World Affairs Council of St Louis

MISSION STATEMENT

World Affairs Council of St Louis connects citizens of the region with the world. The Council’s mission is to promote understanding, engagement, develop relationships and inspire leadership in World Affairs.

The World Affairs Council of St. Louis is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan membership organization that works to engage, educate and increase American involvement in international affairs and foreign policy. The Council has an open membership policy – everyone is welcome to join. It sponsors programs to increase St. Louis community awareness, understanding, and involvement in matters effecting international people, cultures, businesses, politics, countries and regions of the world. It is one of over ninety such independent Councils that collectively comprise the oldest and largest organization in the country promoting “citizen diplomacy” and improving global understanding.

The St. Louis Council belongs to a national association known as the World Affairs Councils of America that has offices in Washington, DC. The first Council was formed in 1918, and the Council system currently has 434,000 participants, of which 84,000 are dues paying members and 350,000 participate in the nationwide Foreign Policy Association discussion program entitled Great Decisions. Over 2,000 corporations and organizations financially support council work. The national association provides on-going support to individual Councils by sharing “best practice” ideas, operational techniques and programming that contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of the St. Louis Council.

The World Affairs Councils, located throughout America, are looked upon favorably by the United States State Department since they are one of the few organizations that encourage active citizen involvement and serve as a natural constituency for this government agency. The World Affairs Council in St. Louis also plays a local role by its cooperative efforts with city, regional and state government, and various economic development agencies in the area.

World Affairs Councils vary widely in size as defined by the number of corporate and individual members it has, and by the size of the staff they employ. The World Affairs Council of St. Louis is in the upper one-third of Councils in the country by all measures. The Council has approximately 60 Corporate Members that average from five to ten active members each, approximately 200 individual members and employs a full time staff of 3 people.
Since 1948, the World Affairs Council of St. Louis has operated continuously and has distinguished itself by the number of Ambassadors (both to and from the United States) and other prominent speakers it has brought to St. Louis. The St. Louis Council was recognized in 2009 by the World Affairs Councils of America for being the most dynamic midsize council in the nation. This award is given annually for extraordinary innovation, growth, outreach and impact. The Council sponsors about 15 programs per year that vary widely in subject matter, venues utilized, and price. All Council funding is derived from member dues, corporate sponsorships, program fees, fundraising events, grants, and gifts. The Council also encourages members to volunteer their time to assist in the development of programming and strategy to meet local needs.

The Council activities can be broadly segmented into four categories. Following the brief description shown below, each category will be further developed to provide more insight.

1. Community Outreach – programs that are free of charge to the participants and that focus on providing helpful education, activities and services to high school students and teachers, college students and professors, and senior citizens living throughout the Saint Louis region.

2. International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) – we are the exclusive host, in this region, for the U. S. State Department’s most prestigious global exchange program. This has been an important activity of the Council for decades.

3. Member / Guest Programs – we sponsor programs throughout each calendar year for our members and their guests (i.e. business associates, relatives, neighbors, and friends); all programs are “Open to the Public”.

4. World Affairs Councils of America Programs (available to our members)

5. Fundraising Activities - to support categories 1. to 3. above.