 |
March 28-30, 2007
Waging Peace Launches with 3-day Inaugural Seminar in Lyon, France
About Waging Peace
Background
Expected Outputs & Outcomes
About the Participating Sister Cities
Program Updates
March 2007 Seminar in Lyon, France
Two U.S.-France Exchanges
Funding
Be Involved
Related Publications and Local Press
U.S. Ambassador Craig R.
Stapleton (left) and Charles-Henri
Malecot, Director of International
Relations for the City of Lyon.
Photo courtesy of Jane Robert
Stapleton (left) and Charles-Henri
Malecot, Director of International
Relations for the City of Lyon.
Photo courtesy of Jane Robert
About Waging Peace
 |
Grant Period: September 21, 2006 - August 31, 2008
Title: Waging Peace in our Communities: Improving Cultural Understanding and Integration of Minorities through Franco-American Partnerships
Purpose: To support three city partnerships that will compare French and U.S. approaches to the integration of marginalized populations.
Organization: Sister Cities International has partnered with Cités Unies France in Paris for the duration of the 18-month Waging Peace project. The role of each organization will be to organize and recruit interested parties in their respective countries for the program activities, to maintain regular communication with the participating cities, and to communicate amongst each other throughout all aspects of the project.
The threeparticipating sister city partnerships are:
Charlotte, NC & Limoges, St. Louis, MO & Lyon, Los Angeles, CA & Bordeaux
Program activities include:
A training practicum for 100 US and French stakeholders The development of citywide action plans and publicity campaigns Study tours organized by all three U.S. sister cities for minority representatives and community leaders from France to observe and connect with their U.S. counterparts Exchanges organized by three French sister cities for minority representatives and community leaders from the U.S. to observe progress and connect with counterparts
Background
|
In November 2005, clashes in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities were triggered by the death of two Muslim boys fleeing the police. Despite constitutional declarations of equality, social and economic disparities between the urban centers of France and the housing projects on their borders demonstrated a de facto inequality that could no longer be ignored.
In response to a call for proposals from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) to address issues regarding marginalized populations in Western Europe, Sister Cities International submitted a project proposal to give three American and French sister city partnerships the opportunity to jointly address this topic. The project, entitled, "Waging Peace In Our Communities," was granted funding, and is now being carried out by Sister Cities International in accordance with its unique grassroots approach and methodology. Waging Peace says that it is the cities' responsibility to address each other's immigrant and minority integration issues, such as rampant unemployment, school failures, police harassment, and daily discrimination. With citizen diplomacy at its foundation, the goal of the program is to assist each participating community to find the tools and institutions necessary to build a fairer society that includes the needs and voices of minorities and immigrants.
Expected Outputs & Outcomes
|
Program Outputs
Successful completion of a Practicum for 100 French and American community leaders to promote information exchange on techniques to improve cultural awareness, acceptance, and integration Dissemination of Practicum proceedings to 90 U.S.-French sister city partnerships Publication of resources regarding integration and minorities on the Sister Cities International and CUF websites for public use, accessed by more than 2,500 communities worldwide Development and distribution of templates for establishing citywide international, immigration, or minority affairs councils; developing community assessment tools; organizing diversity festivals, awareness weeks, youth arts showcases, or minority-focused job fairs Implementation of eight (8) public information campaigns, one per participating community, seeking widespread awareness of the issues affecting minorities and immigrants and the action plans in their community to improve these circumstances Additional outputs are dependent on the individual community action plans but may include items like: city self-assessment of access to quality healthcare or fairness of policing; adoption of an industry-wide culture-blind hiring process; or provision of language and skills training courses to minorities and immigrants, among others.
Expected Program Outcomes
Adoption by both French and American communities of new tools and techniques to facilitate integration and empowerment of minority populations Creation of institutions and/or policies, such as minority and immigrant affairs councils and culture-blind hiring, to address minority concerns and treat them more fairly Developed and sustained relationships and contact between participating U.S. and French community leaders in local government, NGOs, businesses, schools, and other institutions Mutual recognition by the U.S. and France counterparts of the importance of cross-cultural dialogue in solving problems that affect communities in both countries Increased participation by minorities and immigrants in community decisions Improved awareness and perception of issues affecting minority and immigrant populations Establishment of places and events in which all ages, races and cultures can express themselves and learn to respect differences Increased opportunities for disenfranchised American and French youth to communicate their concerns to a broader audience through artistic expression and exchange.
About the Participating Sister Cities
|
Charlotte, NC & Limoges
Charlotte Sister Cities started in 1962 through the efforts of then-Mayor Stan Brookshire. Convinced that citizens of the world should get to know each other in personal ways, CSC is consistently recognized as an outstanding program throughout the U.S and is often used as a model for other cities and their emerging programs. Limoges, France has been Charlotte's sister city since 1992. Through its sister city partnerships, Charlotte has benefited from increased interaction in the fields of business, trade, art, music, literature, cuisine, education and culture.
