Sister Cities International News Letter June 19, 2013

				E-Newsletter 06.19.2013
	IN THIS ISSUE   Congratulations 2013 Young Artists and Authors Showcase Winners! Reminder: Sister Cities International Board of Director Elections Ballots Webinar: Navigating the SCI Website and Member Benefits The American-Thai Sister School Program Register for the 2013 Annual Conference! June 20, 2013 Corvallis Sister Cities Association Annual Meeting July 1, 2013 Newport Beach Sister City Association: Antibes Trip Information Meeting July 3, 2013 Fort Worth Sister Cities International:4th of July and 25th Anniversary Celebration with Nagaoko, Japan		Congratulations 2013 Young Artists and Authors Showcase Winners! Congratulations to winners of the 2013 Young Artists and Authors Showcase! This year, sister cities youth members submitted entries on the theme "The Power of Exchange" illustrating the long-term impact that exchanges have had on themselves or their community. For over two decades, the Showcase has provided youth with the opportunity to artistically express their view for a more unified, peaceful world. 2013 Young Artists Showcase: Grand Prize Winner: Hope: Faith Tsou, Naperville, IL Finalists: Branching out to the World: Grace Haddad, Suffolk, VA Worlds Converge: Vivienne Salisbury, Houston, TX Ribbons of Infinity: Elizabeth Hopwood, Chandler, AZ Convergence: Sara Arthur-Paratley, Lexington, KY International Awardees: Grand Prize Winner: Flight of the Butterfly (pictured above): Katherine Whatley, Abu Dhabi, UAE – Sister Cities of Houston, TX Finalists: Symbiosis: Jonathan Hunter, Bangor, Northern Ireland – Sister Cities Association of Virginia Beach, VA Construction in the New World: Yuka Kikuchi, Hanamaki, Japan – Hot Springs Sister City Program, AR The Connected World: Marin Yoshida, Fukui, Japan – New Brunswick Sister Cities Association, NJ Enlightenment and Progress through Exchange: Charmaine Agawin, Sariya, Philippines – Santa Clarita Sister Cities, CA 2013 Youth Authors Showcase (Poetry)  Grand Prize Winner: Untitled: Rachel Beglin, Chandler-Tullamore Sister Cities, AZ Finalists: The Most Powerful Exchange: Ronek Padgaonkar, Phoenix, AZ The Power of Exchange: Sophie Rabb, Phoenix, AZ 2013 Young Authors Showcase (Essays)  Grand Prize Winner: The Powerful Exchange of Love: Seung Won Choi, Santa Clarita, CA Finalists: Socks: Hannah Daniel, Phoenix, AZ Let the Fireflies Lighten Our World: Kiraney Zhang, Suffolk, VA The art, essays, and poetry will be on display at the Sister Cities International 2013 Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX following which they will embark on a year-long tour hosted by local sister city programs on a monthly basis. The tour schedule as well as the winning and finalist submissions will be available on our websitewww.sister-cities.org shortly. The Young Artists and Authors Showcase is made possible through the generous support of the Carvey Family.   Reminder: 2013 Board of Directors Election Ballots Please note, members choosing to vote by mail must send their ballots to Sister Cities International postmarked by this Friday, June 21st. If voting in person, communities must certify their voting representatives and alternates prior to the Sister Cities International Annual Meeting (July 12-14). Certifications must be received on or before July 5th. Sister Cities International apologizes for any errors in the Board of Directors Election Candidate bios that were mailed to members earlier this month. To view the corrected candidate bios and to listen to a recording of the Candidate Forum Webinar, please visit: www.sister-cities.org/elections-2013. Questions? Please contact Carol Robertson Lopez at crobertsonlopez@comcast.net.   Webinar: Navigating the SCI Website & Member Benefits Wednesday, July 3, 2:00p.m. EDT Speaker: Adam Kaplan, Membership Director, Sister Cities International The Sister Cities International website www.sister-cities.org offers an improved way of accessing member benefits. This webinar will provide an overview of how to access these new and exciting features on the website, including how members can update their city’s profile, share their stories, access toolkits and resources, and find out more about what’s happening in the network. The webinar will also give an overview of all the benefits currently available that members can take advantage of. To join us for the webinar please click on THIS LINK. Select the "Enter as a Guest" option, enter your name and email address and simply click on "Join Meeting." (Do not select the "Register" option) To call in using your phone, please dial: 1-719-325-2630, access code: 839510. Please note that the webinar will be an audio-visual presentation. We encourage members to join us using a computer. Please note that no registration is required. Simply follow the instructions for joining the webinar at2:00p.m. EDT on July 3. A recording of the webinar will be available for members on our website. The American-Thai Sister School Program Attention members! We would like to draw your attention to an exciting opportunity initiated and supported by the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, DC. "The American-Thai Sister School Program" is a goodwill program initiated to foster global citizenship and learning between Thai and U.S. students in Grades 4-12 by using interactive social media as well as cultural and educational activities to build a human bridge between elementary, middle and high schools. The Embassy provides support in connecting and pairing American and Thai schools, after which teachers from both schools coordinate and implement activities. The Program is an excellent opportunity for sister city organizations to expand on their youth programming as well as explore broader partnerships in Thailand. For more information on the Program, please email youth@sister-cities.org.   Register Today for the 2013 Annual Conference! REGISTER TODAY: www.SisterCitiesConference.org This year, the conference features an exciting line-up of expert sessions, off-site visits, and receptions awaits you in San Antonio! For a list of the sessions, tours, and events, CLICK HERE.  A host of diplomats, elected officials, and experts will be at the conference including: The Honorable Julian Castro, Mayor, City of San Antonio The Honorable Henry Cisneros, Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development & Former Mayor, City of San Antonio His Excellency Chaiyong Satjipanon, Ambassador of Thailand to the United States His Excellency Hideaki Mizukoshi, Minister and Head of Chancery, Embassy of Japan to the United States Constance Tzioumis, Senior Advisor, U.S. Secretary of State’s Office of Global Partnerships Amy Fraenkel, Director, United Nations Environment Programme David Houle, America’s Leading Futurist and Author,Entering The Shift Age Carola McGiffert, Director, 100,000 Strong Foundation The Honorable Seishi Kohyama, Mayor, Kumamoto, Japan The Honorable Kang Un-Tae, Mayor, Gwangju, South Korea The Honorable Margarita Arellanes, Mayor, Monterrey, Mexico Maj. Gen. James A. Adkins, the Adjutant General of Maryland Takaaki Ogata, Executive Director, Japan Local Government Center, New York Junichiro Chano, Director, Japan Foundation Xie Yuan, Vice President, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries For detailed descriptions and featured speakers on the sister city info sessions listed below, CLICK HERE! Fundraising  Economic Development Communications Exchanges and Partnerships The 2013 Conference also features concurrent specialized tracks listed below! Please visit www.SisterCitiesConference.org for information on each Summit. Urban Environmental Accords Summit Pan-Pacific Summit (Click here for session descriptions) Youth Leadership Summit (Click here for sessions) What's more? This year at San Antonio, attendees can take part in a range of tours specially designed to explore the various highlights the city has to offer! Many of the tours offered below arefree of charge for Sister Cities International conference attendees.Please CLICK HERE to see details on each tour. Register today for the Annual Conference atwww.SisterCitiesConference.org. We hope to see you in San Antonio for an exciting conference!