Northern California Chapter of Sister Cities International

San Jose-Okayama Sister Cities: Bells for Peace
2023-08-05 16:15 (America/Los_Angeles)
In remembrance of the 78th Anniversary of the Nuclear Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and to remind us that this should never happen again, everyone is invited to ring bells, at home, in your city, whoever you are.
Our sister cities in Japan will be ringing bells at the same moment in time, literally creating good vibrations across the Pacific.

Stockton Sister Cities Association Board Meeting
2023-08-03 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-07-06 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-06-01 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-05-04 12:00 - 13:00, 2023-04-06 12:00 - 13:00 | Valley Brew, 157 W Adams St., Stockton, CA, 95204, United States
First Thursday of the Month

SCI Youth Leadership Summit: Youth Chats - Youth and Climate Change
2023-08-03 08:00 | Virtual
Building upon the success of last year’s Summit, this program aims to provide a platform for students to express their ideas freely on crucial topics such as democracy and climate change. Through engaging interactive discussions and thought-provoking sessions, the Summit will empower students to voice their opinions confidently, fostering an environment of open dialogue and constructive exchange.
The first part of the Summit will consist of two “SCI Youth Chats” on July 20 and August 3, 2023. These chats will be open to students around the world and will feature leading speakers in their fields.
The second part of the Summit, “Youth Leadership Summit- Public Forum” will take place during the week of International Youth Day, on August 10, 2023 and will be open to participation from our global audience. During the program, participants will have a chance to learn more about Sister Cities International, listen to the experiences of SCI Youth Chats participants, and view unique artwork from our Young Artists and Authors Showcase.
SCI Youth Chats
July 20 and August 3

Are you a high school student who wants to meet other people from around the world?
Are you wondering how you can take action on global issues?
Have you been searching for a platform where you can share your ideas freely and improve your public speaking skills?
If your answer to these questions is yes, our new program “SCI Youth Chats” is perfect for you! Check out our past chats.

Apply now

To apply, you should be between the ages of 14-19.
After filling out the Zoom registration link, you will be notified of your acceptance status and asked to confirm your attendance to ensure an engaging conversation.
If you are accepted but not able to join the program you will need to let the SCI team know ASAP to give us enough time to adjust our preparation materials.
You can apply to as many conversations as you want.
You will receive an online certificate at the end of each Youth Chat, which is a great resume builder!

More information and applications

Youth and Democracy Chat – July 20, 2023, 11 a.m. ET
Youth and Climate Change Chat – August 3, 2023, 11 a.m. ET

Sister Cities International: Board of Directors Meeting
2023-07-28 10:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
SCI Members and SCI Leadership Teams are invited to attend various scheduled meetings on July 27-28 – in person or virtually.
Board of Directors Meeting
Friday, July 28, 2023
1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Zoom link

Sister Cities International Annual Business Meeting
2023-07-28 07:00 - 10:00 | Virtual
Be it virtually or in-person, we are excited to invite you to the Sister Cities International Annual Business Meeting on Friday, July 28, 2023, at 10 a.m. Eastern time!
The Annual Business Meeting is open to all SCI Members and SCI Leadership Teams. It will include reports from the Board Secretary, Board Chair, and President & CEO and will announce the 2023 Board of Directors election results and the 2023 Annual Awards winners.
We hope that you will join us for this important SCI Annual Business Meeting either in person in Durham or virtually through Zoom!
Annual Business Meeting Registration

To attend the Annual Business Meeting in person, you must register. Online registration has ended for in-person attendance, but registration will be available at our event venues in Durham.
To attend the Annual Business Meeting virtually, you must register via Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions to join the meeting at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on Friday, July 28, 2023.

Other meetings
The Zoom links for other meetings are shown below NOTE: the SCI Academy will only be available for in-person attendees and cannot be streamed virtually.

State Representatives and Country/Region Representatives Meeting
Thursday, July 27, 2023
8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT
Zoom link

Board Meeting
Thursday, July 27, 2023
1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Zoom link

NOTE: The Zoom links for Thursday morning’s State/Region/Country Reps meeting AND the afternoon Board meeting are purposely the same link.

Morgan Hill Sister Cities meeting
2023-07-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Centennial Recreation Center – Senior Center, 171 W Edmundson Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA, 95037, United States
Join us anytime! Meetings always welcome the general public.
Sister Cities is an all-volunteer, membership organization formed in 2002.
We currently host relationships with six international cities in Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Japan and Ireland.

