As 2012 draws to a close, it is a good time to consider where Pittsburgh has been and where it is going. Since 1931 – when the World Affairs Council was founded – Pittsburgh has been an international city. In recent years, this community has worked to establish itself as a truly global city. Following the G-20 Summit in September 2009, Pittsburgh served as host to the One Young World Summit in October of this year. One Young World brought 1,200 young people from 183 countries to Pittsburgh to discuss some of the most pressing economic, political, and social issues of the day. Pittsburgh and the Summit were the focus of many local, national, and international news stories which were viewed by  millions of people around the world. The entire Pittsburgh community rolled out the red carpet for our international visitors, and the Council was at the center of the effort to bring the Summit to our city.

In addition to a range of programs and activities designed to give students and teachers a deeper, more-nuanced understanding of global issues, as well as events designed to give the professional community insights into the global environment, the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh seeks opportunities to expand the city’s international exposure.

 2012 has been a very busy year for the Council! In addition to playing a key role at One Young World, the Council held over 200 events and reached well over 16,500 people. The Council’s efforts were recognized in both the academic and nonprofit sectors.

The Pennsylvania Council for International Education (PaCIE) awarded the Council its prestigious Public Education Award for “outstanding contributions to international education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” 

The Council also was given a 5-Star rating by GreatNonprofits, a leading developer of tools that allow people to find, review, and share information about nonprofit organizations. The team at the Council was truly humbled to see words like “exceeding the goals it sets for itself” and “helping to drive Pittsburgh’s rebirth” used to describe our work.

To find out more about the Council, please visit our website. The Council truly does all that it can with limited resources. But, we count on you to make our work possible. This is a community effort.