Sister City

Sisters are doin’ it for themselves

Carrickfergus Borough Council is in the process of forming a new strategic Sister City alliance and contact has already been made with two prospective partners in the USA - Anderson, South Carolina and Jackson, Michigan. Representatives from both cities visited Carrickfergus in 2005 and extended formal invitations for Carrickfergus to pay reciprocal visits.

A delegation, headed by the Mayor of Carrickfergus Alderman David Hilditch, visited both cities in September 2005.  Their visit took in a number of events with City officials, visits to Council offices, public events at schools, businesses, museums and Arts Centres. As part of the trip, the delegation considered such characteristics as size and population, industries, tourism, education, culture, history and natural resources.

Sister-Cities is a renowned international organisation that links towns and cities in the USA with towns and cities around the world. The aim is for towns to team up with a new sister city that allows each town  to learn from their commonalities and celebrate their differences.

For further information on our potential Sister Cities, check out these web sites:

Anderson, South Carolina, USA
http://www.cityofandersonsc.com/

Jackson, Michigan, USA
http://www.jackson-mich.org/

History of Sister city
Sister city, county and state affiliations between the United States and other nations began shortly after World War II. Originally a part of the National League of Cities, Sister Cities International became a separate, non-profit corporation in 1967 due to tremendous growth and popularity.

Mission Statement of Sister city
Promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, & cooperation - one individual, one community at a time.

Goals
Sister Cities International 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.

• Develop municipal partnerships between U.S. cities, counties, and states and similar jurisdictions in other nations.

• Provide opportunities for civic officials and citizens to experience and explore other cultures through long-term community partnerships.

• Create an atmosphere in which economic and community development can be implemented and strengthened.

• Stimulate environments through which communities will creatively learn, work, and solve problems together through reciprocal cultural, educational, municipal, business, professional and technical exchanges and projects.
  
  
• Collaborate with organizations in the United States and other countries which share similar goals.