, also known as World’s Fairs, are the world’s oldest and largest mega event, held every three-five years in host cities around the world since their inception in 1851 in London. Similar to the Olympics, which are world festivals of sports, Expos are festivals of culture, technology, innovation, design, and human excellence. Past Expos have seen a multitude of countries showcase innovations such as the mobile phone, the X-Ray Machine, and the ice cream cone.
Though Expos have not captured many U.S. citizens’ imaginations, for those who experienced the events within the United States and overseas the last sixty years, the experiences impacted simultaneously their worldviews and views of their communities.
The physical legacies of Expos in New Orleans, New York, San Antonio, and Seattle—four of the last ones hosted inside the United States, between 1960-1984—are well established. But the “felt” legacies are underexplored and powerful. With geopolitics rapidly shifting, these soft power platforms are critical to illuminating U.S. values to international audiences. We also have an opportunity to rethink how we bring Expos back to the United States and do so in a more inclusive way that highlights our country’s diversity as a strength of our democracy.
Join us for a conversation on a groundbreaking oral history project to explore the future of International Expositions and the United States’ role in them. The event will also feature Oral Historian, Anna F. Kaplan, PhD, and Paul Kruchoski, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director of the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy.

Society and Cyberthreats: Risks to National Security in a Global Economy
2022-10-19 18:30 - 19:30 | Virtual Event
Join us for a Virtual Event on Wednesday, October 19th at 6:30 PM via Zoom Webinar, Society and Cyberthreats: Risks to National Security in a Global Economy.
Today, we transact vast amounts of data through smart-devices for work, home life, and everything in between. Data is the ‘new oil’ and cybersecurity has evolved into a primary focus for malicious actors—some of whom are foreign State actors and often very well organized, coordinated, with the objective of achieving strategic outcomes. To better understand this landscape of cyberthreats, we bring together this panel discussion on Society and Cyberthreats to examine our country’s cyber strategies.
We are joined by Dr. Harknett and Ms. Guider to start by asking some simple questions to better understand Cyberthreats in our daily lives beyond our mere distant awareness about coercion, militarized crisis, and war:

Is cybersecurity more of a technology or people problem?
How have the nature of cybersecurity threats changed in the recent decade(s)?
How has the training/education curriculum evolved in response to the changing global cybersecurity threats?

Guest Panelists:
Kathy Guider, Vice President Veracity IIR, retired FBI Special Agent
Richard Harknett, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Professor & Director, School of Public and International Affairs (SPIC), Co-Director, Ohio Cyber Range Institute(OCRI), Chair, Center for Cyber Strategy and Policy (CCSP)

Climate Migration with United States Institute of Peace
2023-11-09 16:00 - 17:00
Register Here
The links between climate change, conflict, and human mobility are complex. In 2022, disasters internally displaced 32.6 million people, more than at any other time over the last decade. Most of these displacements occurred in areas that are fragile or conflict-prone. In fact, ninety percent of all refugees come from places that are some of the most vulnerable to climate-related impacts. Right now, these fragile regions already grapple with increased food insecurity, unemployment, and competition over resources – particularly water. In what ways does climate change exacerbate such situations? In what ways may that lead to conflict or forced migration?
In partnership with Green Umbrella, we invite students, educators, and community members for an evening exploring Climate Conflict and Climate Migration with Kayly Ober, Senior Program Officer for U.S. Institute of Peace.
Kayly Ober is a senior program officer for the climate, environment and conflict program at USIP. In this role, she leads research and analysis on climate change, migration and displacement as well as transboundary water and conflict issues.
Prior to USIP, she was the senior advocate and program manager of the climate displacement program at Refugees International. She also served as a member of the Task Force on Displacement established under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage. She has worked on climate change and migration issues for more than 15 years, during which time she has held positions at organizations such as the Asian Development Bank, the Overseas Development Institute, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the World Bank, where she authored the flagship report “Groundswell: Preparing for Internal Climate Migration.”
Ober holds a master’s in environment and development from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s in international studies from American University. She is currently completing her doctorate in geography at the University of Bonn, where her dissertation analyzes policymaking and governance structures around the climate change-adaptation-migration nexus.

