World Affairs Council of Montana
Bringing the World to Montana and Montana to the World since 2000.
Welcome to the World Affairs Council of Montana, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to fostering global understanding and awareness in Montana’s classrooms and communities.
Our Mission
The Council, founded in 2000, enables Montanans to appreciate the relationship of foreign policy and international issues to their lives in the Rockies. The Council offers opportunities to better understand world events through people-to-people diplomacy, distinguished speakers, overseas visits, and educational outreach programs. As globalization reaches into all corners of the Big Sky, the Council seeks to help educate citizens about their increased political, economic, and cultural integration into the world community. We invite you to join us, and we appreciate your support and interest.
The World Affairs Council is registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization.
COUNCIL NEWS
Membership Survey
In efforts to improve our programs and membership services, we want to hear from you. Please take a few moments to complete our membership survey online. Let us know what global issues matter most to you and what programs you would like to see in the future.
Click here to take the member survey.
Recent and Upcoming Events»
Global Education Initiatives »
Academic WorldQuest 2012 – Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
Competition 4:30-7:30pm – UC Ballroom, 3rd Floor University Center, UM Campus
Congratulations to Hellgate High School for taking first place in the 2012 AWQ competition!! Tyler Jorgensen, Colby Morris, Cody Meixner, and Chris Everett from Hellgate High School will be representing Montana at the World Affairs Councils of America National Academic WorldQuest competition in Washington D.C. this April!!
Academic WorldQuest has now become the 3rd largest AWQ competition in the nation with nearly 60 teams competing in the 2012 competition. This exciting global knowledge team challenge engages high school students in world affairs as they compete for the opportunity to represent Montana at the national competition in Washington DC. This program is generously sponsored by the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation with support from Dirk and Kim Visser / Allegiance, Humanities Montana and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit the Academic WorldQuest page for 2012 competition details.
This full-day event featured international activities including a foreign film discussion with UM Professor Dr. Udo Fluck, international student roundtable activities, a presentation by Council founder Ambassador Mark Johnson (ret.), global team challenge and the AWQ afternoon competition. This year, we had the honor of hearing from guest speaker Lt. Governor Bohlinger, UM President Engstrom and Missoula Mayor Engen, who was our Master of Ceremonies.
Click here for more information!
2012 Discover Turkey Program Announced
Teacher Workshop – Saturday, March 24, 2012
Registration is now open – Deadline to register: March 23, 2012
For the fifth consecutive year, the World Affairs Council of Montana has received a generous grant to host a ‘Discover Turkey’ teacher workshop to introduce Montana educators to the rich history, culture and traditions of Turkey. Teachers that participate in this workshop will be eligible to apply for one of three study-tour scholarship positions to visit Turkey this summer and organize community follow-up education programs. Following the 2012 program series, this will make a total of 20 Montana educators that have traveled to Turkey as a result of the Council’s efforts to provide global education resources to Montana’s students and educators!
Click here for workshop information including the workshop registration and study-tour application materials
This program is sponsored by the World Affairs Councils of America with the generous support of the Turkish Cultural Foundation.
Distinguished Speaker Program »
Dr. Haleh Esfandiari
will be our guest for our
Spring Distinguished Speakers Program,
as part of the
2012 Dirk and Kim Visser / Allegiance Lecture Series
Thursday, April 12th – 7:30pm
University Center – 3rd Floor Ballroom (UM Campus)
There will be a book sale and signing after the event
Haleh Esfandiari, the Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, has had a rich and varied career. In her native Iran, she was a journalist, served as deputy secretary general of the Women’s Organization of Iran, and was the deputy director of a cultural foundation where she was responsible for the activities of several museums and art and cultural centers. She taught Persian language at Oxford University and, prior to coming to the Wilson Center, from 1980 to 1994, she taught Persian language and contemporary Persian literature and courses on the women’s movement in Iran at Princeton University. Haleh Esfandiari is the author of My Prison, My Home: One Woman’s Story of Captivity in Iran (2009),
Please visit the Past Events page to see previous events.
The Montana world Affairs Council is an affiliate of the
World Affairs Councils of America
