Category: Awards

In 2023, Fort Worth, Texas achieved a remarkable feat by winning the Sister Cities International Innovation in Youth & Education Award. This prestigious accolade recognizes outstanding youth programming in cities with populations exceeding 300,000. Competing against over 500 sister city programs nationwide, Fort Worth stood out for its commitment to promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation.

Our youth initiatives serve as a beacon of hope—a testament to the transformative power of Sister Cities. By harnessing innovation, we’ve strategically leveraged our resources to elevate international and cultural competencies. In today’s interconnected world, programs like ours are not merely beneficial; they’re essential. Students immersed in our initiatives gain invaluable insights into global issues, broaden their cultural understanding, and forge lasting international friendships.

Join us as we continue to shape a brighter future—one where youth empowerment transcends borders and fosters a more compassionate, interconnected world.

Outcomes:

• Global Awareness: Achieved a 100% increase in understanding global issues.
• Cultural Knowledge: Ensured a 100% expansion in knowledge of diverse cultures.
• International Friendships: Fostered new international bonds among all participants.
• Self-sufficiency: Enhanced a sense of independence in 93% of participants.
• Leadership Excellence: Saw an improvement in leadership skills in 90% of attendees.
• Problem-Solving Prowess: Boosted problem-solving capabilities in 93% of the youth.

In 2023, Fort Worth Sister Cities International ignited a global spark in over 900 young minds. These students, a vibrant mosaic of Fort Worth’s rich cultural tapestry, showcased our city’s diversity to the world. Here’s a breakdown of their representation: 30% Latino/Hispanic, 40% White, 15% Black, 6% Asian, 8% multi-racial, and 1% Native American.

Programs Conducted in 2023:

1. Youth Ambassador Exchanges: Orchestrated nine visits with our sister cities, fostering a global exchange of ideas and cultures.
2. Tricolore Games: United through competition, we celebrated athleticism and camaraderie across borders.
3. International Leadership Academy: Cultivated the next generation of global leaders through intensive, hands-on learning experiences.
4. Young Artists & Authors Showcase: Provided a platform for young creatives to express their visions of peace and friendship internationally.
5. Global Gallery Night: Deepened appreciation for learning about world cultures and art.
6. Kodomo No Hi: Honored Japanese Children’s Day, immersing participants in the rich traditions and festivities of Japan.
7. Spanish Dual Language Camp: Bridged linguistic divides, empowering students with the tools for bilingual communication.
8. Lunar New Year Celebration: Rang in the Lunar New Year with vibrant celebrations that illuminated the cultural significance of this time-honored festival.
9. Refugee Service Project: Extended a helping hand to those in need, reinforcing our commitment to humanitarian efforts.
10. World Learning Virtual Homestay with Haiti: Erased distances with technology, connecting hearts and minds through virtual homestays.

Through these initiatives, FWSCI is not just reaching out to the youth; we are shaping a world that thrives on diversity, understanding, and mutual respect. We’re building bridges where walls once stood, and in doing so, we’re crafting a legacy of unity—one young leader at a time.

Fort Worth, Texas has won the Sister Cities International 2022 Best Overall Program Award and the Innovation in Business, Trade and Professional Exchange Award for a city with a population greater than 300,000 for outstanding programming in 2022. The awards competition, which is open to over 500 sister city programs nationwide, recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding individuals and community sister city programs that are promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation.

President/CEO Mae Ferguson was also honored with the Ruth Hashimoto Award for her work for over 23 years in advancing citizen diplomacy and international exchange.

2022 was an incredible year for Fort Worth Sister Cities International. We consistently created programs that embody the mission of SCI, promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation with numerous annual exchanges with our nine sister cities.

We were once again able to conduct annual adult and youth exchanges and stage our successful International Leadership Academy, a two-week global forum held in Fort Worth, uniting high school students from our sister cities with students in Fort Worth.

