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ANNUAL REPORT 2020 BRINGING THE WORLD TO VERMONT AND VERMONT TO THE WORLD A MESSAGE FROM VCWA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Resilient is the one word that comes to mind when I think of the Vermont Council on World Affairs. As we packed our offices in March and went remote I had the opportunity to sort through files spanning the last 69 years of our existence. The documents I poured over told the story of the VCWA’s long history of promoting awareness and understanding of the world and its people. The VCWA has positioned ourselves in the community as a place for civil discourse where we can discuss subject matter that is critical to us all: the state of diplomacy, nuclear negotiations, trade with China, and more. Our virtual programming has allowed us to overcome the limits posed by geography so that members anywhere in the world can participate in the activities of the organization. American lives and livelihoods are affected by a world in which just about everything flows across borders. As our programs and speaker series turned virtual we were able to bring an array of expert presenters into homes across Vermont. This was demonstrated most notably through our Engage the World conference through a variety of moderators, hosts, and speakers. From Ambassadors in Japan and Mexico, authors of newly released books, a Russian filmmaker, and a Ugandan dance instructor we truly were able to bring the world right to Vermonter’s living rooms. As we look toward next year, we are thinking strategically about how to best serve our membership. As always, we aim to raise our community’s cultural fluency by connecting you with outstanding speakers and thought leaders from around the world. Thanks to the support of our members and community, the VCWA continued to facilitate meaningful cross-border connections and dialogues throughout 2020 despite social distancing and quarantine regulations. In the past year, the VCWA had the pleasure of hosting over 100 leaders from more than 30 nations through various initiatives. Following guidance provided by our partners at the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the VCWA’s International Visitor Leadership Program was paused in March of this year. We were unable to resume programming until we were approved for virtual exchange in October 2020. This annual report celebrates our achievements and successes from the past year. We are thankful to our Board, event sponsors, exchange alumni, many speakers, hosts, partners, and the countless friends and colleagues around the world who make our important work possible. Thank you for joining us in our mission and for your engagement and support. Executive Director A MESSAGE FROM VCWA CHAIR Spoiler alert: 2020 was a year of massive dislocation and uncertainty for all of us, and for the VCWA it was no exception. The VCWA has faced existential challenges, but the good news is that we have come through them, and are even stronger and well-positioned for the future as a result. This year the VCWA has experienced three significant events. First, the VCWA and the Lake Champlain Chamber (LCC) had operated under a cooperative agreement governing our relationship since 2012. This agreement was extremely beneficial to the VCWA, and the VCWA Board of Directors is deeply grateful and appreciative of LCC’s willingness to be supportive of the VCWA. With the passage of time, however, it became increasingly clear that the VCWA was in a position to be able to function independently. So the agreement with LCC was officially concluded in the spring of this year. Second, at literally the same time, as the VCWA was in the midst of implementing the needed organizational and administrative changes resulting from the conclusion of the LCC relationship, Covid-19 happened. This presented an existential challenge as the VCWA depended upon U.S. State Department-sponsored international visitors, and an annual fund-raising dinner, for a major portions of its annual budget. Revenues from the former were significantly reduced, and the latter was cancelled, at least for 2020. Thankfully, the VCWA’s leadership was able to identify a path forward, reduce operating costs, quickly identify available government pandemic-related funding, and adapt the VCWA programming to a virtual platform. This allowed the organization to continue activities during an extremely uncertain period. Finally, in September the VCWA conceptualized and implemented a very ambitious week-long virtual conference, entitled Engaging the World. This remarkable undertaking was very well organized and popular, and provides a template for possible future similar activities. It also succeeded in generating a major portion of revenues lost by the VCWA’s inability to host a fund-raising dinner this year. While the VCWA’s success is due to the hard work of the VCWA’s staff, Board, members and volunteers, special recognition should go to the VCWA’s Executive Director, Patricia Preston. Patricia has demonstrated energy, initiative and resolve in responding to these challenges. She