Chairman’s Chat by Jerry Gary 3/26/03

So many things going on, don’t you know?  I love it!  Sister Cities Association of Tucson wants to host the Arizona State Meeting in 2004.  We feel that we can really raise the bar on the content and success of this annual meeting.  When we travel to Prescott on May 9^th and 10^th, I am really hoping that it can be with a large number of Sister City participants from Tucson.  One of the long-range goals of Sister Cities International is to strengthen the role of the State organizations.  There is a serious disconnect between the folks at the top and those at the bottom, or chapter level.  It strikes me that we should ALL be striving hard to bring the real message that Sister Cities has, and that is “PEOPLE TO PEOPLE DIPLOMACY” through educational, cultural and economic ties to our sister cities around the world.  The official description:  “Sister Cities International (SCI)... is a non-profit citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between U.S. and international communities in an effort to increase global cooperation at the municipal level, to promote cultural understanding, and to stimulate economic development. SCI leads the movement for local community development and volunteer action by motivating and empowering private citizens, municipal officials, and business leaders to conduct long-term programs of mutual benefit.”  Sort of a ‘high falootin way of saying People to People Diplomacy, don’t you think?  BIG KUDOS to Dan and company for the successful stay by the EP people from Almaty.  Yerkin and Marat had a nice visit to the U of A Tech Park.  THANKS to Izhan for being our voice connection.  Tatyana is doing such a marvelous job on the website.  Help is needed in getting articles and information to her for posting, however.  CAROLE MAKES BARBEQUE BEEF!!!  We had a great potluck at the last meeting as a going-away thing for our EP visitors and I LOVED the beef.  Thanks, Carole.  Meet me in St. Louie, Louie…meet me at the AFFAIR!

SCI Annual Conference and AFFAIR

July 23 to 26, 2003

in St. Louis, Missouri

For more information and online registration, click here.

Annual conferences are loaded with fun, friendship, food and finformation.  Sally and I have been attending fairly regularly.  I was invited to do a workshop on disability awareness in 1993 in Houston.  That was the first year that the subject of disabilities entered the vernacular of Sister Cities.  Ask Eloise and Lisa….they were overwhelmed by all the good data last year in Toledo.  I recommend attendance in St. Louis.  Next year we go to Ft. Worth.  Spokane in 2005 and the BIG Bicentennial Celebration in Washington, DC in 2006.  The FLEX program, established by former Senator Bill Bradley, is alive and well.  Folks in Sedona have been bringing students from Central Asia for years under this program.  Discussions are underway in Tucson to possibly establish a sister city in Afganistan and perhaps Iraq.  This was announced at City Council on March 17^th.  Editorial Comment Here:  It may seem to some ‘too little too late’, but it is really the thing that us Americans should do…..try reaching out and understanding the cultures of the world and not just sit here with OUR culture pulled firmly over our heads.  As hard as it may be to accept by some, there ARE other ways of doing things and it behooves us to look to other cultures to develop an understanding of that.  Its like the U.S. Army’s solution applied in the war on the Apaches of Arizona….”
gather them ALL up and put them on a reservation together”, which they did……not realizing that the Pima Apache and the Mescalero Apache were natural enemies.   Hmmmmmmm.  Them Hungarians are a GREAT bunch of folks.  The Festival in celebration of Hungarian Independence Day was really fun.  Of course, our own Gulvira Matzhanova and Zhanna Toktarbekova considerably brightened it with music and poetry.  Gulvira dedicated one of her songs for the Independence day concept, mentioning the Kazakhstani Independence Day of December 16^th.  And the Mexican dance group was appreciated, along with the GREAT Hungarian dance group from Phoenix.  All City Day, a BIG holiday in Almaty, takes place on the 1^st Sunday in October.  Planning is underway to have our Mariachi Camino de Seda that at that time and to have an alumni party/picnic at a local park.  Think about it!  HEY, ask a friend to get involved in TASCC.  They will be glad they did!