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Philanthropy SA Episode 36 - Armen Babajanian with the World Affairs Council of San Antonio

·32 min·1 clip

Babajanian says San Antonio has six former ambassadors living in the city.

Dan Revman speaks with Armin Babajanian, the CEO of the World Affairs Council of San Antonio. They talk about how the council keeps showing up in the city's civic life, and Armin explains how the group works to connect people, programs, and communities active in San Antonio but easy to miss unless someone asks the right questions. The tone stays modest. From there, the conversation turns to the many cultural groups already involved in the city, including Japanese, Indian, Filipino, and Cameroonian communities, along with the larger idea that San Antonio can hold representatives from many countries even when they are not immediately visible. The scale stays local. That local scale matters because the organization is trying to build relationships in a market that does not have the same corporate reach as Houston or Dallas, so the work often depends on active searching, introductions, and follow-through rather than waiting for people to appear. Dan keeps the questions practical. Armin points listeners to the council's website, newsletter, membership opportunities, and gift options, treating those as direct ways to stay connected instead of special insider access. The pitch stays grounded. Rather than dressing the mission up as something abstract, the conversation keeps coming back to community impact, event participation, and the everyday labor of helping people learn about one another. It never feels rushed. The pacing gives Armin room to explain how the council thinks about representation, why it keeps looking for new communities, and why a small invitation can matter as much as a large program. That restraint helps. It also leaves space for the simple reminders that civic work is built from repetition, contact, and follow-up, not just from big announcements or polished statements. The episode stays conversational. Dan's questions guide the structure, but the middle belongs to Armin, who gets room to describe the council's relationships, the groups already showing up, and the people the organization still hopes to reach. The closing is practical. By the end, listeners know where to find the council, how to learn more, and how the organization frames its work as a way to understand the city and the wider world at the same time. The focus is service. The final note links volunteering, community impact, and the idea that doing good starts with showing up, listening, and making room for more voices at the table.

As heard by us

A straightforward conversation about the World Affairs Council of San Antonio and local community connection.

Philanthropy SA reads as a plainspoken conversation between host Dan Revman and Armin Babajanian, the CEO of the World Affairs Council of San Antonio.

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Why you'd press play

If you want the local map behind San Antonio's global communities, start here.

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