A publication of the Tucson-Almaty Sister Cities Committee May 23, 2006 ==================================================================
June MEETING INFORMATION : Next meeting Wednesday, June 21, 2006. 5:30-7:00pm. At Tucson Medical Center, Alamo Building, Rincon Room. BRING A FRIEND....THEY WILL BE GLAD YOU DID! CALL JERRY IF YOU NEED DIRECTIONS. 886-1260
Just a note on the importance of Sister Cities International
Tucson 1st Lady, Beth Walkup and Mayor Bob with children at a museum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, October 2004.
"It's not so easy being green", sez Kermit the Frog, star of Sesame Street.
Nor, is it easy to convince your friends, neighbors, professional peers and local politicos that your sister city programs have positive results in bridging global differences and opening the doors to global opportunities, be they educational, cultural or economically developmental. A modicum of truth exists in the phrase, "show me da money", but cultural enlightenment and educational expansion also carry a lot of weight. The 50th anniversary of Sister Cities International will be celebrated in July of this year in Washington, D. C. Wouldn't it be special if our Tucson leadership planned to attend?
An excerpt from the SCI Newsletter gives you an indication of the importance of winning local governmental approval for your sister city programs.
City-to-City Partnerships to be Featured During 50th Anniversary Conference
As part of our 50th Anniversary Conference, Sister Cities International will be hosting a special session on Achieving the Millennium Development Goals through City-to-City Partnerships. While many conference delegates will attend meetings on Capitol Hill, a group of international leaders, mayors and organizations will discuss how to promote and further develop City-to-City partnerships as a development tool for achieving local sustainable development. The session is sponsored by the World Bank Institute. For more information, contact Matthew Corso at mcorso@sister-cities.org .
Attending the Conference? Mayors, Local Government Officials Invited to Forum on Globalization & Local Economic Development
If you are attending the conference, you may want to check out the Forum on Globalization & Local Economic Development. The purpose of the forum will be to discuss how local communities can utilize sister city partnerships in their local economic development strategies. Three roundtable workshops will focus on technology, international tourism, and local economic development strategic planning. For more information on presenters and the Forum, visit our website or contact Matthew Corso at mcorso@sister-cities.org .
Committee ramblings.....
Tomorrow marks the sad end of a wonderful experience in the life of committee members. Sad, but at the same time joyful. Diana Koshayeva, a student in the FLEX program, will be returning to Almaty after a school year at Catalina High School in Tucson. Hosted by committee anchorwoman, Sally Allison, Diana has already set her sights on enrolling at the University of Arizona once she completes her high school duties in Kazakhstan. She brought joy, enlightenment and hard work to us, with her continued support of our many committee activities. Crowning moment??? Had to be belly-dancing at the Family Arts Festival as "The Desert Rose of Kazakhstan". Adios Diana....see you soon!
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A publication of the Tucson-Almaty Sister Cities Committee May 15,2006 ==================================================================
Wasn't it a lovely...........
Host Father Gary Sawyer and Yerbolat Zhumakhmetov at "Where
in the World is Almaty, Kazakhstan" April 29, 2006
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MAY MEETING NOTICE
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
5:30-7:00 pm
Tucson Medical Center
Alamo Building, Rincon Room
Committee biz................
EDUCATION: Nineteen Bolashak and other students at the University of Arizona
and in Tucson High Schools are winding their way towards their homeland this
week after an academic year filled with hard work, good times, successes and
achievements and, most importantly, with a new cadre of friends in Kazakhstan-friendly
Tucson. At a Bon Voyage party at TASCC member Judy Orlinsky's home last Thursday,
the sentiment of the visiting "Tucson Bolashakers" was summed up by
Bakyhtzhan Bitemirov and Sholpan Askarova with this comment, "When we arrived
in Tucson in August last year, there were many of us that had never been out
of our native country. We had many fears, insecurities and concerns. The Committee
TASCC provided us a home away from home. We were welcomed into the warmth of
Tucson families and excitement of the Tucson lifestyle...and our concerns melted
away. All Bolashakers thank you for that". Diana Koshayeva and Maaxim Ivanov,
high school students from Kazakhstan are also returning to their homes this
week, after spending a year at Catalina High School and Amphitheater High Schools.
REMEMBER that the University of Arizona is connected with Al-Farabi Kazakhstan
National University now. This Fall should witness the beginning of a flow of
students, faculty and disciplines between the two schools. Many areas at the
U of A are very aware of our connections in Kazakhstan. The Arizona State Museum,
the Schools of Agriculture and Anthropology, CESL, Critical Languages, Tree
Ring Research, Ethnomusicology, just to name a few. What is need is for people
to come forward with an interest in pursuing development in any or all of these
areas.
CULTURE: Cultural representation has been a strong point in the last year, between
Tucson and Almaty. It was never more evident, however, than on Saturday April
29th at our evening or Kazakhstan Culture titled "Where in the World is
Almaty, Kazakhstan". Over 200 people packed into the Rincon Room at Tucson
Medical Center to take 'a journey of the senses' to our lovely sister city of
Almaty. Traditional food, dress, poetry reading, music filled the room along
with the large Kazakhstani contingent of students and residents. Maps were displayed
around the room
and our many Kazakhstani student diplomats guided the inquisitive attendees
to the Silk Road, to Almaty and to the many lovely features of their country.
Tucsonans Dave and Cyndee Wing showed the 8-minute movie that they helped to
write and produce during their attendance at the Almaty International Film Festival
last year, with Kazakhstani film students. Tucson Muralist, David Tineo was
on hand to sign limited edition prints of his "Mariachi on the Silk Road"
painting presented to the City of Almaty in 2003. Bob and Claire Rogers showed
the beautiful pictures taken during their tandem bicycle trip from Beijing to
Istanbul, with some quality time spent in Almaty. With us in spirit were good
friends Dennison and Tedi Tsosie, the Navajo Silversmiths that exhibited their
Native American jewelry, pottery and weaving in Almaty last year. Potential
future projects???? Let us know what you think.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Like everything that springs from democracy, the pursuit
of justification of our existence will ultimately be decided by what we produce
in terms of economic development....or, what will make money for the betterment
of Tucson. This committee receives funding from the City of Tucson. AND, this
committee has made a continuous and significant contributions to our city's
economic base through the dollars brought here by programs like the Bolashakers.
This a 19-member group that has been in Tucson since August of 2005, spending
money on housing, food, recreation while sharpening their English skills in
the CESL program at the University of Arizona. At one point last week, a total
of 40 people from Kazakhstan were counted as being in Tucson, or Arizona, AT
THE SAME TIME, through the work of TASCC. The Community Connections program
had 10 people from Kazakhstan here for three weeks. Using some sort of multiplier,
it can be deduced that considerable money has come into the city coffers over
the 16-years of TASCC's existence.
