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a :ENE PUEPBSIF OF THIE 3133CER CITIES PRIMfiRAIMI Sister Cities International The general concept of the Sis#c C I t I es program I s tar a community of one nation to be affiliated with a community of another nation in order to learn more about the other through friendly and meaningful exchanges. This Interchange helps to further intemational understanding at all levels at the community an a continuing long -term basis. WIthin the Sister Cities program the' communities have the opportunity to exchange Ideas., people and Culture In a variety, of educational lnstltutional,, municipal, professional, and technical projects. These projects depend upon the interest and participation of each community. Interest in the cultural, economic, social and educational fields varies with each community. The exchanges could include any of the following: 1. City ofTictals, teachers, professionals, 2, Organized tours, 3. Club(hobby) affiIiatlans, 4 Letter writing, _ 5. Student exchanges, 6. Technica) and professional idea exchanges, 7. Economic, 8. Exhibits (Art, photo, etc.), 9. Exchange of holiday customs and food recipes to name a dew possibilities. -2- JMIF XHIE Z 91 C' IMMOM (from the Sister Cities International brochure) . m PURPOSE: Sister Cities International (principal program of the Town Affiliation Association of the U.S., Inc,) is dedicated to the goal of furthering global understanding by encouraging and assisting U.S. communities and their citizens to link with similar communities throughout the world. An affiliation develops when an American community of whatever size or character officially links with a community in another nation. 'Me goal for the cornrnunities 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 cultuires on a long-term. continuing basis. The national association provides a michanism for U.S. communities to enter this program by assisting them in the process of linking with a community in another country. It acts as a coordinator and catalyst to encourage various types of sister cities activities and serves as a clearinghouse to gather, analyze and share information, research and knowledge. HISTORY- Affiliations between cities in the United States and other countries began shortly aft ;r 1945, but no real national focus was realized until 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower lnitiatecf the People -to- People Program at the White House. Out of this grew Sister Cities International which has assisted more than 870 U.S. cities and counties, representing over 125 million Americans, establish links with some _1,400 communities in 92 other rations of the world.