has steered the VCWA through these turbulent waters with considerable deftness, and is the main reason why the organization is well-positioned to move forward. Due to her efforts the VCWA has also developed a profile amongst its national peers as a leading international cultural exchange organization. The VCWA looks forward to 2021 with much enthusiasm! Board Chair ABOUT THE VCWA OUR MISSION The Vermont Council on World Affairs, in cooperation with the public and private sectors, promotes an awareness and understanding of the world and its people through public forums, hosting international visitors and working with our educational institutions to develop programs for students, faculty, staff and community. THE VERMONT COUNCIL ON WORLD AFFAIRS In 1952, Vermont native Warren Austin, a former U.S. Senator and the first U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, founded the Vermont Council on World Affairs to promote awareness and understanding for world affairs through education and engagement. Since that time, the VCWA has welcomed thousands of visitors to Vermont, facilitated hundreds of seminars and educational events, and cultivated the next generation of global leaders. STAFF Patricia Preston James Gunger Vinson Pierce Executive Director Program Manager Special Projects Manager [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] INTERNATIONAL VISITORS HOSTED IN 2020 January 23-28 | Six visitors from the October 27-29 | Four visitors from Kyrgyz Republic for a program Kyrgyzstan for a program focusing on focusing on supporting young climate change and renewable energy political candidates October 28-November 11| Thirty- February 25-29 | Five visitors from eight visitors from all around the Albania for a program focusing on world for a program focusing on combating human trafficking sustainable city development March 8-11 | Six visitors from all October 30-November 4 | Six around the world for a program visitors from South Asia for a program focusing on developing the tech focusing on US energy policy sector November 5-10 | Fourteen visitors March 13-18 | Four visitors from from Slovenia for a program focusing Kazakhstan for a program focusing on on cybersecurity capacity building democratic policy formulation November 9-11 | Twelve visitors October 2 | Eleven visitors from from Lusophone nations for a Lusophone nations for a program program focusing on developing focusing on virtual education in rural university partnerships communities November 20 | Seven visitors from all around the world for a program focusing on NGO management The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Launched in 1940, IVLP seeks to expand mutual understanding between Americans and individuals from other nations through carefully designed short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders. Each year, the VCWA hosts hundreds of visitors from all over the world travel to communities throughout the United States to meet and confer with their professional counterparts and to experience American culture firsthand. In accordance with guidance from the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the VCWA paused all IVLP programming in March of this year. Programming resumed in a virtual format in October. The VCWA continues to host virtual programs and looks forward to resuming in-person visits when it is safe to do so. PROGRAMS AND EVENTS GREAT DECISIONS PROGRAM JANUARY FEBRUARY Global Ties U.S. National Meeting Speaker Series: Climate Change in a New Era of Geopolitics in the Artic with MARCH Dr.Rebecca Pincus Speaker Series: China's Grand Strategy: Weaving a New Silk Road to Global APRIL Primacy with Sarwar Kashmeri Speaker Series: Human Trafficking: A View of the International, Local, and Speaker Series: India and Pakistan with Individual Context with Edith Consul General Sandeep Charavorty Klimoski, Erin Albright, and Courtney Albert MAY Virtual International Trivia Series Speaker Series: Security, Politics, and Diplomacy in the Red Sea Region Mother's Day Weekend Brigadeiro with Payton Knopf Baking Class with Chef Paula Fernandes JUNE Speaker Series: Artificial Intelligence Virtual International Trivia Series in the Green Mountains with Dr. John Cohn Speaker Series: US China Policy: Rising Tension with a Rising Power JULY with Sarwar Kashmeri Virtual Cooking Class: Tanzanian Chips Mayai with Kyona Benjamin AUGUST Speaker Series: Choosing Freedom in Tensions in the Taiwan Straight with the Modern Era with Nicole Bibbins Director-General Jonathan Sun Sedaca and Lindsay Lloyd U.S.- Japan Relations in the Era of Virtual Cooking Class: Guatemalan COVID-19 wtih Ambassador Robert Orr Tostadas with Chef Jenny Whitehead OCTOBER SEPTEMBER Annual Spooky Trivia Engage the World 2020 Virtual Conference Book Talk: Partner with a Purpose with Steve Schmida NOVEMBER DECEMBER World Affairs Councils of America National Conference Giving Tuesday with guest speakers Kyona Benjamin, Kesha Ram, and Bill Schubart GREAT DECISIONS PROGRAM Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs.
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