WorldBoston Inc.

Academic WorldQuest, the World Affairs Councils of America’s flagship youth education program, is a fun, fast-paced, team-oriented global knowledge competition for high school students. Academic WorldQuest tests player’s knowledge of current international politics, geography, global economics, history, and world cultures and is a powerful way for high school students to engage with international affairs. Teams are comprised of four students plus alternates who typically prepare in an after-school setting over the course of several months. The prize for the winning team is an all expenses paid trip to Washington, DC for the national championship competition hosted by the World Affairs Councils of America!

Great Decisions is the largest nonpartisan public education program on international affairs in the world. Created in the 1950s by the Foreign Policy Association, a sister World Affairs Council, Great Decisions engages citizens in learning about critical global issues and U.S. foreign policy.

Based on the Foreign Policy Association’s annual briefing book on eight critical foreign policy topics, WorldBoston’s Great Decisions Discussion Series presents analysis by leading experts in eight sessions throughout the year at the Boston Public Library. The series is free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

Every Great Decisions event is filmed and can be viewed on the GBH Forum Network website or on our YouTube channel.

Our popular Chat & Chowder book talk series features prominent authors on international affairs and speakers on critical current events. True to its name, Chat & Chowder features a selection of delicious soups, chowder, and beverages. The intimate setting encourages discussion with speakers and conversation with other WorldBoston members and guests.

WorldBoston’s annual State of the State Department is a high-level speaking event, serving as an annual occasion to assess the strength of a critical instrument in the pursuit of U.S. national interest, within a policy context.

We initiated The State of the State Department (or SOSD) in 2018, inspired in part by distinguished current and former diplomats, including retired Amb. Nicholas Burns and Amb. Barbara Stephenson, then in active service as President of the American Foreign Service Association. They and others had written unusually impassioned and widely-read articles expressing alarm about the decline of the State Department and the need for renewed attention to diplomacy to protect and advance the U.S. national interest. In February 2018, we held our first SOSD event with Ambassadors Nicholas Burns and Barbara Stephenson. Since then, we have made it into an annual event, with Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield joining us in 2019 and Amb. Stavros Lambrinidis in 2020.

Thank you to our sponsors, Boston Public Library and the Lowell Institute, who make this special program possible. Every SOSD event is filmed and can be viewed at the GBH Forum Network or on our YouTube channel.

WorldBoston works to foster engagement in international affairs and cooperation with peoples of all nations. We use our expansive local network and deep expertise to ensure quality programming for a wide variety of groups aligned with this mission.

With more than half a century of experience in providing tailored services to international visitors, WorldBoston has built a unique and trusted network in the Greater Boston area. Our ability to meet your group’s distinct needs is a result of tireless planning and networking by our Citizen Diplomacy Programs team. From organizing professional meetings and cultural activities to detail-focused hotel and transportation bookings, we have it covered!

The Fulbright Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1946 "to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries." Named for its sponsor, the late Senator J. William Fulbright, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. Government's premier international educational exchange vehicle. Grants are awarded on the basis of academic merit and professional promise to U.S. students, teachers, and scholars, as well as to foreign citizens, to study, teach, lecture, and conduct research.

The Fulbright Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1946 "to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries." Named for its sponsor, the late Senator J. William Fulbright , the Fulbright Program is the U.S. Government's premier international educational exchange vehicle. Grants are awarded on the basis of academic merit and professional promise to U.S. students, teachers, and scholars, as well as to foreign citizens, to study, teach, lecture, and conduct research. WorldBoston serves as the official “Anchor City” coordinator in Massachusetts and Rhode Island of Enrichment Programs for Fulbright Visiting Scholars (who are graduate and postgraduate scholars).

These activities allow Fulbright Visiting Scholars to go beyond their academic research to meet locals; explore "behind the scenes" of American institutions and neighborhoods; and learn about aspects of U.S. culture and society they might not otherwise encounter. These enrichment activities help further the Fulbright Program’s goal of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and people of other countries.