We're here tonight for uh a city council workshop to uh discuss the sister city commission.

Uh this was something that was brought up uh at the beginning of the beginning of the last budget season.

Uh we're talking about um appropriating funds for the Sister City Commission.

And it was discussed that we should have a workshop just to kind of go over um the duties of of the Sister City Commission.

Um so first I would like before we get started, uh Brenda, um thank you for doing what you've done for this commission.

I think you've done a phenomenal job as the as a chair.

And uh I know it's it's a lot of work that a lot of people don't understand and probably see.

Uh so uh um I think this is actually a really good opportunity to really uh show what the Sister City Commission does and how important it is for everything that we do.

So before I turn over to you, you want to just introduce uh the people that you have here with you.

I did.

I actually had a little introduction, which just said we're glad to be here.

We feel like it's been a while, and um we're excited uh very much so to share with you uh what I'm calling Sister City 2.0 um because it is a very different approach to um the resources and exciting opportunities that we have through our sister cities than perhaps previously was done.

And I am very excited after a great deal of shuffling of commission members.

Um we uh lost the first five out of the nine um within the first year.

And so since September, we've had a stable group of talented, committed, energetic, wonderful people who I think have put together a very important informational workshop for all of you so that you can see where we're moving into the 26, 27 and future with the Sister City program.

And so I'd like to start.

You all know me, I'm the one who's passionate about it.

I've been around for two decades, enough of that.

Um several of our members could not be here either because of personal or um uh work uh responsibilities, but I am very excited to um acknowledge and and introduce you, as if you don't know Michelle Gallagher, who brings such wonderful um experience to us in terms of public relations and public and program development, and Mary Jameson, our resident artist, um, who is wonderfully um able to guide us as we move into the cultural aspects of this, and we have Joe who brings a skill set that is wide, varied, and exciting to all of us, and Michael uh Mary down at the end who brings to us his law expertise and his long-term participation in the community.

So we have an incredible group of people here, and I think it's important as we move into this.

I want to thank everybody.

Let me, I'm sorry, I didn't acknowledge who is not here, and I think it's important to do that.

Brooke Eaton is with part of our group.

Amy Ironmonger is also part of our group.

Um Aaron Donovan Boyle is part of our group, and now X Wallach is already in conceal.

She beat you guys.

Um so they're all contributed to this presentation.

Um, and we want to thank each of them for what they've done for us.

And so let's let us tell you about the Sister City Commission as it exists now and as we hope it will move into the future.

And then we'd like to share your ideas because we serve at your will.

And we can give you our vision.

Um, we'd like you to tweak that or um refine it in terms so it fits into the vision of the city as well as our vision.

So we're gonna move forward right away.

And in what the first place we're gonna start, obviously, is in our mission statement.

I'm not gonna read the slides to you.

Whoops, I gotta get to them, right?

I'm sorry, I'm not really good at all of this.

Okay, there's our agenda.

You can look at it.

I hate going to PowerPoints and having people read the PowerPoints, so I'm not gonna do that to you.

Um there is our group again.

You have the all of this is in your packet.

And this is our mission statement.

And you can see that we have emphasized the importance of this global cultural exchange for the entire community.

We are not interested in any one segment.

We're interested in the breadth of our residents and our community and bringing what is already an exciting international city into the world.

So we have a tagline bringing the world to Newport and Newport to the world.

We're thinking about bumper stickers.

Um, but that really says a great deal about how we would like um the program to be seen as an enrichment program, as an exploration program, and as an expansion program that will in fact um make Newport an even more desirable community and a more um well-rounded and global participant in the world.

So that's where we're coming from and all of what we have proposed tonight, we do with upfront the themes of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity.

So those go underneath everything that we're about to talk to you about.

So as we look at the how we've envisioned it, we one of the things we wanted to do, as you know, we we spent two years with the help of Lynn and Jean.

Um, I'm sorry, you want to I can't talk and do two things at the one same time.

Um with the help of um Lynn and Jean, we um explored best practices, what what exists around the world?

And part of um our excitement about joining the Sister Cities International Program was that we had the opportunity to do that in a different way.

These are all communities of roughly the same size except Charleston, but we wanted to see what do they do for programming, what do they do for funding?

What do they do to make their communities um a better place to live in a more desirable place for people to visit?

And it's been exciting to utilize.

I'm gonna just put a little footnote there in this programming because I've already sat in on a round table of all the uh cities in the United States who have Italian sister cities and hearing their programming and um a number of other things that we'll bring up along the way.

But I we wanted you to know that that we spent a considerable amount of time with great guidance from your colleagues raising the important questions.

How does this serve Newport?

How does this serve Newport?

And that has been a consistent theme through all of what we've done.

In doing so, what we've found the easiest way for us to understand and explained our vision is to take a look at what we have decided are four pillars of development.

These are areas that we think are critical to a successful sister city program, and those key pillars are education, economic development, community partnerships, and arts and culture.

All of those are the essential ingredients that we saw across other communities, and what we hear from the from our color residents when we're out in the community um sharing our love for this process.