Agent Orange Symposium - A Discussion Regarding Veterans' Healthcare
2023-07-27 17:30 - 19:00 | Marines’ Memorial Club, 609 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102, United States
Agent Orange and other toxins have been associated with many illnesses and deaths over the past years. The lingering effects have impacted military veterans, their families, and others. Related issues will be discussed by two eminent professional experts who dedicated much time and research to the impact of military weapons on soldiers and civilians in war zones.
Recent legislation enacted by the US Congress and signed by the President will be discussed. Known as the PACT Act it is an extremely important piece of legislation that affects Veteran’s healthcare that not only impacts those who served in Vietnam but also, those who served in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia Guam, Samoa the Johnston Atoll, and other places. Both speakers have a wealth of knowledge regarding the PACT ACT and will be able to answer questions after their presentations.
Speakers
Robert L. Owen, MD
Professor Emeritus- Medicine, Epidemiology & Bio-statistics – U.C. San Francisco, School of Medicine
Dr. Owen has been the Environmental Health Physician responsible for Agent Orange Database examinations at the San Francisco VA Medical Center for most of his medical career and was privileged to travel to Vietnam with the San Francisco-Ho Chi Minh City Sister City Committee in 2011 to visit residual Agent Orange contamination sites in Vietnam. Dr. Owen’s UCSF and VAMC clinical work includes gastroenterology, general internal medicine, intestinal infectious diseases, HIV infection and AIDS, travel medicine, and especially the medical effects of military occupational environmental exposures in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Vietnam (Agent Orange) and Ionizing Radiation exposed veterans.
Paul Cox
Marine Veteran, Board Member of Veterans for Peace and Sword to Plowshares. American Legion Member.
Paul Cox joined the Marine Corps in 1968 and served 18 months in Viet Nam He is now a retired civil engineer. He has worked for peace, justice, and an end to war, with a particular emphasis on healing damage from two ongoing legacies of the Vietnam War – Agent Orange and unexploded ordnance. Presently he serves on the board of Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign, a national project of Veterans for Peace. He is also a board member of Swords to Plowshares Veterans Rights Organization and served as Board Chair from 2009 to 2012.
Space is limited
Registration opens at 5:30 p.m. Event begins at 6 p.m.
Presented by The Marines’ Memorial Club and Hotel in association with the San Francisco – Ho Chi Minh City Sister City Committee.
The Committee is a non-political educational people to people program. It is organized under the laws of the state of California, and is recognized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation by the Internal Revenue Service. FEIN: 94-3198119

Sister Cities International: Board Meeting
2023-07-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
SCI Members and SCI Leadership Teams are invited to attend various scheduled meetings on July 27-28 – in person or virtually.
Board Meeting
Thursday, July 27, 2023
1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Zoom link

Sister Cities International: State Representatives and Country/Region Representatives Meeting
2023-07-27 05:00 - 07:00 | Virtual
SCI Members and SCI Leadership Teams are invited to attend various scheduled meetings on July 27-28 – in person or virtually.
State Representatives and Country/Region Representatives Meeting
Thursday, July 27, 2023
8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT
Zoom link

Sausolito Sister Cities welcomes delegation from Sakaide, Japan
2023-07-27
Welcome eight Japanese Youth visitors on July 27th from Sakaide, Japan.
Their theme will be “Green Future” for green energy and ways to increase sustainability awareness.

A Bonhams Antique Valuation Event
2023-07-22 12:30 - 15:00, 2023-07-22 09:00 - 12:00 | The Haggin Museum, 1201 N Pershing Ave., Stockton, CA, 95201, United States
The Haggin Museum and Stockton Sister Cities present:
A Bonhams Antique Valuation Event
Cost: $50.00 for up to three items
Hosted by the Junior Women’s Group and Stockton Sister Cities Association
Valuation categories (subject to change):

Books and manuscripts
Native American art
Fine art
Jewelry
Asian art
Furniture and decorative arts

Tickets are available at the door. Cash and check only (checks payable to Haggin Museum). All proceeds will benefit the Haggin Museum Junior Women’s Group and Stockton Sister Cities Association.
Item restrictions apply. For oversized items, please bring a photograph with dimensions and pertinent information. No assistance will be available to lift heavy/large items.

2023 3rd Quarter NorCal Chapter Board meeting
2023-07-22 10:00 - 11:30 | Mark Green Sports Center, 31224 Union City Boulevard, Union City, CA, 94587, United States

Concord Ambassadors General Meeting
2023-07-20 18:30 - 19:30 | Concord City Hall – Garden Conference Room, 1950 Parkside Drive, Concord, CA, 94519, United States

SCI Youth Leadership Summit: Youth Chats - Youth and Democracy
2023-07-20 08:00 | Virtual

Origami Crane Workshop with Concord Ambassadors
2023-07-08 11:00 - 12:30 | Contra Costa County Library – Concord, 2900 Salvio Street, Concord, CA, 94519, United States
Join Concord Ambassadors friends who will teach us the basics of this Japanese paper-folding technique. Then add your creations to our collaborative origami display in the library!
This program is best for ages 9 and up.
No registration required. For accommodation, please contact the library with 72-hour notice.
Help us to make 1,000 origami paper cranes! We hope to have 1,000 cranes displayed around the library first to celebrate Peace Day (September 21st) and then the display will be used to welcome a Japanese delegation who will arrive in October 2024 to celebrate 50 years of friendship between Concord, California and Kitakami, Japan.
Stop in to see our progress and grab a kit while they’re still available! This is a community project waiting for you.
This passive program is possible thanks to the Concord Ambassadors and our Friends of the Concord Library.

