Sister Cities International Appoints Roger-Mark De Souza as New President and CEO
Sister Cities International today announced the appointment of Mr. Roger-Mark De Souza as its new President and CEO, effective January 2nd, 2018.“We are thrilled and honored to have Roger-Mark joining our team,” said Sister Cities International Board Chair and acting CEO Tim Quigley. “His experience conceptualizing tangible solutions to global issues, galvanizing public and private resources, and his passion for productive relationships that strengthen bonds worldwide make him the right fit to lead the Sister Cities International network movement at this crucial ...
Ukrainian Firefighters head to Arlington Virginia for Professional Exchange
Arlington, Virginia and Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine have not been sister cities for very long. Ivano-Frankivsk has a long history of being an important and diverse trade center and is the capital of the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The two cities signed their agreement in 2011, and since then have been conducting exchanges mutually beneficial to their communities both professionally and economically.
The most recent exchange between the two cities was a professional firefighter exchange. Three Ukrainian firefighters, Chief Volodymyr Chernetskyi, Taras Kochkodan, and Mykola ...
Silver and Gold: Seattle Celebrates 25 Years of Bergen’s Oleana and 50 Years of Sister City Friendship
Contributed by Lori Ann Reinhall of Seattle Bergen Sister CitiesThe Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association has long had a reputation for its parties and galas, and when the opportunity came up to celebrate the silver jubilee of Bergen and Norway’s premier textile company Oleana together with our own golden jubilee in 2017, it was an opportunity too good to pass up. As president of the association, I reached out to Oleana’s representative in the Pacific Northwest, Laura Almaas of Chalet in the Woods in Gig Harbor, 50-some miles south of Seattle. Not before long, we put ...
Stevens Initiative press release
11/06/2017
WASHINGTON, DC, (November 6, 2017) - The Stevens Initiative today announced the award of a 1.5-year grant to Sister Cities International, one of 13 new grants funded through an international competition to use online, collaborative learning to increase cross-cultural understanding and equip young people with the skills needed to thrive in a 21st century economy.
Sister Cities International is among the second cohort of virtual exchange programs to be funded by the Stevens Initiative, an international effort to build career and global competence skills for ...
Sister Cities International Receives Grant from the Stevens Initiative to Expand Virtual Exchange for Special Education Students
WASHINGTON, DC, (November 6, 2017) - The Stevens Initiative today announced the award of a 1.5-year grant to Sister Cities International, one of 13 new grants funded through an international competition to use online, collaborative learning to increase cross-cultural understanding and equip young people with the skills needed to thrive in a 21st century economy.
Sister Cities International is among the second cohort of virtual exchange programs to be funded by the Stevens Initiative, an international effort to build career and global competence skills for young people ...
Portsmouth welcomes Japanese students
"PORTSMOUTH -- Twenty Japanese students sang a traditional 1904 Japanese song “The Hills of Home” to the assembled student body of Portsmouth High School on Thursday, Oct. 5.
The Portsmouth High chorus answered them with the same song, in English, which they’d prepared as part of the Japanese welcome assembly.
The visiting students, three teachers and the school principal Shougo Fujiwara formed this year’s delegation from Nichinan Gakuen Junior-Senior High School, Portsmouth High’s “Sister School” since 1997. Their song would have been familiar to Baron ...
Baltimore and Rotterdam Are Working Towards “Sustainable Cities” Together
In 1985, Baltimore, Maryland, and Rotterdam, Netherlands established a sister city relationship on some common ground: Baltimore lost a great deal of their infrastructure in the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, and Rotterdam’s city center was destroyed during World War II. These disasters forced them to rebuild their communities from the ground up in the 20th century. Additionally, both cities are geographically and demographically similar, have a deeply rooted maritime history, and are home to a lot of innovators and cultural strongholds. Baltimore and Rotterdam also face ...
Korean War vet travels to Hampton sister city in South Korea
Story contributed by Kate Mishkin of the Daily Press
"The first time Marvin Swain was offered a trip to South Korea, he opted out. The Korean War veteran couldn’t handle any more painful memories from his time in the Navy.
But when the Korean-American Friendship Association asked again this year, Swain decided it was time for a second chance.
This week, Swain will be honored for his time in the Navy in South Korea with a certificate of honorary citizenship of Anyang, which is a sister city to Hampton. The city of Anyang and the Korean-American ...
Kusakabe Taro: the Samurai Connecting New Brunswick and Fukui
From October 4th through the 7th New Brunswick, New Jersey hosted a delegation from Fukui, Japan to celebrate 35 years of friendship. The two cities formed their sister city relationship in 1982, committing to exchanging ideas and culture in order to promote peace and grow together. Their partnership has led to the growth of student exchange programs, cultural ambassador programs, and more. The Fukui delegation consisted of over 40 people including the Vice Mayor and members of the City Council; members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce; and members of the Fukui ...
Urbana and Zomba: Improving Quality of Life in Urban Southeast Africa
Contributed by: Councilman Dennis Roberts of Urbana, Illinois
Several years after receiving a grant to address urban poverty through water, health, and sanitation projects, Urbana, Illinois continues to help its sister city Zomba, Malawi reach its full potential through projects that improve the lives of Zomba citizens.
The relationship between Urbana and Zomba began in 2008. Two years later, Urbana was awarded an African Urban Poverty Alleviation Program (AUPAP) grant to address local health problems in sister city Zomba as well as promote peace and prosperity through ...