You have just two days left in 2010 to make your charitable contribution to Sister Cities International. I hope you’ll help us reach our fundraising goal with a year-end gift. We want to go into our 55th Anniversary year with a positive energy. What were some of our accomplishments in 2010…
• Convenings - an inspiring Conference in New Mexico brought together more than 400 sister city leaders from around the U.S. and the globe as well as online workshops and learning sessions throughout the year.
• Africa Urban Poverty Alleviation Program – a program where we are making a difference in 24 African cities in 13 countries with water, health, and sanitation interventions.
• Youth and Education – a robust set of gatherings (in-person and virtual!) to foster the next generation of citizen diplomats.
• Advocacy – a voice for our network on Capitol Hill, at the Department of State, and with other pivotal Washington institutions.
Here’s how you can help today with a gift. It's as easy as 1, 2, or 3!
1> Visit www.sister-cities.org/donate2010 and fill-in our online giving form. With a credit card in hand, this will take you about 45 seconds. (Timing may vary depending on how quick your hunt and peck typing may be!) I would suggest a $150 donation.
2> Donate using your mobile phone! Text SCI to 85944 and a one-time donation of $10 will be billed to your mobile phone bill. Messaging & data rates may apply. Donations are collected for Sister Cities International by mobilecause.com. (Reply STOP to 85944 to stop. Reply HELP to 85944 for help. For terms, see www.igfn.org/t.)
3> Write a check to Sister Cities International and mail it to Attn: Development Dept,1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004.
If you’ve already made a donation, pass this along to your friends, family, and colleagues!
Thank you and here’s to a terrific 2011!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
From Eisenhower to Obama: Citizen Diplomacy Marches On (Part 2)
A few posts ago I mentioned the U.S. Summit on Global Citizen Diplomacy. This was the second convening of citizen diplomacy leaders since President Eisenhower's initial call to action in 1956.
Summit produced a range of materials, breifings, and presentations on Faith-based groups, the role of the private sector, how state governments are engaging in citizen diplomacy, the health field, youth and education, and much more. There are some terrific examples within these publications. You may also be interested in the Summit's final report, which calls for a 10-year initiative to engage more U.S. citizens in our work.
I was pleased to to-chair a Task Force on Community-based Organizations with Sherry Mueller, the President of the National Council for International Visitors. We were asked to seek out some of the best programs in the community-based citizen diplomacy sector. After a competitive application process, the task force selected 10 programs to showcase:
Summit produced a range of materials, breifings, and presentations on Faith-based groups, the role of the private sector, how state governments are engaging in citizen diplomacy, the health field, youth and education, and much more. There are some terrific examples within these publications. You may also be interested in the Summit's final report, which calls for a 10-year initiative to engage more U.S. citizens in our work.
I was pleased to to-chair a Task Force on Community-based Organizations with Sherry Mueller, the President of the National Council for International Visitors. We were asked to seek out some of the best programs in the community-based citizen diplomacy sector. After a competitive application process, the task force selected 10 programs to showcase:
- Boulder Kisumu Sister City
- Duluth Sister Cities International (DSCI) & La Crosse Dubna Friendship Association (LDFA)
- National Committee on United States-China Relations
- Rochester International Council, Inc.
- San Diego-Tema Sister City Society
- Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy
- Vanguard Leadership Group
- World Services of La Crosse, Inc.
- World Affairs Council of Oregon
- WorldChicago
These programs are featured in a summit summary for our task force. Read about these stellar programs. Congratulations to these programs and the many others which were commendable but didn't happen to make the final selection.
Also, I want to add my appreciation to the supporters of this event, most importantly the U.S. Department of State's Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and major corporate funders, including Verizon Wireless, Townsend Vision, American Express, The Coca-Cola Company, Visa, and the many others.
It took 54 years between the first summit and this one, when will the next one be?
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Text SCI to 85944 to Give $10 Today!
'Tis the Season to reflect on all of those wonderful sister city memories you've have this past year and help us continue our work into 2011.
Sister Cities International has a new way for you to support our work toward world peace. You can now donate using your mobile phone! Text SCI to 85944 and a one-time donation of $10 will be billed to your mobile phone bill. Messaging & data rates may apply. Donations are collected for Sister Cities International by mobilecause.com.
(Reply STOP to 85944 to stop. Reply HELP to 85944 for help. For terms, see www.igfn.org/t.)
Sister Cities International has a new way for you to support our work toward world peace. You can now donate using your mobile phone! Text SCI to 85944 and a one-time donation of $10 will be billed to your mobile phone bill. Messaging & data rates may apply. Donations are collected for Sister Cities International by mobilecause.com.
(Reply STOP to 85944 to stop. Reply HELP to 85944 for help. For terms, see www.igfn.org/t.)
Thursday, December 2, 2010
From Eisenhower to Obama: Citizen Diplomacy Marches On (Part 1)
The week before the holiday, I had the honor of representing Sister Cities International as part of the U.S. Summit on Global Citizen Diplomacy. This was the second convening of citizen diplomacy leaders since President Eisenhower's initial call to action in 1956.
More than 600 citizen diplomats from around the U.S. attended - including sister cities and international visitor council volunteers (as well as other community-based networks), business leaders, health workers, elected officials, educators (from elementary through university), young professionals, artists and culture purveyors. There were more than 40 countries represented. I have to say (to take a page from the Sopranos), I was very impressed by the presence of the heads of the families at this event (i.e. all the heads of all the exchange networks - large and small and all types pof exchanges).
During the event, some of the sessions provoked questions about citizen diplomacy and the formal diplomacy work of the State Department while others explored the local approaches to citizen engagement and cultural understanding. There were presentations on new programs and well-established programs. Attendees heard from a range of folks from the Department of State and Department of Defense. It was one big tent and many people joined in.
More than 600 citizen diplomats from around the U.S. attended - including sister cities and international visitor council volunteers (as well as other community-based networks), business leaders, health workers, elected officials, educators (from elementary through university), young professionals, artists and culture purveyors. There were more than 40 countries represented. I have to say (to take a page from the Sopranos), I was very impressed by the presence of the heads of the families at this event (i.e. all the heads of all the exchange networks - large and small and all types pof exchanges).
During the event, some of the sessions provoked questions about citizen diplomacy and the formal diplomacy work of the State Department while others explored the local approaches to citizen engagement and cultural understanding. There were presentations on new programs and well-established programs. Attendees heard from a range of folks from the Department of State and Department of Defense. It was one big tent and many people joined in.
Tune-in for Part 2 on this blog when I outline the session discussion, which I co-moderated, on the top 10 programs from the Community-based Task Force.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Turning Red for World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day. A day where we have the chance to raise the dialogue. A few months ago, Sister Cities International decided to partner with Project (RED), a group affiliated with efforts to raise awareness of AIDS epidemic and bring it to an end. You've probably seen their (RED) products all around. They've spent the day turning Facebook and Foursquare red .
So we worked in coordination with (RED) to encourage US sister cities and municipalities abroad to turn their cities "red" for the day to draw attention to the day. Around the globe, 85 cities are turning monuments, bridges, city halls - red. (My effort includes turning this blog red.)
Go take a look at the map and check out some of the cool pictures that are already coming in.
So we worked in coordination with (RED) to encourage US sister cities and municipalities abroad to turn their cities "red" for the day to draw attention to the day. Around the globe, 85 cities are turning monuments, bridges, city halls - red. (My effort includes turning this blog red.)
Go take a look at the map and check out some of the cool pictures that are already coming in.
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