To secure additional revenue streams and reach other parts of the world, we received a grant from the World Learning organization to virtually home host students from Venezuela, and we reestablished important partnerships with the Congressional Office for International Leadership for professional development exchanges with the Republic of Georgia and Serbia.

We also launched the virtual roadshow series to keep our local community engaged through various cultural, educational and business topics while ramping up in-person events and activities. These activities included cooking classes and cultural celebrations like Japanese Children’s Day, as well as forums held with our European partners on the state of the economy and the affect the pandemic had on their cities and countries.

Donors make decisions on charitable donations based on the impact organizations make on the community. Anecdotal proof of success of sister city programs is not enough. With the help of the Center for Nonprofit Management, FWSCI collected data to prove that youth and adults who experience sister city programs:

• Gain awareness of global issues
• Can persevere in difficult situations
• Increase their cultural competencyImprove their leadership and problem-solving skills
• Improve their foreign language skills
• Increase their confidence and independence

This leads to decreased stereotypes, racism, violence, and fear of other cultures, and increases empathy, creating a more peaceful world. This model can be shared with other SCI programs in the future.

This past year we focused on a new vision to create a culturally competent organization, as well as be the catalyst for the creation of an international center in Fort Worth. 2022 programs modeled everything the organization believes in: creating lifelong friendships, valuable partnerships and real-life experiences that foster peace and understanding. Through our programs, Fort Worth Sister Cities International is truly “connecting globally, thriving locally.”

Sister Cities International Annual Awards recognize excellence in overall programming and highlight key innovations in arts and culture; business and trade; humanitarian assistance; and youth and education. All award winners were honored during Sister Cities International’s 2022 Annual Business Meeting held virtually and in-person on July 28, 2023.

For decades, Sister Cities International has leveraged the power that art has to transform societies and transcend cultural boundaries through the Young Artists and Authors Showcase, or YAAS. The Showcase has given youth worldwide the opportunity to express their vision for a more unified, peaceful world through original art and literature.

Fort Worth Sister Cities International held the local showcase to choose student pieces to be submitted to the worldwide competition.

We want to give a special thanks to our Young Artists and Authors Co-Chairs Rachel Jenkins and Julia King and their committee for recruiting judges and securing prize money.

Congratulations to all the artists and authors who were selected and entered into the international competition.

Artists (classic)

• 1st Place: Eric Rollins, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts – “La Comida Del Animal”
• 2nd Place: Jacqueline Rice, Polytechnic High School – “Undiluted Divine” 
• 3rd Place: Izabella New, Westlake Academy – “Mother Nature’s Bounty”
• Honorable Mention: Juliet Anaya, Northside High School – “Taste of Childhood”
• Honorable Mention: Vidhi Jadeja, Flower Mound High School – “The Importance of Fresh Food”

Artists (digital)

• 1st Place: Ashira Blakeley, World Languages Institute – “The Children’s Dining Table”
• 2nd Place: Hudson Finley, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts – “The Feast King’s Gorging Hall” 

Poets

• 1st Place: Julieta Almanza, Paschal High School – “A Mexican Food Intervention”
• 2nd Place: Marielle Maldonado, Dunbar High School – “Absence”
• 3rd Place: Avery Stubblefield, I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM & VPA – “Help”

Fort Worth, Texas has won the Sister Cities International Innovation in Youth & Education Award for a city with a population greater than 300,000 for outstanding youth programming in 2021. The awards competition, which is open to over 500 sister city programs nationwide, recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding individuals and community sister city programs that are promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation.

Fort Worth Sister Cities International has some of the most robust international youth programming in the U.S. We focus a majority of our programming on youth because we know that these programs change the trajectory of a student’s life by:

• Improving school performance
• Teaching perseverance
• Providing problem-solving skills
• Giving students an edge for universities and scholarships
• Increasing their desire to serve the community
• Creating empathy for others

In 2021, Fort Worth Sister Cities International explored ways to increase the innovation and diversity of our programs. With the pandemic preventing many in-person programs and exchanges, the team of staff and volunteers rolled up their sleeves, conducted numerous zoom meetings, and designed virtual programming for students and educators to increase global competency in our community.