Santa Clara Sister Cities Association Board Meeting
2023-06-22 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual
The SCSCA board meeting over Zoom. Email the board president if you are interested in attending.

Sunnyvale students visit Iizuka, Japan
2023-06-13 - 2023-06-22
Student Exchange
Starting in 2014, SSCA has worked with the Iizuka Friendship Network to facilitate two student exchange programs for middle (7th-8th) and and high school students: Sunnyvale to Iizuka (S2I) in which Sunnyvale students stay with host families in Iizuka, and Iizuka to Sunnyvale (I2S) in which the S2I students (as well as other Sunnyvale families) host visiting Iizuka students.
If you have any additional questions, please email s2i@sunnyvalesistercity.org.
For information on the 2023 Sunnyvale to Iizuka Student Exchange Program, please see the information packet.
The application period is now closed.

Santa Clara Youth exchange to Izumo, Japan
2023-06-09 - 2023-06-18
Four high school students from Santa Clara, California will travel to their sister city in Izumo, Japan.

“Kindness Can Change The World....And It Costs Nothing©" Photography Project
2023-05-01 08:00 - 2023-07-31 17:00 | Virtual
In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Stockton Sister Cities Association and Parma, Italy’s Sister City relationship we are inviting residents of Stockton, and of Provincia di Parma to participate in the “Kindness Can Change The World….And It Costs Nothing” photography project.
Beginning May 1st-July 31st, 2023 the Stockton Sister Cities Association will be accepting original digital photos taken from Stocktonian’s and from residents of our Sister City the Provincia di Parma, Italy that they believe expresses the idea “Kindness Can Change The World….And It Costs Nothing”.

No words are allowed to explain or comment about the photo. The photo should express everything without words or caption.
If you are submitting a photo which includes people, please indicate you have permission to use their image.
All photos submitted to the Stockton Sister Cities Association for this 25th Anniversary Celebration must be provided digitally.
Only a JPG photo with 300 DPI resolution will be accepted.
Maximum submissions are limited to 3 photos per person please.

All submitted photos will be exhibited digitally at a “Kindness Can Change The World….And It Costs Nothing© ” photography event during the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Parma, Italy/Stockton, CA. Week in September 2023, with 20 selected photos being printed for display.
All photos submitted become the property of the Stockton Sister Cities Association.
Submission deadline: July 31, 2023
Submit your photo entry

“Kindness Can Change The World….And It Costs Nothing© ” photography exhibition event
Location: Stockton City Hall Lobby
Date: September 19, 2023
Time: Noon-2 p.m.
Cost: Free

Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival
2023-04-29 10:00 - 2023-04-30 17:30 | Cupertino Memorial Park, 21121 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino, CA, 95014, United States

Friendship Celebration – Where Sushi Meets Borshch
2023-04-23 15:00 - 18:00 | St Stephens Episcopal Church, 500 Robinson Road, Sebastopol, CA, 95472, United States
Please join us at our Sebastopol Word Friend Friendship Celebration – Where Sushi Meets Borshch Outdoors.
After a three-year break, we are excited to bring this popular event back to the community. This is our annual tradition where friends and supporters can gather and celebrate our community, our sister cities and their cultures, and our work for world peace.
We will showcase food from Ukraine and Japan, where Sebastopol has our two sister cities: Takeo, Japan, and Chyhyryn, Ukraine.
Also featured will be cultural entertainment by Zoloti Maky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and a local Japanese taiko drumming group Tenten Taiko.
The highlight of this year’s event is to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our sister city relationship with Chyhyryn, Ukraine.
Registration

$25 for adults
$15 for children and seniors

Register online

2023 2nd Quarter NorCal Chapter Board meeting
2023-04-22 10:00 - 11:30 | Arrillaga Family Recreation Center, 700 Alma St., Menlo Park, 94025, United States

Sunnyvale Cherry Blossom Viewing Event
2023-04-02 11:00 - 14:00 | Braly Park, 704 Daffodil Ct, Sunnyvale, CA, 94086, United States

Iizuka, Japan students visit Sunnyvale
2023-03-24 - 2023-03-30

Sunnyvale Sister Cities Association 10th Anniversary Tour of Japan: Information Session
2023-03-16 19:00 - 20:30
SSCA is celebrating our 10th anniversary by inviting Sunnyvale residents or people who work in Sunnyvale on a 13-day tour of Japan, ending with a homestay in our sister city, Iizuka.
Dates: October 11-23, 2023
Price: $3,780
For more details about the tour, please read our:

Tour flyer
Information packet
Traveler data form