I'm gonna start with the education program.

As you know, our goals um are to promote the cultural understanding and global awareness.

We live in a global society, we also live on a very small island.

Um, and it's easy to forget sometimes that there's a big world out there.

Part of what we find is exciting about the Sister City program is that it reminds all of us that we are part of a larger, a larger world.

And and when you visit the sister cities in many of these, you walk as you drive into the sister cities, there's a list of their sister cities, and of course, we're always on it because we offer so much in terms of um panache reputation and resources to those.

And we would like our students, both children's students and adult students, to understand where we stand in the rest of the world and how the rest of the world can benefit us.

Um of us who have been to Japan and been to the schools know that we have a lot to learn from the Japanese schools that we can bring back to our schools.

Um that exchange of ideas and cultural differences is the keynote and what we're looking to do both by doing student exchanges and as a footnote again.

I have already begun to meet with Superintendent Germain, some key parents and the principal at Rogers to see if we can develop a program that will not be on again off again as it has been in the past.

We've done some great exchanges, but they have not been sustained.

And I'm looking and hoping that we can have a program that will be sustained, that will have um a real funding sources.

We recognize that the funding for this will probably be outside of our budget allotment.

And so we've begun to already.

I had lunch with uh Representative Corison talking about legislative grants.

I've talked about some other people.

We're looking for money already for um these kinds of um programming, but largely just so you are aware, we have um 25 students uh Shimoda students coming in March with two teachers at the end of April.

I have six Italian students for the first time ever coming with two teachers, and then we are hoping to be able to send at least three of the students who hosted our Japanese students along on the Shimoda um trip.

They they're expecting to go and have already made their plans with their colleagues on the other side.

Um, but we're already um fundraising for those things, and I want to be clear that we understand that responsibility and are working um diligently toward that.

In terms of all Newport residents as another part of that, we would like to do um educational programming, um, things, lectures on Japanese art when the uh when the Japanese are here or Japanese dancing.

As you know, we've partnered very strongly with the Japan American Society of Southern New England.

Um, but also for the Italians.

Um we there's no reason why we can't do art we cross over a lot, Mary and I um uh kinds of exchanges, and we're looking to be able to do that for the purpose of being able to expand our problem solving, our awareness, and our appreciation of what we can offer here in Newport.

And that's where we're headed with education.

I'm gonna go to the next pillar and turn it over to Joe.

Uh good evening.

And um, I'll echo Brenda by saying thanks very much for this opportunity to talk to you.

I'm here um in in uh said in um of Aaron Donovan Boyle, who is president of the Chamber of Commerce.

So economic development is a little bit more in her wheelhouse uh decor and a cliche than mine, but um we have discussed this, and since we have been impaneled as this um the way the the commission is presently constituted, it's been really a great way to uh articulate some goals in a in a new way, uh, some new, some tried and true.

And so you will notice that in each of the pillars, you know, the goals are um uh are things that we've decided we'd really like to work on uh and working with the council.

Um and you know, we say things like uh like workforce exchange became something that was really kind of interesting.

Uh and you know, but we took do it in a way that um with willing partners.

Um it's uh uh trade is an idea and exchange more than like you know, the immediate economic development, which uh Aaron were she here would probably be able to articulate a little bit better.

Um we're also it's interesting because uh because the way that Newport is, we you know, we don't really have a lot of um of chain places.

You know, we have you know this the grocery stores and Walmart and things, but we also have a lot of independent business people that would benefit greatly by international.

We already have a substantial international tourism, uh tourist base.

Uh but uh it would just be a really great way to uh have other tourist destinations around the world.

Uh Imperius is the city in Italy, not widely known as like a tourist Mecca, but certainly as a regatta, uh, which uh we certainly have an overlap in Newport.

Um just made a couple other notes, chances to discuss funding for the initiatives uh listed under examples, but um the economic development we feel we're in very safe ground, very firm ground if we uh really work on these as goals and um and move forward with the collected expertise of the commission.

Thank you.

And I um and now we pass it off to Michelle.

She doesn't even like um but uh when I considered and was asked to join the community partnerships or excuse me, the Sister City Commission, I really thought that the thing that I could do to help the organization that already has been greatly um started by under Brenda's tutelage in the city of Newport is through community engagement and partnerships, and I think it's really important.

I've made my career global marketing and PR career out of really um messaging, getting community people engaged and inclusivity.

And so what we're trying to do as a commission is really take this programming and share it to the extent that it's appropriate in the city of Newport and and City Council um uh um wants us to do that.

We really want to make sure that people know about the City City Commission beyond just the signs when you want when you drive into town.

So through just sharing our events with free event listings, we're we've got a rich uh media outlet uh group here, and so it's very easy for us to be able to get people excited about attending some of our cultural exchanges.

So that would be both for uh the broader um getting the out excuse me, getting the audiences of city nonprofit and and businesses involved.

And I think that's a way to really get the uh local businesses involved in um the global business community and economy.

So you can see here that we have a section of some of our established relationships that mainly Brenda has established.

