Archived Newsletters

• February 2007
  • Anyone who has lived through a Chicago winter knows that there is no better time than now to go on vacation. Chicago is a nonstop global gateway to 54 international destinations. Our airports handle more air passenger traffic than any other city in the world. According to World Business Chicago, in 2005 Chicago averaged more than 3,450 flights and 258,751 passengers per day!

    The airline industry has seen that Chicago is the global city of the Midwest and new services are frequently announced. This year Chicago will see its first nonstop flight to Africa. This follows a trend of offering nonstop flights from Chicago to destinations originally accessible only through connections in U.S. cities like New York and Los Angeles. With nonstop international flights to such places as Delhi, Dublin, Mexico City, Nassau, Paris, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Warsaw, in addition to the endless possibilities of connecting flights, what better city to fly out of than Chicago?

    And if you are a Chicagoan who does love the snow, in April you will be able to fly direct to Vienna for some great skiing.

    Whether you are interested in the global economy, a flamenco festival, the Chinese New Year, or Islamic Art, Global Chicago wishes you a warm winter and convenient travels.

• January 2007
  • Welcome to 2007! May this year bring everyone good health, success, and happiness.

    If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to learn a new language, Chicago provides numerous resources to get you started. The most popular school, Berlitz, has over 450 centers around the world with the Chicago center offering over 50 languages. There are also many other options. The newly opened Language Loop offers Arabic and Portuguese among their 11 languages. Many nearby colleges, such as the College of DuPage, offer Hindi and Swedish in addition to various other languages as adult non-credit courses. Learn Chinese at the Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute, French at the Alliance Française, German at the Goethe Institute, Italian at Italidea, or Spanish at Instituto Cervantes.

    And if you already have a grasp of a foreign language but just need to practice more, join one of the seven Chicago Council foreign language dinners that meet monthly in various Chicago restaurants.

    Whether you want to listen to Music Without Borders, discover communication differences between Chinese and Americans, debate the future of the United Nations, or learn a foreign language…Global Chicago wishes you a Happy New Year!

• December 2006
  • As the winter holidays approach, people often get inspired to make New Year resolutions to volunteer with charitable and community organizations. Chicago offers a variety of programs that allow you to help the needy, introduce foreigners to the city, or even just spend some free time volunteering with a nonprofit whose mission is important to you.

    The Greater Chicago Food Depository is always looking for volunteers to help serve meals to the poor. Interested in a motorcycle ride in the cold? Join the Toys for Tots motorcycle parade on December 3. Help children build confidence through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago or provide humanitarian relief by volunteering for the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago.

    Many international organizations offer opportunities to volunteer, particularly with the large number of immigrants that come to our great city. Tutor at the Centro Romero, coordinate events at the Alliance Française, or be a mentor at the Pan-African Association and at the Chinese Mutual Aid Association. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is always looking for voter registration volunteers and The Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights welcomes volunteers for even just a day.

    Our Organization of the Month, the Chicago’s Greeter Program, asks volunteers to welcome new visitors to Chicago and show them our great city. And of course, you can always volunteer for at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs by helping implement any number of our events throughout the year.

    Whether you want to learn about Burma’s fight for freedom, visit a Moroccan souk, attend a China symposium, or volunteer, Global Chicago wishes you a wonderful holiday season.

• November 2006
  • Visual arts provide unique windows to the world. This month, Chicago will be dedicating “Agora,” (in Greek means a place of gathering), a sculpture of 106 headless iron figures, nearly nine feet tall, in Grant Park. This is a gift to Chicago from the world renowned Polish artist, Magdalena Abakanowicz, the Polish Ministry of Culture, and a private Polish foundation. Warsaw is Chicago’s first international Sister City.

    Chicago is home to many museums that expose visitors to other cultures. The DuSable Museum of African American History, Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Oriental Institute Museum, Polish Museum of America, Swedish American Museum Center, and Ukrainian National Museum are just a few examples of museums open to the public year-round. Many smaller galleries are also sources of cultural insight, such as the Havana Gallery focusing on the work of Cuban artists.

    And if you haven’t been to the Museum of Contemporary Art recently, plan on visiting the Bruce Mau exhibit on Massive Change: The Future of Global Design. It describes itself as “a celebration of the human capacity to change the world and a call to recognize both the power and the responsibility of design.”

    From the Chicago Humanities Festival to Spanish guitar concert to the Bangalore Tiger lecture…Chicago is global in November!

• October 2006
  • October is quite the month for global activity in Chicago. Chicago will also be host to numerous international films and directors during the 42nd annual Chicago International Film Festival. Screening over 100 films from more than 35 different countries, the festival offers insight into other nations' cultures and challenges through cinema.

    Silk Road Chicago is still presenting a variety of exhibits and performances related to theme of the Silk Road -- trade routes between China and the Mediterranean Sea. The Mexican Fine Arts Center has launched its exhibition on the Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos -- the Mexican holiday devoted to remembering deceased loved ones.

    On October 22, over 30,000 runners from more than 100 different countries will be in Chicago for the 29th annual LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. You can cheer runners at any point along their route, which goes through many ethnic neighborhoods such as Pilsen and Chinatown, or meet in Grant Park to be a part of the energy and excitement of the finale.

    From a Taiwanese photo exhibit to a Brazilian architecture lecture to the release of The Chicago Council's public opinion survey, Chicago is truly global in October!

• September 2006
  • For more than 80 years, The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations has helped bring the world to Chicago. Now we are bringing Chicago's ideas and opinions to the world. We are changing our name to reflect this broadening mission. On September 1st, 2006, we become The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

    On September 13, The Chicago Council will release a report on the economic engagement of greater Chicago and its Mexican community, A Shared Future. Please visit Global Chicago’s Event of the Month.

    On September 27, The Chicago Council will release a report on the future of U.S. agricultural policy in the global economy. Please visit Conference on Globally Competitive Agriculture and the Midwest.

    Both reports will be available to view and download on the Council's Web site. With these reports and others to soon follow, The Chicago Council hopes to greatly contribute to the discourse on critical international issues.