Mission and History

    The World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley is a non-partisan forum for citizen participation in world affairs. Its mission is to raise public awareness of the issues that unite and divide nations, people, and major faith communities, and to stimulate interest in a better understanding of important world affairs. We encourage informed exploration of world issues and their relationship and connections to the Mid-Hudson Valley region.

    The Council offers information about our increasingly complex world through public lectures, panels and debates, and educational and cultural programs. In 2006 the Council has begun to develop new programs and collaborative efforts to reach high school and college young people.

    The Council seeks out partner organizations to co-host events. Recent partners have included: The Wallace Educational Center at the FDR Presidential Library, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, Vassar College, Mohonk Consultations, SUNY New Paltz, Marist College, and Dutchess Community College.

    Headquartered in Poughkeepsie, New York, the Council serves Dutchess, Ulster, and Orange Counties. The board and its membership are composed of individuals with an interest in public affairs and the role of the United States in the global community of nations.

    The World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley was founded in 2003 and is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. As a non-profit, non-partisan organization, it is supported by private funding from individual and corporate member dues and contributions.

    As a regional center for education and discussion of world affairs, the WACMHV seeks to provide leadership for global thinking, believing that a broad perspective is necessary for effective competition in the global economy and for responsible citizenship in the increasingly interdependent political world.

    We are an all volunteer organization. All membership dues, sponsorships and grants cover the costs of our programs and general operations.

    It became a member of the National World Affairs Councils of America in 2004.Currently there are 86 World Affairs Council Chapters throughout the United States with over 400,000 participants. With a network of over 85 Councils in nearly every major city throughout the country, the Council system has become the largest international affairs nonprofit organization in the United States working to address the need for more global understanding in America.

    Please consider becoming a member of the Council. We have a number of membership levels; one will be right for you.

World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley, Inc.