Um, but also we're looking at some prospective relationships and places where we can make inroads into sharing their assets in addition to the assets, the programming assets we'll be building.

Thank you.

Turn it on.

So, yes, and so the reason I wanted to get involved with the Sister City Commission was to um support them and get involved in in the arts, um, the culture and the arts.

That's my background.

Um, I'm a working artist.

Um, my studio is in Newport.

And actually the picture from did you switch the the thing for the next one?

Um of the pictures that are in in your handout here are um when the group from Shimoda came and the the adults and the kids came to my art studio.

I opened up the art studio, I gave it a demonstration about my artwork.

We had um lunch there, and so I think it was um sort of maybe one of the first times that you know we um a group like that was visiting local, and I'm just one of many, many artists and people doing you know, involved in in the culture of Newport that we can take advantage of.

So I was very happy to do that.

Um let me see.

So some of the things that that can be um expanded on, I thought were international art exhibits.

Um we already have um some of the cultural festivals and events, and that of course, you know, the community comes to that, and uh there's a lot of learning and um um events like um making um I think there's art, there were some art um projects or the uh origami or something like that that the the kids can the kids can learn and the families can learn, they can do it together, which is um impactful.

Um there was a music um uh a music and performance exchange with uh Diego Campania, which was some years ago.

Brenda was telling me about it, but things like that, um, you know, all the cultures bringing the music, and of course, our community loves loves stuff like that and would support it.

Um of the things that I was interested in looking into more was um and and especially with Kinsail, was this artist in residence program, which the sister cities that that's kind of prevalent along um with a lot of the sister cities, and so I I went to Kinsale a couple of times and I just started talking to some of the gallerists and some of the artists there, and I thought that I could invite maybe an artist to come back in the winter um to work work in my studio, just sort of to support that and maybe get that spearheaded and going.

And um, I was talking to Liz Timmons at the Boathouse Gallery, and I got an invitation to show my work there.

Um so it's gonna be up for a month at the end of uh March.

And um I'm I was um the guest uh guest artist for there.

So that's that's a first, and we can do that here too.

So I feel like that um that is something I'm very interested in.

Um there's also a lot of ways to include school uh youth and school um art exchanges, and for example, the sister cities um um international website, they they actually have a program which is for young artists and authors, and each year's uh students from member cities all over the world submit art, photography, poetry, literature, and music to this um through this uh showcase, and according uh and they they pick a theme, and then there's a chance to win a thousand dollars and to display their work on a virtual exhibit on the website.

So this is an opportunity to work with the schools and the um art teachers and the English teachers, and they can and then they can learn, you know, in a in a really great way about the sister cities and the different, and they get exposed to the other kids from all over the world that are that are in this competition.

So this is like a great example of how we can um you know bring this to our community, get a lot of uh mileage from it.

Um so yeah, so that's that's um that's what I hope to I hope to expand on.

And um, and I'm happy to I'm happy to put my efforts towards that.

So based on those four pillars, we um made a little chart of the benefits of sister city programming, which we think um in many ways become they overlap.

It's hard to differentiate them in some ways, because the bottom line is that our we have a lot to learn and we have a lot to share.

And um each time we take that opportunity, we're all enriched, whether it's our students or whether it's our older new porters through the whatever, you know.

But the bottom line is these are the benefits, and again, I'm not gonna bore you by reading through them because you already know them.

Um I wanna thank um you, and I wanna thank the stewardship uh uh of um particularly Lynn and Jean um who've been helpful to us in informing this.

But we have we are excited, and I want to make sure that really clear.

We're excited about this.

We feel like we have an opportunity to really contribute in a different way, perhaps, than it's ever been done before.

And that is kind of exciting to be on new ground.

Um we want to grow and and base it on what was, but it's a new world.

And um just the ideas, for example, um to piggyback on Miri a little bit.

Um I ran into um Howard Newman, who turns out he speaks Italian fluently.

So he's going to do a workshop for the Italian kids who are coming over.

Um, these are the kind of engagements, and each of the time we do this, each time we do this, we find that we have somebody else who walks away and says, Wow, this sister city program is very cool.

We spent a lot of time with Michelle at the um, particularly at the um Broadway Street Fair and Brooke up at the Japanese here.

And I gave away, as you know, we have that magazine.

Um I I sequestered all the extra copies.

So I had 110 copies of of the of the um art of the magazine, and I'm down.

Okay, I'm down to like 50 because people were really curious, and they had specific questions.

I'm sure all of you have seen this because I've been carrying it around, but in just in case you haven't, um here it is.

Uh and and the questions were really exciting.

They always started with the first question, which is what are our sister cities and why?

And I learned for all the years I've done this.

I found out why Skiothis really is.

Did you know they started our our our fishing industry?

That's what I've been told um by some pretty knowledgeable people that they owned all the bo the shipping uh the boat yards along there, and they came over to start a shipping industry.

I just thought it was because we had a lot of Greek residents.

Um, we the each person, each of our sister cities has a tie.

Not so sure about St.

John, but we'll go on to that another time.

