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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSister City Annual Report 2022 I III ri look y'Y IVrI 19 i • I /,l" � ����//� �ill / �����1�/ ////i/ / WWW.HAWAIICOUNTY.GOV 25 A U P U N I S T., H I L O, HI 96720 County of Hawaii SISTER CITIES 1 PV q, ME, �N. MWOM I' m The U.S. Sister City Program formally began in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a people-to-people citizen diplomacy initiative. It was originally a program of the National League of Cities, and Sister Cities International became a separate corporation in 1967 due to the growth and popularity of the U.S. program. Promote friendship, goodwill, and understanding between global communities by providing opportunities for the residents of Hawai'i Island and our sister cities to experience different cultures through education, and social and economic interaction. • Provide opportunities for local government, business leaders, and the wider community to experience and explore other cultures through long-term community partnerships. • Promote and develop economic, trade, cultural, educational, technical, social, and other beneficial exchanges. • Foster international understanding and the exchange of information. COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES r Hawai'i County's first-ever Sister City Virtual Concert themed "A Whole New World," premiered on July 30, 2021, on Na Leo TV. The concert showcased mayoral messages and cultural performances from eight sister cities across the globe. `�„� Represented in the concert were five cities in Japan, two in the Philippines, and one from Chile. In addition to the individual cultural performances, there was joint hula to the song "Sending Aloha," written and composed by Hilo musician/songwriter/educator Brandon Nakano, performed by ���u��� ' each respective city. 'Jt7'rrir%yiJ,Ow Ji/rrl,i Ji" 1ii„,,,rr,Jruyrnmyrir,yylyl IlrJlyll)ri lJlvmr»r> ii Iwo TWO o/0 z/01 1 Pti I i� u Ii i 1 This concert was created to remind us of our connections across the world, as we continue to fight through a pandemic that has left many of us feeling disconnected and alone," said Mayor Mitch Roth. "Our Sister City relationships have always been integral to our identity, diversity, and vibrancy here on Hawai'i Island, and we are excited to showcase them in a new and exciting way for all to see, feel, and be inspired." The full video of the concert can be viewed on the County's sister city webpage at www.hawaiicounty.gov/sistercities COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES ,"Wfl w,,, September 11,2021,marked the 10thanniversary of the sister city relationship between the County of Hawaii and Ormoc City, Philippines. w rya Mayor Mitch Rothand Ormoc City Mayor Richard '.Gomez ' r Y Y „Y commemorated the occasion by signing a Reaffirmation of the Sister City Agreement on October 20,2021. �Il ll� The virtual event was attended by government officials and other dignitaries and guests from both municipalities. Mayor Gomez,Vice Mayor Locsin and members of the Ormoc city council Video of the virtual event can be found on the sister city webpage at �y l www.hawaiicounty.gov/sistercities �111�11UllUIUly)U111UUUyJJ1Dli�ll»�iyy�»»�����»+»��, , Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez,also the wife of Mayor Gomez gave a brief remark Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez signing the agreement 7311 G Jn � y II``fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffY(((((� f(/fi////////////0, �� � i � ,�,,._, Vice Consul Andrea Caymon Kauhanen gave the opening remarks Hawai'i County Mayor Mitch Roth signing the agreement on behalf of the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES Mayor Mitch Roth and Kumejima Town Mayor Haruo Ota commemorated I the 10th anniversary of sisterhood between their " ffIlwfC f� 11GBJ N°jilf two municipalities through a Konawaena HS Japanese Class students presented and read the description of Hawaii County's omiyage virtual Signing of the Kumejima mayor Haruo Ota giving his remarks before to Kumejima in Japanese. signing the agreement. Reaffirmation Agreement on October 27, 2021. a � V' � / � u III uuuuul,IIIrIII�IV�UIIIIUI�VIIIVII IIUII 7 I� Ir 9 i )lls ril wrv; "y u u ly6)tiS u)uuw»u .., i The event was attended by w �tw �I government officials, host u organization members, and �Gd other dignitaries from both I � Kumejima HS student presented and read the description of Kumejima's omiyage to Hawaii County S i d e S. Mayor Mitch Roth signing the Reaffirmation Agreement. in English. r Sao A � A full video of the event can be ' r viewed on the sister city '�r b wepage at: N i / � www.hawaiicounty.gov/sistercities Event attendees:Dwayne Mukai,Lee Lord,Vice Consul Mayor Roth and Sister City Protocol Officer Jane Clement Matsuzawa,Mayor Roth,Candee Ellsworth,Jane waived aloha to the people gathered in Kumejima during the Clement,Tommy Goya,Art Taniguchi and Ross Birch. virtual signing event. COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES Mayor Mitch Roth and Mayor Misamichi Miyawaki pledged to err` continue to promote and expand effective and mutually beneficial cooperation between the people of their two cities during a virtual signing of Reaffirmation Agreements on December 3, 2021. "It is an honor to be a part of this Reaffirmation Ceremony. In our culture, there is a saying that goes, "The whole is larger than the sum of its parts." What this means is together we are stronger, and we can accomplish so much more than we can individually." f Lincoln Ashida President, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Hawaii. EVENT PPO,GRAM "On this 25th anniversary, my wish is that new opportunities for economic exchange between Hawaii IIJ I T ANIb TATE W@MS County and Yurihama will continue to emerge, in addition to the " cultural and educational exchange yNifl we have had up until this point. N AWAIT COUNTY-VURIHA MA TOWN m A11P s MEssAOes VRTUAILREAFFIRMATION nAn orv,a Mitsuaki'Kawaguchi OF SISTER CITIES DECLARATION swov.i :..,i`' President, Yurlhama Chamber ofi DECEMBER 03 2021,30OPM HST of A..EEMErva Commerce and Industry DECEMBER 04 2021,1000AM JST s o COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES l � l �- s � ♦ l �; 51'� °'//%%%////////%i ,,, Shibukawa City and Hawaii County residents have continually endeavored to deepen their mutual understanding and friendly relations through actives � . exchange over the past 25 years, >rr' Mayor Mitch Roth and Shibukawa City Mayor Tsutomo Takagi commemorated the 25th anniversary of sisterhood between their two municipalities by pledging to continue Mayor Tsutomo Takagi reaffirming Shibukawa City's commitment to the t to propagate feelings of goodwill during a 'signing of the sister city relationship during his remarks. Reaffirmation Agreement on February 17, 2022. The hybrid virtual and in-..person event was attended.. by government officials, members of the Japanese Community Association of Hawa'Vi, Shibukawa City Board of Education and Shibukawa Ikaho Onsen Tourism Association, and other dignitaries and guests. A full video of the event can be viewed on the Sister City °1r webpage at www.hawaiicounty.gov/sistercities Mayor Mitch Roth delivered his remarks before signing the agreement. A' / i t p�' „wig/loi r Illi�i ly of C �m � I 1 Moil f r County officials,members of the Japanese Community Association of Hawaii and other City Officials,members of the Shibukawa City Board of Education and Shibukawa Ikaho Onsen Tourism Association specia l guests attended the hybrid virtual and in-person sighing event between Hawai'i waving goodbye at the end of the event. County and Shibukawa City. COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES N ll' y No-W-.A Vice Consul Tamera Heine,Consul General Vice Consul Aya Kumakura,Consul General Vice Consul Grace Bulos,Consul General Isabela Silk,Mayor Roth,Jane Clement Aoki,Mayor Roth,Jane Clement, Emilio Hernandez,Mayor Roth,Jane Clement Vice Consul Matsuzawa On December 2, 2022, Mayor Roth and sister city protocol officer Jane Clement paid a courtesy visit to Consul General Emilio Hernandez. He is the newest diplomat assigned to Hawaii and will serve as the Consul General of the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu for the next three years. Mayor Roth and Ms. Clement provided him with information about the County's two sister cities in the Philippines. Mayor Roth and Ms. Clement also met with Consul General Isabela Silk of the Consulate General of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in Honolulu to begin discussions about a possible sister city relationship with Enewetak Atoll and other Atolls in the Marshall Islands. The majority of the Marshallese population living in Ocean View is from Enewetak. The day concluded with a visit to the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu. Mayor Roth and Ms. Clement met with Consul General Aoki, Vice Consul Kumakura, and Vice Consul Matsuzawa to provide a status update on Hawai'i County's sister cities in Japan. COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES lslw� 7t, 'K Mayor Mitch Roth joined Sister City Cabugao City, Ilocos Sur, to commemorate Sakada Day on December 22, 