(Open to the Public by Reservation)

The Northshore branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is celebrating 51 years sponsoring the Great Decisions program, an offering of the Foreign Policy Association, as a community outreach.  Great Decisions, the centerpiece of the longest-running civic education program in the United States devoted to foreign affairs, empowers readers to discuss global issues shaping U.S. foreign policy and the world.

Published annually by the Foreign Policy Association, the Great Decisions briefing book features impartial, thought-provoking analyses on eight issues of concern to U.S. policymakers today.  The briefing book provides historical background, current U.S. policy and alternative policy options, informative maps and detailed graphs, suggested readings and resources, as well as opinion ballots for each topic.  Opinion ballots are tabulated and the results are presented in the National Opinion Ballot Report, a representative survey of readers’ views on the eight Great Decisions topics. This report is made available to members of Congress, the White House, the media, and concerned citizens.

Charlene Sanders with members holding years of Great Decisions books

The Northshore branch has the longest running association, as a branch of AAUW, with Great Decisions in the nation, having offered this program as a community outreach since 1973.  We offer three sessions of the discussions; all are open to the public.

The Monday afternoon group meets at the Madisonville branch library beginning at 1:00 PM.  The Monday evening session meets at the Causeway branch library at 6 pm. Both sessions begin on Monday, February 26, 2024. This year we have added a new session in Slidell. This session begins on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at the south Slidell branch library on Pontchartrain Dr.

The cost to participate is for the briefing book prepared by the Foreign Policy Association (FPA).  It is discounted from the amount charged by the FPA if the books are pre-ordered (call to ask the current price). Anyone who is interested in participating should contact Martha Gonzalez at (985) 869-2971 or Eileen deHaro at (985) 264-1338; please specify whether you are interested in attending the afternoon or the evening session.

Briefing book pre-orders are taken every October. At the beginning of the sessions there are limited additional books available at the discounted price.

For a listing of current discussion topics, please check the Foreign Policy Association web site.