Um, but the main five all have a tie to us.

So I would like very much um to stand it up.

Michael's yeah, I'm gonna do that.

Um and so you know, we know that there's some uh we drove up, we wrote up a proposal for a standard operating procedure.

We know that there are a number of areas that may be up for discussion, and again, this is a proposal we serve at your at your will.

So I'm gonna hand this over to Michael and let him do a little bit of the presenting over there.

Oh, good evening.

Thank you for having us.

And as uh Brenda uh stated, we're all very excited to be here.

And in particular, I'm a new member, and I'm amazed at the talent of the people on the uh on the committee and and their hard work.

Uh but we have put together a uh standard operating procedure, 13 articles which set forth the mission, the authority.

Um development, but probably the most important part of this document is appendix B, which is the annual report template.

And uh gives a summary of the uh what we intend or have done over the past year with the different cities, the travel that may have taken place, the incoming delegations, uh the initiatives, the cultural uh educational exchanges, business collaboratives, any of the community outreach.

Um and so that is what is at the at the heart really of this whole committee, uh the standard operating procedure and our outline uh as I think we see and have set forth tonight is in the seven uh annual reporting uh sections of the template.

But uh happy to discuss any of this with you.

But uh again, we're very pleased to be here, very excited about uh the upcoming year and uh look forward to working with the committee and the city council.

When we are out in the community, um obviously on the points of discussion, one of the primary ones for us is to make sure what your vision is.

And so a dialogue is going to be important and the basis of communication um between this commission and and the city council.

Um I think are really critical.

Uh sometimes they need to be sharpened a little bit, but um they need to happen in order for us to be not only an advisory group and and one of assistance, but also a principal.

Um on a day-to-day basis, we probably spend more time thinking about this stuff than you all, and we'd like to take some of that load off of your calendar as well.

Um, and in trying to do that.

When we um I'm gonna go into one of some of the other um I that's open for discussion, but I wanted to take a look at the topics of discussion.

When we're out in the community, um the first question is what are the sister cities?

The second question, and um this is not, I think that it's something that'll get resolved in one evening, maybe, but it is the question of how do the delegations get formed and how are they funded.

Um we have always had a pretty informal way of operating them under whichever mayor was serving at that time.

Um I'm not sure that the community is clear about that.

And I am so we'd like to suggest that whatever is in your goodwill that it become it be uh delineated and articulated about how the delegations are formed.

We have a suggestion, you may or may not like that, but in the meantime, it I think for the for the purpose of transparency and accountability, we need to set up a process for how that happens and how the finances are handled.

Um, you know, we're gonna defer to you for the guidance on how that might happen.

Um we do think, and I and this is in the standard operating procedures, um, is that it's important that the delegations have a stated mission, that there's something that you're gonna accomplish on each of the missions on each of the visits that will be a value to the city.

What we decide what you decide, you decide.

Um, but having decided that it's our hope that included in delegations will also be representatives of the stud of the community who are related to that mission and and saying, for example, we know that we have um an invitation to go to Imperia in the fall.

Uh we also know that we're going there for a major regatta.

Perhaps part of the delegation needs to be somebody from our sailing community, whether that's Iris, whether that's Sail Newport, we'll defer to you on that.

But we feel like we need to be able to begin to exchange that.

And so in keeping with that, there is, in fact, along with the annual report, a a post-trip report.

Um it was suggested at one time that the sister city um group be responsible for that.

We cannot be unless you're going to take us every time, which is fine if that's what you'd like to do, we'd be happy to accommodate you and take notes.

Um, but if we're not going to be there, somebody needs to be delegated to do that.

Um, and and uh again, these are proposals.

We are perfectly prepared to modify whatever you want to modify um according to your needs.

And I guess I I'm talking too much.

So if you would like any feedback from that was a fantastic um little slideshow there, and and just the whole booklet and everything you guys put together was great.

And I I do have to say that the the makeup of this the commission is like just beyond what I could even think of.

I think you guys had every bucket that needs to be hit as far as um between finance and education and entertainment and Michelle and all the work you've done with the last two years of the uh Thamesgiving effort was was fantastic.

So I'm glad you're on here as well.

Um we do I know I know I have a couple questions for you, and then um I'm sure from the the rest of the council.

Um so I'll uh before I get going, I'll turn over to anyone on the council that has any questions or comments that allow me.

Mr.

Chip.

Go ahead, Council Smite.

Um I think this is wonderful what what you have put forth.

Um, you know, last summer when I I started heavily advocating for our commissions and the processes and building more uh uh robust commissions that um council, city administration, even the public can really lean on uh based upon the commission topic and bringing forth a resolution about the sister cities program in particular, um, specifically about the reporting piece, the financial piece, and the purpose of the program.

I think what you've done here is is absolutely wonderful.

Um I feel like you know, you can see all the hard work that went into this.

I did attend a few of the meetings where you were talking about it, and and I found that to be to be really great that that you saw the potential that I was seeing of of what this program can bring to the community.

So I a hundred percent applaud you and thank you for all your hard work with this.