2021, recognizing and honoring the pioneering achievements and j -- courage of the first Filipino sakadas and their contributions to the history and development i of Hawaii Island. The Sakadas or Filipino plantation workers Council member and former mayor Josh Cobangbang laid a were first brought to Hawaii in 1906 to work wreath at the Sakada statue at Salomague Port,Cabugao on the plantations, and the "First Fifteen," as they were later coined, began their work on Hawai'i Island at the Ola'a Plantation in the Governor David Ige signed House Bill 604 Kea'au area. on April 9, 2015, designating December 20 of every year as "Sakada Day." This year's celebration was delayed a few days to coordinate commemoration between the County and Cabugao City. A full video of the lei-draping and wreath- „ laying ceremony can be viewed on the ° �ffo[,NA sister city webpage at www.hawaiicounty.gov/sistercities .;% �� Wn Mayor Mitch Roth draped a lei on the Sakada Statue in Kea'au COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES tf�NiUnrwl� o� 1 lei (ft, 1 Hawai'i County Board of Supervisors Chairman Members of the Hilo High School Chorus Members of the Hawai'i Oshima Friendship Thomas "Lofty" Cook and Mayor Toyonosuke Fujii traveled to Japan in June of 1996 and Association held an exhibit in Oshima to shook hands after signing the sister city agreement visited Oshima Island. commemorate 60th anniversary of sisterhood. between their two cities on February 16,1962. Hawai'i County celebrated its eldest Sister City relationship with , �` y Oshima Town, Japan on February 11, 2022, via a virtual film event that included dignified representatives from both cities. a e•,I ,F;e r1A-i "!ir The official establishment of the relationship between the two cities was signed on February 16, 1962, by then Chairman and Executive Officer of the County of Hawai'i, Thomas "Lofty" Cook in Oshima, Japan. Members of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Hawai'i and sister city protocol officer Jane Clement after filming interviews for the To celebrate this important milestone, Hawai'i County and Oshima documentary.. f Town compiled interviews of former and current government officials, organizations, and other individuals to glean stories and anecdotes about this historic Sister City relationship. The fi accounts were compiled into a commemorative documentary film produced by Na Leo TV (NLTV). The commemorative documentary can be viewed on the sister cityr ,I webpage at www.hawaiicounty.gov/sistercities Na Leo TV production crew during the filming of the documentary film. COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES �m PEA 81111 G. The Young Artists and Authors Showcase (YAAS) is an annual art contest that encourages youth worldwide to express the mission of Sister Cities International through original artwork, literature, poetry, photography, and music. This year's theme is This is Hawai'i County's first year of participation. Invitations were sent out to all the public high schools on Hawaii Island. A total of 25 submissions were received and five were selected as Hawaii County s official entries to the YAAS. " r Winners will be announced in August during the Sister Cities International � Annual Youth Summit. Artist:Shantacley Arhelger Artist: Dayshalyn Keohuloa Grade:11th Grade Grade: 11th Grade School: Pahoa High School School:Pahoa High School r d r Artist: Morgan Pierpont Artist:Alejo Xenophone Artist: Rapha Shvartsman Grade:12th Grade Grade:10th Grade Grade: 10th Grade School:Ka'u High School School:Pahoa High School School: Homeschool COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES The County of Hawai'i in partnership with the State Department of1�� Transportation will be installing a1 , ' sister city display case inside Gate 11 at the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole. The County will have full responsibility for the maintenance of the display case i once it is installed. '. _.- The display case will be built by our r County carpenters. This free-standing cabinet will be 8ft in length, 6 lh ft in height, and 1 lh ft in depth. The cabinet will be made mostly of wood with ��- plexiglass on the front and sides. _.. It will contain an informational board =� about our sister cities as well as select memorabilia that the County has received from the sister cities over the years. COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES e e The Philippines and select cities in Japan recently held an election. As a result, our sister cities in Ormoc City and Cabugao City, Philippines, and sister cities in Kumejima Town and Sumoto City, Japan now have a new mayor to lead their respective municipalities. Mayor Roth sent congratulatory letters to all of them and wished them a successful tenure. Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez 1 Ormoc City, Philippines i aA Katsunori (Jesaki f Sumoto City, Japan U o; Mayor Hideo Tobaru Kumejima Town, Okinawa Mayor Josh Edward Cobangb'an Cabugao City, Philippines COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES MINE 741i In January 2022, we introduced a new student exchange program called V-PAL or Virtual (.'mnity of II.Iss'"` W"', Partners in Acquisition of Language. V-PAL is a ��,n�5 r q V-PAschool-to-school language exchange program Virtual Partners in between Hawai'i County and its sister city ,ra a Acquisition ofLanguage schools in Japan, the Philippines, and Chile. The program is non-academic and participation is voluntary. Participants meet once a month " and choose a topic to discuss. They talk about similarities and differences in each other's cultures, traditions, and practices while speaking alternately between their native language �t and the foreign language they are trying to learn. � l Designed for middle and high school students, the program aims to provide participants with opportunities to learn a new language, make new friends abroad, and engage in cultural exchange. The first two schools to partner and subscribe rff to this program are Konaweana High School in 7 West Hawaii and Kumejima High School in Japan. 14 students from both schools have met JI J r every month since January 2022. Staff from both schools are present at each session to G % facilitate the discussions. /, r Our sister cities in La Serena, Chile and the Philippines have expressed interest in the program and we are working on getting them on board before the end of the year. COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES R Here's what the students are saying about the program I 39L -C6;-�D1tfst;N-:)kil-lea jv7-f owl-I-:e-x k l.75'-)kZT! ITwas FUN I was so nervous that I could not to lk so much.Happy to interact with students from Hawaii. VERY FUN AND INTERESTING! I JI-)tc-C-41 zb, A A**-.)z M3315)4z*Az ' IT WAS FUN.BUT I FELT MY ENGLISH SKILLS ARE NOT AS GOOD AS USED TO BE 5 J�-3 4V tS h k 10 I want to be able to express my I want to challenge my own writing/typing and reading thoughts in English. skills in Japanese. Particularly my kanji. qFQ 6Z& *T'-E-5 I want to make friends abroad. Kumejima high students use English and Konawaena uses Japanese during the activities. Hope to be able to use English in everyday life. I want to challenge my Japanese listening comprehension. I really really want to work on my Japanese and be able to speak more of it but I find it very difficult on my own so I hope through this program I can grow a little more. I also get really nervous when I have to speak Japanese out loud to other people so I hope to improve and get less nervous COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES � l l / a / / / av� I © flrltlAtlas Hawaii County- Marshall Islands Sister City Agreement Mayor Mitch Roth and the government of the Republic of Marshall Islands through Consul General Isabela Silk of the Consulate General of Marshall Islands in Honolulu are exploring e,t a Sister City Relationship Agreement between Hawaii County and Wotje, Enewetak, Namo, Ebon, Mejit, and Jaluit .Islands of the ae / r Republic of Marshall Islands. A resolution to approve the creation of such a partnership is being drafted and will be submitted to the County Council for i o9r/k Ki�l consideration after review by the Corporation Counsel. Sister City Goodwill Visit to Japan 'rT Mayor Mitch Roth and Sister City Protocol Officer . Jane Clement will lead a. delegation to Japan for a sister city goodwill visit from July 22 to August 2022. n / The group will meet with the mayors' business and industry leaders and other dignitaries in Sumoto City, Oshima Town,and Shibukawa City. " A meeting with tourism industry leaders is also . . r planned in Tokyo, Nago City Student Visit For many years, our sister city in Nago City, Okinawa has been sending students from area schools to Hawaii Island as part of their homestay program. Now that we are finally emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and after a three-year hiatus, Nago City is resuming its student exchange program and will send 12 students to Hawaii Island in August 2022. Hawaii County is working with the sponsoring organization Hui Okinawa to find host families for the students and to make sure the group will have the best experience during their visit. COUNTY OF HAWAPI SISTER CITIES