(VIRTUAL EVENT) Great Decisions: Climate Technology and Competition
2024-05-16 14:15 - 15:00 | Virtual Event
Will the United States and China, with other powerful countries following suit, approach current and future climate initiatives with an increased commitment to trade protectionism and nationalism by various measures including trade restrictions? Or could a growing spirit of international accord develop to confront the “common enemy” of climate change?
Moderator: Jeffrey S. Morton, the Pierrepont Comfort Chair in Political Science at Florida Atlantic University and a Fellow at the Foreign Policy Association.

Register here for this virtual event on Zoom!

Bites & Bytes: Google's Latest AI Rollouts Virtual Workshop
2025-10-16 11:30 - 12:30
Join us in partnership with the Hamilton County Educational Service Center (HCESC) for an informative workshop focusing on how to utilize AI in the classroom. Led by HCESC’s Instructional Technology Consultant, Sara Sheldt, learn how Google’s new AI tools—including Gemini—are transforming and supporting both educators and students.
These innovations are especially valuable for today’s global classroom, enhancing accessibility, collaboration, and cross-cultural learning. This workshop is offered in collaboration with the World Affairs Council – Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, as part of our shared commitment to promoting education for all.
The workshop will go from 11:30-12:15PM and will be $20 per person.
About Sara:
Sara Sheldt is an Instructional Technology Consultant with Hamilton County ESC, bringing 20 years of experience in education. She supports schools and districts in integrating technology to enhance teaching and learning, with a current focus on artificial intelligence tools. Sara is passionate about helping educators leverage technology to engage students, differentiate instruction, and bring real-world skills into the classroom while also simplifying their tasks to give them more time to focus on what matters most.

Global Chat: Your AI Co-Pilot for Glocal Impact (Create and Use a Custom Bot in Under an Hour!)
2025-11-17 16:00 - 17:00
Are you ready to bring high-impact global education into your classroom without adding hours to your planning time?

Join us for an energetic, hands-on session that introduces you to the future of teacher support: Your Custom AI Co-Pilot.
The World Affairs Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky is launching the Youth Leaders for Glocal Impact (YLGI) platform, and we’ve built a dedicated AI chatbot powered by Google’s Gemini technology just for our educators.
In this 60-minute workshop, you will:

Unlock the Power of the YLGI Chatbot: Learn how to use this custom tool to instantly get answers on project deadlines, budget templates, and program rules, so you can focus on mentoring, not managing.
Generate Ideas on Demand: We’ll dive into practical prompts and use the bot to generate tangible ideas for connecting your current classroom topics to Global Themes and local community action. Walk away with ideas you can implement tomorrow, such as:

“How can my 9th-grade history class explore sustainable cities and communities using a Cincinnati-based current event?”
“Give me three quick community engagement activities for a project focusing on access to clean water around the world.”

Become AI Literate: Gain essential skills in AI prompting and learn the responsible way to use these tools to enhance global literacy and project-based learning in your school.

Your Takeaway: You will leave this session with a clear understanding of how to use this AI co-pilot as a permanent, always-on planning assistant, allowing you to lead your students to greater Glocal Impact with less effort!
About Joshua Amstutz – Josh has taught for 15 years, 14 of which have been for the Winton Woods City School District (WWHS). He is the current coordinator of the Academy of Global Studies at Winton Woods High School, the Math Department Head at Winton Woods High School, a certified New Tech Network trained teacher, and a New Tech Network trainer for project based learning at Winton Woods High School. Josh graduated from Capital University with a degree in Integrated Mathematics and from the University of Cincinnati with a MAT graduate degree from the Department of Mathematics.
In addition to his many roles at WWHS, Josh is part of the 2019-2020 Impact U cohort on improvement science through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Strive Partnership. He is a Fulbright Alum from the 2019-2020 cohort of the Fulbright for Global Classrooms program and a TOP alum from the 2025 cohort of the Transatlantic Outreach Program. He was selected as the 2022 AFS-USA Global Educator of the Year and is a current state finalist in Ohio for the 2025 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). He has also worked closely with the curriculum director and his school’s physics teacher to implement multiple co-taught math and science courses as well as College Credit Plus (CCP) math courses in his school district. He currently teaches a combined math and science course called Pre-Calculus Aligned Physics (PCAP) in addition to CCP Statistics and CCP Calculus.
