Richmond City Council and Mayor Dwight Jones will welcome a Scholastic Delegation from Saitama, Japan and celebrate the 17th year of the Sister City relationship between our two cities...
RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL
Richmond City Council – Richmond City Hall - 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 200 - Richmond, Virginia 23219 www.council.richmondva.gov
COUNCIL PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWS ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, 17 May 2010
Richmond City Council and Mayor to welcome Sister City Delegation from Saitama, Japan
Marks 17th year of Sister City relationship between our two cities
WHAT Richmond City Council and Mayor Dwight Jones will welcome a Scholastic Delegation from Saitama, Japan and celebrate the 17th year of the Sister City relationship between our two cities.
Begun in 1993, the ongoing educational and cultural exchange between Saitama, Japan and Richmond, Virginia includes two major programs, a Scholastic Exchange Program that includes educators and students and a Sports Exchange Program that Includes Saitama’s Youth Baseball and Richmond Little League. This year marks the 11th year of our successful Scholastic Exchange Program.
WHEN Tuesday, May 18, 2010
SCHEDULE
9:00-9:15 a.m. Welcome
• The Honorable Kathy Graziano
President Richmond City Council President
• The Honorable Dwight Jones
Mayor, City of Richmond
• My Lan Tran, Chairman
Richmond Sister Cities Commission
9:15-9:30 a.m. Greetings from Saitama, Japan
• The Honorable Hayato Shimizu
Mayor, Saitama, Japan
• Nobuaki Sekine, Chairman
Saitama Sister Cities
9:30-9:50 a.m. Richmond Recognition and Exchange of gifts
• The Honorable Kathy Graziano
• The Honorable Dwight Jones
• The Honorable Bruce Tyler
Councilman, West End 1st District
Member, Richmond Sister Cities Commission
• The Honorable Hayato Shimizu
• Nobuaki Sekine
9:50-9:55 a.m. Remarks
• Catherine E. Nexsen, Member, Richmond Cities
Commission, Chairman, Saitama/Richmond
9:55-10:00 a.m. Closing Remarks
• The Honorable Kathy Graziano
• The Honorable Bruce Tyler
10:00-10:30 Reception
10:30 a.m. – Noon Open Dialogue Discussions in the Chamber
1. Structure of the Richmond City Council
2. Environmental issues facing Richmond and Saitama
3. Educational issues facing Richmond and Saitama
4. English Teacher Exchange
5. Future of Sister Cities Programs
Noon-1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. -until Richmond Tour
WHERE Richmond City Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall, 2nd floor; 900 E. Broad Street
WHO The Honorable Kathy Graziano
President Richmond City Council President
The Honorable Dwight Jones
Mayor, City of Richmond
The Honorable Hayato Shimizu
Mayor, Saitama, Japan
Nobuaki Sekine, Chairperson,
Saitama Sister Cities
My Lan Tran, Chairman
Richmond Sister Cities Commission
Catherine E. Nexsen, Member
Richmond Cities Commission, Chairman, Saitama/Richmond
CONTACT For more information, please Jennifer Walle, 804.646.5935 (o); 363.3442
(mobile); or jennifer.walle@richmondgov.com
BACKGROUND _________________________________________________________________________
The Richmond City Council Sister Cities Commission, established in 1980, manages the Richmond Sister City Program. The Commission operates under guidelines provided by Council and by requirements of the Sister Cities International organization, located in Washington, D. C. An early champion of international relations, Richmond began its first relationship with its namesake, Richmond Upon Thames, England, in 1930.
Overview of Sister City Program
A formal Sister City concept was created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956. His idea called for exchanges between Americans and people in other countries, with a goal of fostering peace, understanding and harmony.
The term “Sister City” is used to express a closeness that is engendered through commonalities between communities. Formal friendships are then established to promote cultural understanding and educational and economic prosperity.
For example, cities linked with Richmond are generally capital cities with comparable populations, notable points of historic interest, and potential opportunities for economic development and trade.
Globally, there are more than 2,400 Sister City partnerships in 134 countries. Nineteen Virginia cities represent 50 of those partnerships. This includes six in Richmond.
Richmond Sister City Relationships
As of January 1, 2009, Richmond maintains the following Sister City relationships:
1. Richmond upon Thames, England
2. Saitama City, Japan
3. Olysztyn, Poland
4. Uijeongbu, Korea
5. Windhoek, Namibia, Africa
6. Zhengzhou, China
Interest
Throughout the year, Richmond City Council receives requests from citizens and interested cities regarding its Sister Cities Program, which are shared with the Commission.
Recent Sister Cities Activities
Richmond upon Thames: 2008 visit from the Mayor and Councilmember's to Richmond; 2007 visit of Mayor and Council members. Planning for Virginia’s 2007 celebration.
Zhenghou, China: Continued supporting teacher exchanges of art and culture through museums, economic trips to China (conducted by Governor of Virginia with representation from Richmond). An book collection was presented to Richmond citizens from Zhengzhou citizens, which is displayed at the City’s Main Library.
Saitama, Japan: Annual baseball exchange between communities. The exchange features 30 10-12 year olds and their families who spend several days in Richmond visiting sites, playing baseball, and developing friendships and cultural understanding.
Windhoek, Namibia: August 2007: the U.S. State Department brought a camera crew to Richmond from Windhoek coordinated events. July 2003: Richmond donated a Fire Truck to Windhoek.
Uijeongbu, Korea: Includes relationships with the Richmond Korean community and business exchange as well as educational and cultural programs.
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