On behalf of the citizens of Fort Wayne, Indiana, I can proudly say that our city has been enriched by the numerous exchanges experienced as part of Sister Cities. The program greatly benefits our local schools, government offices, businesses, universities, and our entire community.
To date, Fort Wayne has forged successful Sister City relationships with Takaoka, Japan; Plock, Poland; Gera, Germany; and Taizhou, China. These relationships have included student and teacher exchanges and cultural exchanges between musicians, artists and dance troupes. They have also included exchanges between police and fire departments and parks departments. We have welcomed government delegations to our city and sent delegations to our sister cities, and I have had the opportunity to visit all four cities and have experienced their rich cultures firsthand.
As Indiana’s second-largest city, Fort Wayne has residents from many different cultures. Nearly 80 different languages are spoken by students in the Fort Wayne Community Schools district. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, of our city’s approximately 253,700 residents, 15.4 percent are African-American or Black; 7.96 percent are Hispanic; 3.3 percent are Asian; 3.7 percent listed themselves as “other”—about .50 percent are Native American and 3.5 percent said their heritage included more than one race. We are a city that welcomes and appreciates diversity. We know that diversity in our neighborhoods, city, state, and country is what makes us unique.
Our Sister Cities program is managed by Fort Wayne Sister Cities International, Inc., a not-for-profit charitable organization. Fort Wayne Sister Cities works to promote international understanding between the citizens of Fort Wayne and the citizens of our Sister Cities through the development of relationships fostered by frequent student, civic, artistic, and business exchanges. While Fort Wayne Sister Cities operates independently from the City of Fort Wayne, they have the full support of my administration, as well as some funding for operating expenses and a city liaison who works to support their mission.
Since our first sister city agreement with Takaoka, Japan was signed in 1976, many of our citizens have participated in exchanges with all four cities over the last 37 years. These exchanges have proven to be life-changing experiences, especially for students who often have had no prior experience with international travel or immersion in another culture. While we have gained much value from educational and cultural exchanges, the program took on an added value in May 2012 when we signed a Sister Cities agreement with Taizhou, China. It marked the first time that economic development became a primary component of a Sister Cities relationship. It means we have placed special emphasis on exploring opportunities for business growth, job creation, and trade between us and our Sister City.
With a focus on learning and citizen diplomacy, our Sister City relationships are a testament to the “peace through people” philosophy from which the national exchange program was created.
I believe this philosophy demonstrates a collective commitment to making our cities and countries places that give back and think of others. It also encourages us to view the world from a global perspective.
These cross-cultural relationships give us an excellent opportunity to learn about other cultures, share universal best practices and ideas, stay connected and enhance the quality of life in our respective communities. For this reason, the Sister Cities program has been and will continue to be a great benefit to the City of Fort Wayne.
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Fort Wayne, Indiana: Peace Through People
November 19, 2013
On behalf of the citizens of Fort Wayne, Indiana, I can proudly say that our city has been enriched by the numerous exchanges experienced as part of Sister Cities. The program greatly benefits our local schools, government offices, businesses, universities, and our entire community.
To date, Fort Wayne has forged successful Sister City relationships with Takaoka, Japan; Plock, Poland; Gera, Germany; and Taizhou, China. These relationships have included student and teacher exchanges and cultural exchanges between musicians, artists and dance troupes. They have also included exchanges between police and fire departments and parks departments. We have welcomed government delegations to our city and sent delegations to our sister cities, and I have had the opportunity to visit all four cities and have experienced their rich cultures firsthand.
As Indiana’s second-largest city, Fort Wayne has residents from many different cultures. Nearly 80 different languages are spoken by students in the Fort Wayne Community Schools district. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, of our city’s approximately 253,700 residents, 15.4 percent are African-American or Black; 7.96 percent are Hispanic; 3.3 percent are Asian; 3.7 percent listed themselves as “other”—about .50 percent are Native American and 3.5 percent said their heritage included more than one race. We are a city that welcomes and appreciates diversity. We know that diversity in our neighborhoods, city, state, and country is what makes us unique.
Our Sister Cities program is managed by Fort Wayne Sister Cities International, Inc., a not-for-profit charitable organization. Fort Wayne Sister Cities works to promote international understanding between the citizens of Fort Wayne and the citizens of our Sister Cities through the development of relationships fostered by frequent student, civic, artistic, and business exchanges. While Fort Wayne Sister Cities operates independently from the City of Fort Wayne, they have the full support of my administration, as well as some funding for operating expenses and a city liaison who works to support their mission.
Since our first sister city agreement with Takaoka, Japan was signed in 1976, many of our citizens have participated in exchanges with all four cities over the last 37 years. These exchanges have proven to be life-changing experiences, especially for students who often have had no prior experience with international travel or immersion in another culture. While we have gained much value from educational and cultural exchanges, the program took on an added value in May 2012 when we signed a Sister Cities agreement with Taizhou, China. It marked the first time that economic development became a primary component of a Sister Cities relationship. It means we have placed special emphasis on exploring opportunities for business growth, job creation, and trade between us and our Sister City.
With a focus on learning and citizen diplomacy, our Sister City relationships are a testament to the “peace through people” philosophy from which the national exchange program was created.
I believe this philosophy demonstrates a collective commitment to making our cities and countries places that give back and think of others. It also encourages us to view the world from a global perspective.
These cross-cultural relationships give us an excellent opportunity to learn about other cultures, share universal best practices and ideas, stay connected and enhance the quality of life in our respective communities. For this reason, the Sister Cities program has been and will continue to be a great benefit to the City of Fort Wayne.
