Impact and Programs
Accomplishments
Throughout 2022-2023, over 450 activities covering 137 countries inspired more than 15,000 people to connect with and learn about our changing world. Through free and low-cost public events, we connect Minnesota with the global community and offer timely information on topics of international importance. From local foreign policy experts to visiting ambassadors and diplomats, over 75 events engaged more than 5,000 participants in understanding world trends and making global decisionmakers accessible to our community. Our K-12 education programs ignite the global curiosity of our youngest learners. The Academic WorldQuest knowledge competition gathered 27 high school teams together to challenge students’ global understanding. Classroom Connection brought the world’s cultures to more than 1,500 school children through 3,480 contact hours of learning. This past year, over 300 emerging leaders from around the world visited Minnesota for professional and cultural exchange. These professionals met with government officials, nonprofit executives, education professionals, and corporate leaders to share best practices and experiences. These visiting professionals from over 100 countries are participants in the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program and other exchange programs. Building on our origins of welcoming international students over 70 years ago, we’re reenergized our efforts and reached over 1,000 international students this year. More than 40 events and outings offered support, Minnesota cultural insights, and career advice to students from 26 universities and colleges. The Great Decisions discussion program, a collaboration with the national Foreign Policy Association, creates grassroots discussion groups with local community leaders designed to make critical foreign policy conversations accessible to people throughout the state. Over two dozen groups came together this past year to host nearly 200 discussions with local experts identified by Global Minnesota, fostering important debate and discussion on key foreign policy topics of our times.
Current Goals
Global Minnesota seeks to increase our role as a connector and thought leader in international outreach and understanding throughout the state. We intend to further expand programming throughout Greater Minnesota to bring the world to an even wider variety of communities. This includes sending more high schools from across the state to the Academic WorldQuest knowledge competition, as well as expanding the geographic scope of the Classroom Connection program to bring more international students into K-12 classrooms. Our grassroots Great Decisions discussion groups are active throughout the state and we intend to expand this program into nearly two dozen communities this year. Professional Exchanges showcase Minnesota by hosting hundreds of U.S. Department of State-sponsored exchange participants who meet to share best practices with their Minnesota counterparts in nonprofits, educational institutions, businesses and government agencies across the state. We aim to host over 300 of these visitors in 2024, including in cities like Austin, Duluth, and Rochester. Finally, World Affairs Public Forums offer expert speakers on the most pressing global issues through free and inexpensive events. They highlight Minnesota leadership on the global stage and increase Minnesota’s global profile. We will continue to broaden the reach of these critically-important programs by livestreaming major public events and community forums to bring Minnesota to the world.
Community or Constituency Served
From around the corner to across the state, Global Minnesota's wide-ranging programs serve as a gathering place for people, organizations, and communities of all ages, backgrounds, and professions to connect with the world.
Geographic Area Served
Minnesota
