Youth and Education
Youth Delegates participate in team-building exercises at the 2009 Youth Conference |
"Artists of Peace" Quan Nguyen Santa Clara, CA |
Welcome to the Youth & Education Web page! Sister Cities International is dedicated to providing quality programs, projects, and resources for sister cities youth and youth programs. Want to register for the Annual Youth Leadership Conference? Want to plan an exchange with a school in your sister city? Want to know about new grant and scholarship opportunities? Explore the links below to discover all we have to offer.
SCI Moves to Integrated Approach for Youth & Young Professional Engagement
For years Sister Cities International has provided the network with programs and resources to help engage the next generation of citizen diplomats. The summer youth conference was one method of reaching out to young sister city participants, but SCI has decided to move away from an autonomous conference and we will not host a separate youth conference in Eugene, Oregon in 2011. The next event when youth and young professionals will participate is the Western Regional Conference, September 30-October 1, 2011 in Riverside, CA. For information on how to register for the annual conference at the youth rate, please email Jennelle Root at jroot@sister-cities.org.
2011 Inaugural Youth Leadership Award Winner Announced!
Congratulations to Julia Carleton from Cincinnati, Ohio who has shown great dedication and enthusiasm for cross-cultural communication, sister city exchange, and community service. For the past several years, Julia has lead the effort to build the Cincinnati – Kharkiv, Ukraine youth exchange by supporting the planning and implementation of the exchanges, and also introducing local homeless outreach and service into the experience. Read the recent Press Release to learn more about Julia’s accomplishments. She is a model sister cities youth and we wish her the best of luck in the coming years.
Applications for the 2012 Youth Leadership Award will be available in January. Youth between the ages of 15 and 18 from all member cities are eligible.
Current Youth Programs
Young Artists Showcase
Open to all Sister Cities International youth members! The 2012 Theme is “Youth as the Catalyst for Change”. What does that mean to you? This is an opportunity for you to use artwork to express how communication, technology, and individual initiative can lead to dramatic social change. Submissions can highlight your experience with social media, how you are creating change in your community, or how global communication and exchange has had an impact on your life. Here you will find the submission guidelines and pictures of past winners.
Young Authors Showcase
Open to all Sister Cities International youth members! The 2012 Theme is “Youth as the Catalyst for Change”. Much like the artists showcase, this is an opportunity for you to express how communication, technology, and individual initiative can lead to dramatic social change. Using poetry or essay format, please describe your experience with social media, how you are creating change in your community, or how global communication and exchange has had an impact on your life. Here you will find the submission guidelines and copies of past winning literature.
High School Homestay USA
The High School Home Stay exchange program is an opportunity for sister cities to host students for a year or semester of high school in the United States. The sister cities choose the high school students, who must be between the ages of 15 and 18 1/2 on the first day of school. Once the student is in the United States, the U.S. sister city will provide oversight for the student and include the student in sister city activities.
Youth Ambassador Program: Trilateral North America
2011 marks the first year of Sister Cities International’s participation in the Youth Ambassador Program, an assistance award from the U.S. Department of State. Here you will find background on the program involving U.S., Canadian, and Mexican sister cities, and information on the exchange that is planned for this summer. Stay tuned for opportunities to participate in this grant in 2012!
Ongoing Projects with Partners
Doing Sister Cities Projects in Area Schools? Spread the Word!
A number of organizations linking US schools with others around the world are coming together in a new "Connect All Schools" consortium to meet a very specific goal: to connect every school in the US with the world by 2016. Sister Cities International is one of the partner organizations currently participating in the Connect All Schools initiative. This is a great opportunity to showcase the sister city work that teachers and students are doing in your city. Show the rest of the country what great international education work local sister city programs are implementing! Read stories and post some of your own at www.connectallschools.org.
Global Youth Service Day
As featured on Aol.com, Global Youth Service Day, the largest service event in the world, and the only day of service focused on recognizing the role that young people, ages 5-25, play in improving their communities, is on April 15-17, 2011. Sister Cities International encourages students worldwide to participate in local service projects to better their community. For more information about how to get involved in GYSD next year, receive updates about local programs and grants, and to share your service story, visit Youth Service America at www.ysa.org.
Go Green with Earth Day Network
Earth Day Network's year-round mission is to broaden, diversify and activate the environmental movement worldwide, through a combination of education, public policy, and consumer campaigns. Find out more about our partnership with Earth Day Network and the ways you can get involved in Earth Day, organize your community to participate in Acts of Green, or engage your local elected officials to contribute to the Green Movement at http://www.sister-cities.org/programs/earth_day.cfm. Earth Day Network also provides curriculum and resources for students and schools to support local efforts. Visit them online at http://www.earthday.org/program/education.
Youth Program Resources
Funding Opportunities — Want to fundraise for your local Sister City program? Click here to see some ongoing U.S. grant opportunities for youth and young professionals.
Sister Schools Toolkit and Program Overview — To facilitate the Sister Schools relationships across the world, the Youth and Education Department has created an accessible online toolkit. Here you will find information on how to start a school to school partnership and program tips to keep the enthusiasm going.
Past Youth Programs
2010 Albuquerque Youth Leadership Conference – View an overview, schedules, and images from the 2010 Youth Leadership Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
2009 Belfast Youth Leadership Conference — View the schedule-at-a-glance for the 2009 Youth Leadership Conference — "Bridging Differences: Building a Peaceful Future", pictures and testimonies from the students who attended, and an overview of the program.
2008 Kansas City Youth Conference — Here you will find an overview of the 2008 Youth Conference - "Global Action: Taking Community Service Abroad", the schedule at a glance, and some pictures and testimonies from the youth delegates who participated.
Other Recent Youth Programs — Find more information on past Sister Cities International Youth Conferences, grant programs, and collaborative projects with the U.S. Department of State.
Contact Jennelle Root, special programs manager, at 202-347-8635 or jroot@sister-cities.org for more information regarding Sister Cities International youth programs.
Click here to support Sister Cities International's work in youth and education.
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