Charlotte Contact: Alina Ziaja MacNichol 1-704-333-3399/ charsiscit@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Limoges Contact: Lucie Debourdeau +33 555 45 64 08/ luci_debourdeau@ville-limoges.fr
St. Louis, MO & Lyon
The St. Louis - Lyon Sister City affiliation was formed in January 1976 and has been very active ever since. The Committee sponsors several annual events, including gastronomic dinners, wine tasting, receptions and fundraisers. They participate in Faust Park ethnic festivals. The Committee can provide information helpful for establishing business contacts. The St. Louis - Lyon Group cosponsors the annual St. Louis-European Student Exchange Program for high school students. The Group has participated in many exchange programs, including visual and performing arts, media representatives, and business internships.
St. Louis Contact: Susan Powers, 1-314-446-0823/ susan@rosedesign.com
Lyon/Grand Lyon Contact: Christophe Pons, +33 676 68 33 66/ cpons@grandlyon.org
Los Angeles, CA & Bordeaux
Los Angeles began its Sister City program in 1959 with Nagoya, Japan. The Los Angeles - Bordeaux Sister City Association (LABSCA) was born when, in 1964, a formal affiliation was established between the cities of Los Angeles, California and Bordeaux, the capital of southwest France. Both cities share highly developed industries in aeronautics, space and defense, and the fields of health and biotechnology, chemicals, electronics, and information technology. Like Los Angeles, the Bordeaux/Aquitaine region is home to five major universities and a wide array of cultural institutions.
|
The launching seminar of the Waging Peace project took place on March 29-30 at the Hotel de Ville of Lyon.
The Waging Peace in our Communities inaugural event was made possible by generous funding provided by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. We are grateful to Lea Perez, Director of the Office of Citizen Exchanges, and Program Officer Brent Beemer for their ongoing guidance and feedback. Special thanks go to the Honorable Craig R. Stapleton, U.S. Ambassador to France, for his encouragement and support.Our gracious hosts for the event, the City of Lyon/Grand Lyon, also contributed significant financial, administrative and logistical resources to the successful execution of the inaugural event. Thank you to Charles-Henri Malécot, Director of International Relations for the City of Lyon, whose support was invaluable in completing this endeavor.
Sister Cities International would also like to thank our partners, and in particular, the staff whose dedication and energy contributed to the success of the Waging Peace kick-off:
Cités Unies France
Charles Josselin, President
Nicolas Wit
Guylaine Traoré
Katarina Fotiæ
Association des Maires de Grandes Villes de France
Christian Lalu, Executive Director
Clémence Schelcher-Beyer
Ville de Lyon/Grand Lyon
Christophe Pons
Fatima Benkaddour
Gabriela Sagnard
Lisa Fleutot
Sister Cities International
Patrick Madden, Executive Director
Lynn Olson
Sarah Grausz
Last, but most certainly not least, we thank the 90 participants who came to the event, engaged in energetic and creative dialogue, and embarked on a collaborative journey to bring immigrants and other marginalized populations into the mainstream of your communities. Your conversations, ideas, and efforts will foster a successful and sustainable Waging Peace initiative far into the future.
Two U.S.-France Exchanges
|
In September-October, 2007, delegations from the French sister cities visited their U.S. counterparts to review innovative community action programs and meet with community leaders, nonprofit organizations, educators (especially from middle and high schools), businesspersons that hire immigrants, and other community members with a vested interest in seeing the integration process succeed.
For the second exchange in December-January, 2007, delegations from the U.S. sister cities will visit their French counterparts to assess both partnership communities' progress on implementation of action plans and share experiences. Evaluation will be a key element of this phase, including final community/participant surveys and focus groups to determine participant learning and behavioral change.
The sample Exchange Schedule is available for interested participants.
Funding
|
In September, 2006, with approval by the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Office of Citizen Exchanges awarded a grant of U.S. Dollars $250,000 to Sister Cities International in Washington, D.C. to coordinate a program on integrating immigrant and minority populations in France. Sister Cities International will work with its partner organization, Cités Unies France on the implementation of the project.
The approved budget allots $33,000 over an 18-month period to each U.S. city to administer on behalf of its sister city partnership. In return, $15,000 USD of cost share or in-kind contribution is expected in return from each U.S. city. French cities are also expected to assume their own share of the contribution, but this will not be required as part of the grant. The funds will cover most or all of the costs associated with travel for U.S. participants to the launching seminar in France, and both exchanges to the United States and France, including airfare and interpretation. Lodging costs where possible shall be avoided through the use of homestays.
Be Involved
|
Those interested in being involved in the Waging Peace program, please contact Jim Doumas at:
jdoumas@sister-cities.org or 202-347-8630 ext. 8636
Also, keep checking the web site regularly for new opportunities to get involved!
Related Publications and Local Press
|
WAGING PEACE: BUILDING COMMUNITIES By Allison Cole
Despite constitutional equality, decades of rampant unemployment, school failures, police harassment, and daily discrimination had turned a sense of separation and frustration into displays of violent outrage. The U.S. in the 1960s "Right" No, this would be France in November 2005. Triggered by the death of two Muslim boys fleeing the police, rioting in the depressed neighborhoods of Paris and other French cities raged for weeks. Although second and third generation French citizens, Islamic and African minorities of these neighborhoods are repeatedly referred to as foreigners.
For U.S. press inquiries, please contact:
Jim Doumas
Sister Cities International
202-347-8630 x4874
jdoumas@sister-cities.org