Um for me, it it checks all the boxes, it checks all the boxes of community engagement, um, it checks the boxes of how our city can benefit from these relationships and from the visits and the information that is brought back to our community, and it checks the boxes of of accountability, um, specifically about the financial piece, about um reporting back of what the visits are all about and and connecting with the delegation to be able to get that information, especially out to the community, because I I feel as though the community wants to know what it is that the commission does, wants to know the values of the sister city visits.

Um, but more specifically how how that long term can benefit them.

And I feel like you're you're checking all of the boxes here with that.

Um the transparency, the accountability.

Um, so I again I applaud you for doing that.

And uh yeah, I think that this is a a good step forward that it also enables the community to learn more about what it is that you do, so that um you know, when they do see the fundraising piece or or currently a budget line item, you know they they want to know what that's for.

They want to know where their taxpayers' dollars are going towards and how that is going to benefit them.

And so I I feel like what you're proposing is is gonna answer all those questions.

So thank you very much.

This is great, thank you very much.

And uh I think it's a a really um comprehensive look at the the program.

Um having to having said that and been on the council now for several years.

I think the sister city program has been important for many, many, many, many years, and we have accomplished quite a lot in that time um among the sister cities, uh, particularly when it comes to uh Japan and the students that we have we have brought over and literally the lives that have been changed because of those connections and that the connections that those those students who are now adults still have with their um host families.

So um I think that there has been a lot of in the past relationships that have happened that are uh are important, you know.

You look at the world today, and everything seems so abstract, but when you know someone from the community, when you know someone in another country, it means more when it's an Olympic uh flag, or uh like it was funny.

This was a couple of years ago, and Mr.

Sinji liked it.

And that meant so much to me because that was a connection right there, you know.

So I think that through the years uh we I think we can strengthen, we need to strengthen the student connection with um Ireland.

Um and uh we certainly have a connection with students with Italy, uh, which has been great, and uh, but we need to we need to continue that.

And I think that us having friends in these other countries makes us more aware of the humanity and um and just the the you know that we we were we're all we're all human and we all deserve our dignity.

So if I can interject one thing, I I found it very interesting.

Um Diego Campania, our Italian guitarist friend, uh was touring Japan, and without realizing it, he posted a picture from Shimoda next to Mr.

Sinji with no knowledge that we were all sister cities.

Um so it turns out that Mr.

Sinji is good friends with Diego Campania from Imperial.

That's very cool.

Um, the thing though that I I do want to mention about the funding, um, of course it's important.

And at one time we had the funding through the Discover Newport um uh um lease that through the gateway.

And I think that there is a way to fund the program without using taxpayer money, and particularly if we could look at the gateway now, we have an aquarium there, we have which is tourist-based.

Um, I think that you know, possibly we could look at some other funding that comes from the tourism industry that would actually go back into the tourism industry.

Um so I think we could look at something like that.

Um, as far as the delegations, um, you know, having people go who are connected with certain industries, I think is great.

Uh do we want them to pay for these trips themselves or their companies to pay?

I mean, I think that's something that we really need to discuss.

So thank you.

Great idea.

The sister city program has evolved over the years.

Uh there was a time when um I had asked for them to accept students as they brought their students over here.

And at that time I was told, oh no, no, they wouldn't like Japanese houses.

We pursued, I mean, you know, and I love Japan and the people are just wonderful.

But eventually they recognized that it's as important to them to have children coming over here as it is for our children to go over there.

Um, they always would take us to the schools.

The one thing we'll never get our kids to do is clean the classroom.

That's what the kids do after school.

They're the ones in charge of cleaning the classrooms.

Um it's very, very interesting to um go to another country and explore and to find out all the things that we think alike.

I can tell you uh recently I was at a Navy function and uh from the war college, and there was the war college president of the school, the far uh the foreign students, and he got up, he was from Norway, and they asked to have questions at that point.

I've had so many phone calls from overseas in regard to currently what's going on here, and they would ask questions.

It's really we're in a time we're in flups right now, and I think it's more important than ever that we continue the program, that we explore the possibilities.

This is a great outline.

I am so impressed with it.

The money is a problem.

Um what Lynn had said, we received um approximately 60,000 from Discover Newport's rent for the year.

Obviously, they paid a lot more than that for the rent, but they also have committed to doing a lot with the sister city program, particularly when the students come here.

They've never turned us down.

So I think it's important uh that we look at that facility again.

It wasn't taxpayer dollars, it was the rent, a portion of the rent for that particular entity.

So I mean I just think this program is so important.

Um sometimes people don't have the right impression of Americans.

They think, you know, we've got it so easy, we got it under control, and now everybody's scared.

But what this Norwegian president when I or president of the college, when I had said to him about the phone calls I was receiving, and I said it, you know, it breaks my heart.

This isn't, you know, I don't want to make a political statement, but this isn't who we are.

And this guy said, I can't even believe you said that.

This guy that was the Norwegian.

He said, I am so proud of you.

I'm staring there like they don't understand what's going on with us right now.

