CC PACKET 08281984 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

> seer - FACT SHEET cities s es The President of the United State% THE U.S. SISTER CITIES ORGANIZATION Honorary Chairman PURPOSE: The Town Affiliation Association of the U.S., Inc.(known popularly as Sister Cities International)is committed to the goal of strengthening global understanding by encouraging and assisting sister city relationships between U.S. communities and their citizens, and cities throughout the world. A sister city link comes about when an American community of whatever size or character officially links with a. community in another nation. The goal for the cities involved is to learn more about each other and to develop lasting and meaningful exchanges. The ideal affiliation involves a large-number of citizens and organizations in both communities engaging in exchanges of people, ideas and cultures on a long-term basis. The national association provides a mechanism for U.S.cities to enter this program by assisting them in the process of linking with a city in another country. It acts as a coordinator and catalyst to encourage various types of sister cities programs, and serves as a clearinghouse to gather, analyze and exchange information, knowledge and technology. HISTORY: Affiliations between cities in the United States and other countries began shortly after 1945, but no real national focus was realized until 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated the People-to-People Program at the White House. Out of this grew Sister Cities International which has assisted more than 725 U.S. cities, representing over 90 million Americans, establish links with over 1,000 communities in 84 other nations of the world. MEMBERSHIP: Sister Cities International is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1967. The assocation-has-four..categor-ies-of memberhship: City-member. Individual member, Service/Institutional member • and Corporate Sustaining member. Association activities are also supported by private contributions, foundation grants and by funding support from the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. Agency for International Development. LEADERSHIP: A twenty-five member board of directors governs Sister Cities International with assistance from an International Executive Board. The board of directors is composed of twenty-one elected members. There are eleven officers - a president,a chairman of the board, a chairman of the executive committee,six regional vice-presidents,a secretary and treasurer and ten members. These twenty-one directors are elected at-large by and from the membership of the association at the annual business session-seven directors each year for three-year terms. In addition,three directors are appointed by the president, with the approval of the board,and one director is elected each year by the National Youth Program Assembly to serve as the youth representative. A nation-wide system of volunteer state representatives provides services to local member cities throughout the United States and coordinates workshops to assist in training programs at the state level.State representatives are appointed for a two-year term of office by the SCI board of directors. This system of state representatives helps to develop leadership within the program on a broad national scope. ACTIVITIES: In addition to policy, program development and member services, the organization coordinates and facilitates several major activities. They are: technical assistance programs with developing-nations; youth and education programs;a national awards program; assistance in formalizing new affiliations; research and information serivice; and training. MEETINGS: The association holds an annual conference in the summer which focuses on national and international issues. The annual.conference alternates between East. Central and West of the United States. In addition,state workshops and local training seminars are held to increase program skills at other times of the year. For further information — contact: • National Headquarters West Coast Office: Sister Cities International Sister Cities International 1625 Eye Street, N.W., Suite 424-26 548 South Spring Street, Suite 920 Washington, D.C. 20006 Los Angeles, California 90013 Telephone: (202) 293-5504 Telephone: (213) 627-2585