Is your city government doing its part to support citizen diplomacy? The Mayor of Albuquerque is.
- Contributed by Randy Trask, Director of the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Trade Alliance
When someone makes the decision to run for Mayor, they’re not taking on a job role as much as becoming the central problem-solver of a community. Due to the fact that more than 80% of America’s population is found in urban areas, mayors and their city governments have never been more important when it comes to economic development, fighting poverty, improving education, and the list goes on. When a city resident has a problem, they don’t call their Congressman or the President ...
Best Moments from the Sister Cities International 61st Annual Conference
This year’s conference was one for the books. From the beautiful setting of Virginia Beach to our compelling keynote speakers, everyone had a wonderful time connecting with the SCI network on the shared topic of citizen diplomacy and strengthening local programs. Read below for the best moments from the conference, and be on the lookout to register for next year’s conference in Aurora, Colorado.
Opening Ceremony and Parade of Flags
The first day of the conference began with an annual tradition: the Sister Cities International Parade of Flags. Led by mounted patrol, ...
A Brotherhood that Spans the Seas: Archangel and Greater Portland Firefighters Strive for Excellence in Emergency Preparedness & Response
Click here to view the original blog on Medium.The strongest bonds are the ones that are forged in times of adversity. It’s no wonder then that the Fire and Rescue professionals of Greater Portland, Maine have such strong relationships with their fellow firefighters—including ones who work over 4,000 miles away in Greater Portland’s sister city: Arkhangelsk (Archangel), Russia.Recently, a team of six Russian firefighters from Archangel, including a Fire Prevention Specialist, a Psychologist for Rescue Service, and two 15 year old rescue cadets studying rescue ...
Sewing Group Changes Lives of Young Women in Africa
Click here to view the original blog post on Medium.There is a sewing group meeting every month here in Seattle and what they are making is changing the lives of young women half way around the world. Nicole Sanchez tells us how this is more than your typical sewing group and how it is keeping girls safe and in school. This is a special project of the Seattle Limbe Sister City Association & Sarah Allen Sisterhood Saturday Sewing Sisters.
Minneapolis Hosts the First Delegation of Elected Officials from Sister City Najaf, Iraq
Blog contributed by Jessy Belt, Deputy Director, Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project. Click here to view the original blog post on Medium.Having hosted over 50 professors, physicians, lawyers and business people over the past seven years, the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project (IARP) and the Mayor of Minneapolis were proud to host the first delegation of officials from our Sister City of Najaf, Iraq. On May 20 and 21, 2016 five elected Najaf Provincial Council Members, Council President Dr. Majeed Zainy; Vice President Mr. Hussein Al Isawi; Member of ...
Sister Cities International Announces Winners of 2016 Annual Awards for Innovation in Humanitarian Assistance
WASHINGTON, DC – The 2016 Sister Cities International Innovation Award for Humanitarian Assistance recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding community and individual sister city programs that promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation.The award was given to sister city organizations from cities in three different population categories. City of Coral Gables International Affairs Coordinating Council (IACC) of Coral Gables, Florida won for cities of under 100,000 people; Pasadena Sister Cities Committee (PSCC) of Pasadena, California won for ...
Imagining Tomorrow H20 Competition Mentor Q&A
Q&A with Rhoda Toback, Imagining Tomorrow H20 Competition Mentor, Columbia, Maryland. Click here to view the original blog post on Medium.The following post features a Q&A with Rhoda Toback of Columbia, MD, who served as a mentor in the Imagining Tomorrow H20 Competition during fall 2015. The competition was conducted in partnership between Sister Cities International (SCI) and the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) in order to connect U.S. science mentors with high school student teams across the globe to propose sustainable water solutions for the students’ ...
Cities, the Key to a Green Future
Blog contributed by Yoav Magid, Earth Day Director, Earth Day Network. Click here to view the original blog post on Medium.
Each year, Earth Day (April 22) marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. The first Earth Day in 1970 mobilized 20 million people and sparked the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Today, Earth Day engages more than a billion people worldwide, with events in every country and for every level of society!
As more than half of the world’s population now ...
#KidsNeedKiwanis: Key Clubber wins Sister Cities scholarship to expand her service impact
Blog originally posted on Kiwanis International Dateline. Click here to view the blog on Medium.Shannon Louie believes every act of kindness is an expression of world peace. “As long as I make an effort to impact others, I have succeeded in making an imprint on world peace,” she said.Louie’s experience earned her a US$700 scholarship from an association within Sister Cities International, a Kiwanis International community partner that advances better alliances to drive global change, improve the lives of children and help communities to thrive around the ...
‘Imagining Tomorrow: H2O’ Challenge Announces Winning Teams
Teams of students from the U.S. and Ghana propose high-scoring solutions to water issues in their communities, with help from expert mentors.
NEW YORK, March 2, 2016— The Imagining Tomorrow: H20 challenge, an initiative of the Global STEM Alliance of the New York Academy of Sciences and partners Sisters Cities International and Sqore, announced two winning student teams, one from the U.S. and one from Ghana. The challenge was developed to encourage students ages 13-17 from around the world to create innovative science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-focused ...