What's going on with it?

Uh excuse me, I'm talking to the group.

They don't understand how much lives have been upset.

Thank God we have a program like the sister city.

Thank God we have the college.

You know, to be able to continue these relationships and to let 'em know, yeah, there's some bumps in the road.

And we'll all get through it, and we'll get through it together.

So I think it's really important.

I I love what you've done.

You've worked so hard, everybody.

Um I really see this as a benefit not only to our community, but to the places we visit.

And I hope it continues for many, many more years.

Yep.

Um couple questions I uh that I have.

So I I've been lucky enough to be on a couple of the trips to be the uh Kinsale.

I've been in Shimoda, and it was it was great.

And I really think you know, as a as a city counselor, it's a it's important to take a part of one of these one of these trips.

Um to really understand.

I had I had no idea what the sister city relationship was about with you know with with these other cities, other towns, and um obviously being you know being here, we have the black we've had the black ship festival for years and years, and it's it's really cool.

It's like, okay, yeah, the the sumo wrestlers and the other guys banging the drums, and it's like, all right, yeah, it's cool.

But when I got the opportunity to visit Shimoda and see what it means in their eyes and their side, it was it was life changing.

It really was.

It was it was it opened my my eyes and and answered so many things that I was like I had no idea the connection and how important it is.

Um so I I mean I really think it's important for at some point um almost make it a prerequisite at some point uh uh a council be able to take one of these uh one of these trips.

Um it's it is really eye-opening and again and and both both my business the one to Shimona went to Kinsale both times.

My favorite part of the trip was a visit to schools.

It was it was great just to see.

I mean, they they welcome you like you're like walking on on water, and it was unbelievable.

Maybe because I'm like six six and they're all like that's Charlie.

We have great pictures of you with a little kid and dunking.

But just to see it in and how they what they do with their education programs and and things of that nature and how they were doing over to can uh when over to Kinsale about how they built a new high school there.

It was through um a lot of it was through um basically like how how they do the uh the boxes, like the the trailer boxes, you know, storage trails and things of that nature.

That it was like really cool.

Of course they had money from uh you know Microsoft and what have you, but it was still it was impressive um compared to what we were doing at the time building our high school.

So um it's it's really something that's important, and then obviously it's it's not just you're going over there and you're having a good time and you go to the pubs and you go, you know, karaoke and all that stuff.

That's all well and good, but it's really the the um this the schools and and and the culture that you get the get the really um soak in that's important.

Um we do have really three other sister cities that we don't really have quite the relationship that we used to have.

Um at some point, um uh Nova Scotia, uh we have the uh was it uh Or Delgado?

Oh yeah, Delgado Delgado, and then obviously Skiatos Greece is something that kind of fell by the wayside um over the past few years.

Are there any um any thoughts of rekindling those relationships?

Yes.

Um let me let me go down the down the line there.

In terms of Skiathos, um uh a Greek businessman with a home in Newport and in Skiathos has approached me about helping to develop a more robust um program um and how to find financing for that.

Um the largest uh deterrent for the Skiathos exchanges has been their economy in Greece.

And um how on the other hand, I was at a Greek restaurant this last weekend up in Boston and happened to mention Skiathos to uh the one of the owners of the restaurant who had been there and kept saying, Oh, you've got to go, it's gorgeous, it's absolutely gorgeous.

So um it's a great tourist place.

Um so I yes, we've been working with the Skiassis Goose, which by the way, the 30th um anniversary of the twinning is coming up in 2026 with Skiathas, and it would be a perfect time to rekindle that piece of it.

Umta Delgata is a little bit more complicated because they are also twinned with um Fall River, and they often come for Fall River for the big Portuguese festivals there and maybe come down and have brunch with us.

So it's a little hard sometime to ask them to develop them with uh with the two cities too close.

We may be able to outreach to Fall River to see if we can engage with maybe do some joint things or some.

We have not explored that to that level.

Um St.

John's is a whole other story.

Umly because I happened to be at a tourist fair and went to St.

John's and said, Hi, I'm from your sister city, and they went, No, you're not.

Um I said, no, no, I am.

And they said, No, you're not our sister city.

I said, look on Wikipedia.

And they went, Oh my God, we didn't know.

So I think clarifying that relationship because quite honestly, we have had many, many, and I'm sure most of you have had as well, um, requests from the fr to to have a French sister city, which has a real roots here in terms of Rochambeau and the history and during the revolution.

Um it's hard to think about putting an extra one on when we have one that's not functioning.

Um if they want to rekindle that that you know, okay.

Um, but if they don't, maybe we need to talk about um shaking hands and saying goodbye, um, and looking into revitalizing or accepting something in the in the French area which has a more direct um involvement with our community.

And does that answer that, Charlie?

Yeah, we had uh a visit year and a half ago or so uh from the French consulate uh looking to see if we were interested in partnering.

And of course, at the time, you know, it was like it was just left up in the air, but uh it was an interesting meeting.

Um so uh I think it's something we should could look into, particularly if St.

John's is not uh viable.

