WAC Co-Sponsors... Series

On Sunday, July 12, 2009, the World Affairs Council of Kentucky/Southern Indiana co-sponsors Forecastle Festival, with Christopher Childs, environmental activist and author.

Christopher Childs is the author of The Spirit's Terrain: Creativity, Activism, and Transformation, published by Beacon Press in 1998 with a Foreword by the Dalai Lama. Childs has the unique informal title of Speaker and Campaigner Emeritus for the U.S. branch of Greenpeace, for whom he served as National Speaker and activist between 1987-96. He has since served as Conservation Chair for the Sierra Club's North Star Chapter, as Chair of the chapter's Clean Air and Renewable Energy Committee, and as an elected member of its Executive Committee. A board member and Advocacy Committee Chair of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society, he helps formulate policy, and works to shape and promote legislation, for both MRES and the Sierra Club.

Childs was named Lecturer of the Year by the National Association for Campus Activities in 1991 -- selected from among finalists who included Maya Angelou -- while serving with Greenpeace. In recent years, he was named Volunteer of the Year for 2004 by Sierra's North Star Chapter -- partly for his work on the "Walk for Wind" -- and is the recipient of two additional chapter awards for leadership.

Currently, in addition to his nearly full-time volunteer work on energy and global warming and periodic speaking engagements on creativity, on the environment, or on the cause of the Tibetan people -- Childs is working on a book about his years with Greenpeace. With his wife, well-known Minnesota activist and Green Party figure Elizabeth Dickinson, he lives on the West Side of St. Paul in a 1911 house that gets its electricity from a 3-kilowatt solar system; their home has twice been on both the Minneapolis-St. Paul Home Tour and the American Solar Energy Society's national Solar Tour.

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WAC Co-Sponsors... Series

On Friday, July 24, 2009, the World Affairs Council of Kentucky/Southern Indiana will co-sponsor the 1st Annual Asia Business and Economics Summit.

The Summit will address current economic and political conditions in Asia, with particular focus on China, India and Vietnam.  Speakers will provide business and economic forecasts for Asia over the coming year, as well as address current trade issues, monetary concerns, and political relationships between the U.S. and Asian nations.  The Summit will enable business and government leaders and members of the academic community to understand Asian economies and the impact they will have on Louisville and our entire region.

"The Real China Challenge - What's Next?": presented by John L. Rogers, President, Midwest US-China Association

"India and China: An Advanced Technology Race": presented by Ambassador Ernest H. Preeg, Senior Fellow in Trade & Productivity, Manufacturer's Alliance

"A New Role for China's Economy? ": presented by Dr. Deepak Bhattasali, Lead Economist in Economic Policy South Asia Region, World Bank

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The Global Issues Forum Series

On Thursday, October 1, 2009, the World Affairs Council of Kentucky/Southern Indiana will continue its The Global Issues Forum series with William Davis, Director of the United Nations Office in Washington, D.C..

Mr. Davis is the Director of the United Nations Office in Washington, D.C.  He served in the Department of State, where he was responsible for relations with Congress on a range of foreign policy matters including:  counter-narcotics, human rights, refugees, and post-conflict reconstruction.  Mr. David previously worked for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).  Prior to joining the OECD, he worked in the White House, United Nations Treasury, and Defense Departments.

Please note: The exact date for this event has not been set yet.  October 1st, 2009, is a tentative date for this speaker's appearance in Louisville, KY.

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Host Families Sought for the Community Connections Program in Louisville, KY

Hosting international visitors is a great way to travel the world without leaving your home. Community Connections, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and World Learning, introduces citizens from the former Soviet Union to American business, local governance, legal practices, and culture, while encouraging direct and lasting international links.

The WAC of Kentucky and Southern Indiana invites any interested single person, couple, or family to consider hosting an international visitor. Contact us at 502.561.5422 or Matt.Madden@wacaky-in.org for more information on how you can start benefiting from this exciting cultural and professional exchange program.

  Frequently Asked Questions about being a Host Family...