Richmond
City Council – Richmond City Hall - 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305 - Richmond,
Virginia 23219 U.S.A. - www.council.richmondva.gov
COUNCIL PUBLIC
INFORMATION NEWS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE
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Richmond at epicenter of Virginia international relations as Richmond City Council Sister Cities
Commission hosts the 2015 Virginia Statewide Sister Cities Conference this Friday
All are invited and encouraged to attend.
WHAT (Richmond,
Virginia U.S.A.) – Richmond is positioned at the epicenter of Virginia international
relations as the Richmond City Council Sister Cities Commission hosts the 2015
Virginia Statewide Sister Cities Conference in on Friday, July 10, 2015.
Serving as the
catalyst and organizer of the event, the Richmond City Council Sister Cities
Commission will host representatives of local Sister Cities entities from
cities, towns and regions across the Commonwealth.
Sister City
relationships are formalized friendships between two cities (or local areas) in
different countries and serve to mutually benefit them by sparking, increasing
and nurturing educational and economic opportunities. There are more than 20
local Sister Cities entities across Virginia.
Those
interested in the conference may register at the door the morning of the event.
Registration is $25 and includes
a light breakfast and lunch.
WHEN Friday, July 10, 2015
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
WHERE Richmond Times-Dispatch Building – 1st Floor
Community Room
300 East Franklin Street; Richmond, Virginia
PARKING: Free Parking is available in the Richmond Times-Dispatch Parking
Deck, located on 3rd Street – between East Grace and East Franklin
Streets
WHO Richmond City
Council Sister Cities Commission
CONTACT
For more info, please contact Ms. Julia Martin, at 757.418.0882
(tel); and/or juliatopaz.martin@gmail.com
AGENDA The agenda for the conference is as follows:
8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Registration and Welcome / Continental Breakfast
Welcome remarks by special
guest-TBD.
9:00 a.m.
Call to Order and Welcome
Call to Order by
Ruth Hodges Fraser, Virginia State Coordinator, Sister Cities International; Brief
welcoming remarks by Richmond Sister Cities Chair Dr. Patricia Cummins and
Richmond City representative TBD.
9:20 a.m. Introductions
Introductions of each city delegation.
9:30 a.m.
Sister Cities International Greeting
SCI salutation by Mary Kane, President and
CEO, introduced by
Patricia Cummins,
PhD, Chair of the Richmond Sister Cities Commission.
9:45 a.m.
Sister Cities in Action: A Facilitated
Exploration
Breakout sessions
in small groups organized by continent to brainstorm Best Practices, generate
new ideas, and discover some of the innovative activities cities around
Virginia are initiating.
10:45 a.m.
Break
11:00 a.m.
Sister Cities Success Stories
In the style of a
TED Talk, five city representatives each present a 10-minute showcase of their
organizations’ pioneering Sister Cities projects and initiatives. Featuring:
Catherine Scherer- Norfolk Sister Cities Association; Kate Helwig- Newport News
Sister Cities; Bert Dodson- Sister City of Lynchburg; Ruth Hodges Fraser -
Virginia Sister Cities Association, Sister Cities Association of Virginia
Beach; Barbara Nesbitt- Richmond Sister Cities Commission.
Noon
Lunch and Keynote Address
Remarks by Anne
Goddard, President and CEO of ChildFund, International, a global child
development organization headquartered in Richmond. Anne has more than three
decades of international development experience, and recently traveled to New
Zealand, West Africa and Latin America to visit ChildFund programs.
1:00 p.m.
Sister Cities Spotlight: From Richmond to Ségou
The Richmond-Ségou sister city relationship
began with an African Urban Poverty and Alleviation Program (AUPAP) grant from
Sister Cities International and was followed by other humanitarian projects,
university research on healthcare, sports and youth projects, and most recently
a Richmond House initiative with ground breaking for a building this month.
Visiting Ségou representatives
join us to discuss these projects.
2:15
Break
2:30 p.m.
“You Are Never Too Young” – A Panel Discussion
An interactive
group discussion on the best ways to engage young volunteers in Sister Cities
programs and activities. Featuring: Rev. Ralph Brown- Charlottesville Sister Cities
Commission; Mary Jo Fassié - Roanoke Valley Sister Cities, Inc.; Shannon
Wilson-Gonzalez - Richmond Sister Cities Commission; Sabrina Boggs- Richmond
Sister Cities Commission; Mikey Saoma- Virginia Commonwealth University.
3:15 p.m.
Participant Takeaway
In small groups,
participants will share their key lessons learned and creative takeaways from
the day.
3:30 p.m.
Adjournment
Ruth Hodges
Fraser, Virginia State Coordinator, Sister Cities International
Note: agenda subject to change.
Background on the Richmond City Council Sister Cities
Commission ______________
The Richmond City Council Sister Cities Commission was
established by Richmond City Council in 1980 and consists of 13 members. One
of more than 50 boards, task forces, and commissions created to assist Richmond
City Council with providing oversight of
certain projects and priorities, the Sister Cities Commission operates under
Council guidelines as well as the requirements of the Sister Cities
International organization, located in Washington, D.C.