Um when I first got on the council, uh the Skiatho suite relationship was sort of a Zoom relationship in a way.

That well, that has existed as at the at the church um at Saints Merit and they had they would have an event where they would have a screen up and look at each, you know, they would speak to each other.

That is true.

And some dancing and and so it was a it was really a relationship between that community and our community.

Right.

Um when Mayor Winthrop was in in place, he started the um sister city uh clubs, and one of the ones he started was the Skiathis Newport Club.

When things kind of went dormant in other areas, that stayed very vital with these um Zoom.

They get up at two in the morning to talk to each other um via Zoom.

And and what we'd like to do, we've had invited them to our meetings.

They have had um they're excited to have it.

Um I think though that we want to it would they're more focused, I think, on people who are of direct connection with Skiathus, and we would be more thinking in terms of the municipal piece of that, I I think.

So I we can work hand in glove.

I don't think it's it's a it's an either-or situation.

I think it's a mutually supportive situation of expanding their vision and and incorporating theirs into ours.

Yeah.

Um I I know like a lot of the the sister city relationships are based on like features.

So Newport obviously um the water, very touristy um town, whether it's sailing, fishing, what have you.

Um and a lot of those, a lot of our other sisters have that same same kind of concept.

Um except for Japan, which is really our historical one.

And that's the one where I feel we have the most duty too.

I mean, it's also a harbor, but you know what I'm saying.

Yeah, but it's a yeah, like they're well no, they're there they are, but but our tie is because of the history with Matthew Perry and Commodore Perry, and so that you know that's why we were the first sister city.

Right.

But they're beginning to do if if they're beginning to develop their tourism, and you can see that on Facebook.

The um there they're touting things that they've never um they're they've never promoted before.

I'm sorry, but you got interrupted, Charlie.

I just wanted to, you know, it is a history, it's a historical tie, and and so and it's a it's important because of that.

And um, and when you go there, you it's like full circle, you know.

He commodore Perry was born here.

You go there where he went there and had such an impact on that country uh economically and culturally, and there are statues of him everywhere, and then you come back come back here where he was buried, it really has an impact.

And um, and it's a it's a full circle moment.

And then and then also the the navy connection, right?

But um, so have we uh uh have there been thoughts or is this a strictly just an international program?

Or have we had uh are there any domestic cities that that would have the similar relationships with Newport?

I saw it that on on the screen earlier.

We had or you had on there like Monterey, California, Charleston, South Carolina, uh ports of New Hampshire, you know, they have similar ties to what I mean, Newport, not saying Newport itself, but what Newport is.

Have we had any thoughts of having domestic relationships?

I have not.

I felt like we had our hands full with what we had.

Um I just want to refer back that the reason it's it's always been international was that it flowed out of President Eisenhower's program, um uh post-World War II to do a you know uh people to people diplomacy.

And um, I don't know that looking domestically is is a problem.

Um I think we've just had our hands full with what we've got.

Well, just just a thought as far as you know, as far as the ease of traveling to uh um some again, similar cities, maybe might maybe in Annapolis, Maryland might be more savanna uh things like that that have you know similar situations that we're going through as far as hey, we're a tourism city, there's not a lot of other um revenue sources besides that, and how do they handle the tourism, how do they handle housing, how do they handle education?

Charlie, I think that could be a secondary benefit of the sister city uh uh association international because um there are multiple um opportunities for host cities to talk to each other to explore their similarities and how they do things.

So it could be a secondary benefit of the international piece.

Uh as I said, sitting at that round table, I've been in touch with the sister city head of the sister city program in New Haven, Connecticut, talking about how they are doing their thing.

And I and I have um an email thing going back and forth with um Tucson, I think it is.

Um you know, they they do a whole um Olympic thing with all the sister cities in the state.

You know, um I put a call in, I hope that was okay, to the Italian consulate the other day asking if they had a compilation of the other communities that had Italian sister cities in New England, much like Japan has done to try to bring us all together.

I'm waiting for a response to that.

Um, you know, just out of curiosity to see whether or not they there was anything.

Uh so the answer to your question is we haven't done anything with it yet, but it doesn't mean it can't um evolve.

Um and then my just my last question for now, so I don't want to get too much noise.

What are we doing?

How how much the most important thing I think uh it's been brought up, and I think we can all agree is the education piece of it.

And how are we getting we we possibly see the know the Japan students coming over?

They come over every year now.

The other year like we do um with them.

Um what are the steps that we are taking to get our kids to travel?

Yeah, our kids go to sale, you know, and obviously Japan brought I know we're working with that, but you brought it even if it's not even the actual physical travel.

Are we doing things to do to do Zoom meetings and do different relationship in cases?

The answer is yes.

Um we've been um I've been meeting, as I said, with uh Colleen Jermaine and uh Mike Monaghan and two parents, two parents who hosted our kids for the purpose of developing a program that would f be for all the sister cities, it would not be just for Japan, although Japan is the most aggressive toward us in try and and setting them up.

Um so that's why this initial one with Italy in April.

It's really the initial one.

