Colorado Springs World Affairs Council

Who We Are

Founded in 1979, the Colorado Springs World Affairs Council is a non-partisan, not-for-profit, educational organization. The Council is a member of the World Affairs Councils of America, a national network of over 90 autonomous councils across the United States, and Global Ties US, a non-partisan organization established to promote excellence in citizen diplomacy.  

Our Mission: We are a nonpartisan forum for education and engagement on world affairs.

Our Vision: Understanding the world happens here.

Our Purpose: To help prepare this and the next generation to be informed citizens of a global power and effective participants in a global marketplace. Guiding Principle: An informed and engaged citizenry must be the foundation for shaping policy in a free society. This is especially true in the domain of foreign policy, where global issues are increasingly complex and international relationships are increasingly interdependent.

What we do

Our programming lies in three primary areas.   

Community Education. We provide education on international affairs to the community through our Distinguished Speaker Series and the Great Decisions discussion group series, which are open to the public, and our member programs.   The member programs include activities such as discussion groups, book clubs, a local speakers forum, and a travel program.

Exchange Programs.  We provide professional exchange programming for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).  The IVLP is the United States’ foundational professional exchange program and operated under the US Department of State. It is designed to build trust and collaboration between U.S. and international counterparts and support U.S. foreign policy goals.

High School Programs. We are eager to engage and provide opportunities to the local high school network and have a variety of regularly scheduled and ad hoc events available.

• High School Symposium: Each year a timely international topic becomes the focus of an all-day interactive debate. There is a keynote speaker, and the day is filled with other educational activities that may include debates, panel discussions, and film on the topic, followed by small group discussions and conclusions with several hundred students from across the city.
• Other: We can provide expert speakers to select audiences and have sent many students to Washington as to participate in The World Affairs Councils of America’s flagship team based youth education program, Academic WorldQuest.