An early champion of international
relations, Richmond began a relationship with its namesake, Richmond upon
Thames, England, in 1930. In 1956, a formal Sister City concept was
established in the United States of America by U. S. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower. President Eisenhower's idea called for exchanges between Americans
and the peoples of 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 cities with comparable populations, notable points of historic
interest, and potential opportunities for economic development and trade.
Richmond Sister City Relationships
Richmond currently maintains the following Sister City
relationships:
1. Richmond upon
Thames, England (Europe)
2. Saitama
City, Japan (Asia)
3. Windhoek,
Namibia (Africa)
4. Zhengzhou, China
(Asia)
5. Segou, Republic
of Mali (Africa)
Interest
Throughout the year, Richmond City Council receives
requests from residents and interested cities regarding its Sister Cities
Program, which are shared with the Commission.
Some Examples of Sister Cities Activities
_________________________________________
Segou, Republic of Mali (Africa)
Richmond’s partnership with Segou, Republic of Mali, is
Richmond’s newest Sister City relationship. Richmond and the city of Segou
became Sister Cities following the adoption of Richmond City Council Resolution
2009-R99-109, adopted July 27, 2009, that invited Segou to become a formal
Sister City of Richmond. The relationship was formalized in Richmond on October
12, 2009, with a visiting delegation of dignitaries from Segou.
In April 2010 Richmond was awarded a grant
of $115,000 by Sister Cities International for a two-year African
Sustainability Project to address sanitation, health, and water issues in
Segou. On May 10, 2010, Richmond City Council received and welcomed a visiting
delegation from the Republic of Mali. The delegation included six members of
the country’s government, who were in Richmond for the day as part of a
government training program sponsored by the Institute for Global Training, and
USAID in Washington D.C. The delegation was also shown state and local
government by the Virginia Institute of Government, part of the University of
Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center.
On October 6, 2010, the Richmond City
Council Sister Cities Commission, along with members of Richmond City Council
and the Richmond Government Administration, welcomed The Honorable Ousmane K.
Simaga, Mayor of Segou, Republic of Mali (Africa); The Honorable Madani
Sissoko, Councilman, Segou, Republic of Mali (Africa), President of the Segou
Sister City Commission; and a number of additional dignitaries from Segou,
Republic of Mali (Africa), during its monthly meeting.
Richmond upon Thames, England (Europe)
In 2007 Richmond was honored with a visit from the Mayor
and Councilmembers from Richmond upon Thames, Richmond’s Sister City in
England. The delegation visited in the coordination and planning of events
leading up to Virginia’s 400th Anniversary celebration in 2007. The following
year, Richmond was again honored with a visit from the Mayor and Councilmembers
from Richmond upon Thames in 2008.
Zhenghou, China (Asia)
Richmond continues supporting teacher exchanges and
exchanges of art and culture through museums, and economic trips to China
(conducted by the Governor of Virginia with representation from Richmond). A
book collection was presented to Richmond citizens from Zhengzhou citizens,
which is displayed at the Richmond Public Library - Main Library.
Saitama, Japan (Asia)
The Sister Cities of Richmond, Virginia and Saitama,
Japan continue their annual student, academic, sports, and
cultural exchange programs.
- Richmond has
an ongoing annual baseball exchange with Saitama, which began in Richmond
in 1994 and rotates each year from Richmond to Saitama.
(Note: The 2011 exchange was canceled due to the tragic earthquake and tsunami that severely impacted Japan.)
·
From August 3-8, 2012 Richmond welcomed Japanese Little League
Baseball team players for the 18th Richmond City Council Sister Cities
Richmond-Saitama International Junior Baseball Exchange. This exchange marked
the return of the annual event for the first time since 2010, as the 2011
events were canceled due to the tragic earthquake and tsunami that severely
impacted Japan. During their week-long stay, the little leaguers enjoyed
international cultural exchange, and played baseball games with Little League teams
in the Richmond area. The visiting Saitama team included 17 players, one City
Official, four coaches, and an emergency technician. The games and friendships
fostered during the little leaguers’ visit to Richmond are sterling examples of
the partnership and collaboration between Richmond and Saitama.
·
On June 23, 2012, three educators from Saitama, Japan, visited
Richmond for two weeks as part of the Richmond Sister Cities Commission
Educational Exchange program. That visit marked the 13th year of this
successful educational exchange program, which began in 1998.
·
In March of 2012, 10 high school students and two teachers from
Urawa Municipal High School in Saitama, Japan, visited Richmond to as part of a
week-long Richmond Sister Cities Commission Educational Exchange program.
Windhoek, Namibia (Africa)
·
August 2007:
the U.S. State Department brought a camera crew to Richmond from Windhoek, Namibia, and coordinated events.
·
July 2003:
Richmond donated a Fire Truck to Windhoek.
For more information on the Richmond City Council Sister Cities
Commission, please visit the webpage, at http://www.richmondgov.com/CommissionSisterCities/index.aspx