I am not aware of their having sent students here before.

We have sent students, but well, Festi Toyana has sent students before, and we sent them once, but I'm not aware of Italian kids coming here.

Jean, you may know of it.

Jean, you're shaking your head.

I I they've never uh I asked Alina, she said no.

Um, and so the cansail obviously I had thought quite honestly that um Deanna Casey was ha was fostering the conseil thing, and I spoke with her, I didn't realize she was the kids that she would take around Rogers when I worked there were just friends of hers.

Um I thought it was through the rotary or something like that.

So we can certainly embrace the whole the all of the sister cities, not any one of them.

Um it's just that Japan happens to be the most aggressive, I think, in their planning about their own kids.

But in terms of the Zoom pieces, uh we're talking about setting up pen pal stuff, we're you know, uh, which and and setting up regular Zooms, we're talking about art exchanges, we we do it with Japan, but we're trying to make that more meaningful.

I you're sick of seeing it, but we've presented these books to all uh of the the um each school in our um so that the kids can learn more about Commodore Prairie and and have a better sense of what that's about.

So the answer is we're working on that.

We'd welcome any ideas if if you uh there's something in particular that you'd like us to emphasize, let me know.

If if I may, um I uh if I'll add that um we've talked in the commission meetings about um using some either grants or some donations by local businesses to send students to some of these places, their school year.

Um in fact that's why Aaron couldn't be here because it's school vacation week.

Um, Aaron Donovan Boyle, but um their school year is different than our students, and so the opportunity to have a little scholarship program to send uh students to any of the places that they might be studying in school is something that we can work on, and we've talked about that as a potential programming activity.

So the other questions from the council?

Yeah, I just wanted to mention that um obviously a lot of things have evolved over the years.

Um the Italians have always been, you know, if we had the kids, they'd find a place for them.

It had it was a struggle, probably still is somewhat, you know, with the Japanese students.

Um because the culture, the language, everything is so different.

We've been very, very blessed with Navy families, and they have taken the kids in uh many times.

So, you know, uh and now for the first time, and it happened a few years ago when we said we want to put it on an every other year schedule as far as visitation.

We'll visit you one year, you visit us the following year.

Um we insisted that there had to be a student exchange at the same time, and they finally um acquiesced and they said we found families for, you know, that actually wanted the kids to stay there.

So that program with Japan now includes the kids.

Yeah.

How we found the cost of it, you know, would be every other year.

Well, this input and feedback is so valuable to all of us and our committee members who aren't here.

Um, because what we can do is take all your feedback and input and prioritize and try and delegate amongst ourselves what we understand to be the priorities and then circle back.

How are the um Shimoda students financed?

Their children's trips.

My my understanding is that they get a lump sum from the prefecture, and which is part of the reason they insist on coming every year.

If they turn it down one year, they won't get it for the rest of the time.

So they insist on coming every year.

We have designated an official visit and an unofficial visit um to them, which I'm not sure is necessarily translates.

Um, but we do our best to do that um in in that way.

And you know, um, as Michelle has said, we're anxious for the feedback.

If if in thinking about this further, your time has been very valuable.

I know how busy you are.

So we really thank it.

I I would like to acknowledge that while all of us have contributed to the input of this, um Brooke Eaton created the original uh concept, and Michelle expanded it beautifully, and Amy Iron Longer um you know kind of polished it into what you're looking at today.

So um this has really been a team effort.

Uh it's a great team to work with, and it's exciting to have a team like this.

I think we need to um close and let you guys get home for dinner, right, Colin?

Um before we go, we do have uh Jerry, I know Jerry, did you have a question?

Do you have any questions?

Yeah, just comments.

Um you name an address, please name and address uh Jerry Dakota's Green Lane.

As you know, I've attended your last seven meetings, and uh I just wanted to take the opportunity to say that from the very first meeting I attended until tonight.

This is fantastic.

You deserve a lot of credit.

Just what you've built from when you first started talking about the iffy former uh operation till now.

This this is fantastic.

Um was the uh workshop uh put forth?

You know the date originally.

I think it was in because I put forth the resolution in I think it was July, and at that meeting, we recommended having a workshop.

So that's just July.

So there's four members not here tonight.

Correct.

That that's not pretty good.

Well, we scheduled it over a student vacation.

Yeah, but you know, anyway, like I said, seeing the uh how you were baking the cake from you know six months ago to now applause, big big big improvement.

Thank you.

Autography.

Um okay, you know, comments.

All right, well, uh, thank you so much, and that was a great presentation.

Uh, we appreciate the uh effort from uh from the commission.

So thank you.

Thank you all very much.

Have a good night.

Thank you.

I just want to also thank everyone who's been here and who's contributed and um held my hand.

So thank you.

By the way, I do need home stays for these uh kids, um, two teachers, uh single young woman and a single Jean's house.

Right.

Um so if you know of anyone who um would be open to a home stay for um I have three Italian girls, one Italian boy, um, and two teachers that I need home stays for at the end of April.

So come on, guys.

Thanks for the support.