The World Affairs Council of Charlotte serves as a resource for the local school community, providing educational programming and scholarships. Each year nearly $35,000 in grants and programs are provided to teachers and students in support of their commitment to international education initiatives. Since 1996, we have directly impacted over 700 teachers and more than 70,000 students.

Council Scholars are selected educators who have shown outstanding commitment to promoting international education in their schools, communities and the greater Charlotte region. Through the Council Scholar Award initiative, scholars are provided the opportunity to participate in international conferences, study abroad programs, language classes or other eligible international education opportunities. Council Scholars bring back new perspectives and insights on global education that they then use to enrich the classroom experience for their students.

Teams from public and independent high schools in the greater Charlotte region are invited to compete in Academic WorldQuest, a highly competitive international knowledge competition. Categories include world history, flags, foreign policy, international relations, geography and current events.

Through the Global Student Leadership Program, high school students are selected to attend WACC programs that they might not otherwise have access to due to cost limitations. These students are given the opportunity to listen to, and engage with experts who talk about world affairs and current events that coincide with what they are currently discussing in the classroom.

The Council has formed successful education collaborations with UNC Charlotte, Davidson College, Central Piedmont Community College, Wingate University and Charlotte School of Law through the Speaker-In-The-Classroom initiative. These partnerships allow us to bring speakers to college campuses in the area thereby providing access to students and faculty members to learn from world-renowned authors, state and government leaders and experts on global issues.

We offer similar roundtable and lecture opportunities to Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, Union County Public Schools, and area independent schools such as Charlotte Country Day School, Charlotte Latin School, and Providence Day School.

The Global Learning Competition, in partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, offers middle school students an exciting opportunity to explore global issues and present their findings through an essay or short video focused on a specific country.

Students will:

• Research a global issue such as poverty, hunger, humanitarian aid, or international conservation.
• Analyze the issue from a country-specific perspective.
• Propose a solution and support it with credible evidence.
• Develop a well-organized essay or create a compelling video presentation with slide decks.

This competition helps students strengthen research and communication skills while deepening their understanding of global challenges.

The World Affairs Council of Charlotte was selected as the Euro Challenge coordinator for the state of North Carolina in partnership with Working in Support of Education (WISE) based in New York.

Launched by the Delegation of the European Union to the U.S. in partnership with The Moody’s Foundation and with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York serving as program advisor, the Euro Challenge tests high school students on their knowledge and understanding of the European economy and the euro, the currency shared by many of the 28 countries of the European Union. Teams create presentations that explore real world economic problems and allow students the opportunity to step into the shoes of international policy makers by crafting recommendations and solutions