Because most of the programming was conducted virtually, it was accessible to many more students since there was little cost associated with the online programming. The students we recruited demonstrated Fort Worth’s diversity to the world: 37% Latino/Hispanic; 17% White; 24% Black; 19% Asian/Pacific Islander; and 3% multi-racial.

Programs conducted in 2021 included:

1. Virtual Youth Ambassador exchange with Nagaoka, Japan
2. The Experiment Digital virtual exchange program through the US Department of State
3. Showcase of Young Artists and Authors
4. Local student group Fort Worth Youth International
5. Virtual programming with Boys & Girls Club of Tarrant County and Toluca, Mexico
6. Virtual International Leadership Academy with six sister cities
7. World Learning virtual homestay with Central America and the Dominican Republic

Sister Cities International Annual Awards recognize excellence in overall programming and highlight key innovations in arts and culture; business and trade; humanitarian assistance; and youth and education. All award winners were honored during Sister Cities International’s 2022 Annual Business Meeting held virtually July 8.

Click here to find out more about youth programs.

For decades, Sister Cities International has leveraged the power that art has to transform societies and transcend cultural boundaries through the Young Artists and Authors Showcase, or YAAS. The Showcase has given youth worldwide the opportunity to express their vision for a more unified, peaceful world through original art and literature.

Fort Worth Sister Cities International held the local showcase to choose student pieces to be submitted to the worldwide competition.

We want to give a special thanks to our Young Artists and Authors Chair Rachel Malone and her committee for recruiting judges and securing prize money.

Congratulations to all the artists and authors who were selected and entered into the international competition.

Artists (classic)

• 1st Place: Caya Crum, Paschal High School – “Water is a Human Right”
• 2nd Place: Juliet Anaya, Northside High School – “Soften Downcast” 
• 3rd Place: Dorian Levya, Western Hills High School – “In Their Shoes”
• Honorable Mention: Divya Patel, Westlake Academy – “Nature’s Tear”
• Honorable Mention: Lucia Payton, I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA – “Water is the World’s Blood”

Artists (digital)

• 1st Place: Hudson Finley, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts – “Strawberry Banana”
• 2nd Place: Pastel, Westlake Academy – “Sustainability Starts with Us” 

Authors & Poets

• 1st Place: Bronwyn Logan, Crowley High School – “Water is Life”
• 2nd Place: Celia Miller Pitt, Young Women’s Leadership Academy – “Funeral March”
• 3rd Place: Henry Hamilton, Trinity Valley School – “Lacking Water”

Photographers

• 1st Place: Elise Ledford, Stripling Middle School – “Precious Resource”

Musicians

• 1st Place: Ruby Meza, I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA – “A Droplet’s Journey”
• 2nd Place: Jazmine Peoples, I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA – “Tropical Dance”

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (October 21, 2021) – Fort Worth Sister Cities International’s 20th Mayor’s International Dinner & Global Awards will be held Nov. 11, 2021 at the River Ranch Stockyards. Tickets can be purchased here.

Mayor Mattie Parker and Dinner Chairs, Dr. Rachael and Carlo Capua are hosting an evening of international cuisine and entertainment as Sister Cities celebrates its first sister city, Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Global Awards will also be presented to individuals, businesses, and organizations that have made significant contributions to citizen diplomacy, global understanding, world political stability and international commerce in the following categories.

Jerry Boonyaratanakornkit and Rich Petronis – GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD. This is a new award created to recognize a trail-blazing business based on their vision to achieve their goals and to promote Fort Worth globally, developing international partnerships and establishing global connections to provide understanding of other cultures.

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth – GLOBAL CITIZENS AWARD. This award recognizes organizations that are connected globally and are good representatives of Fort Worth creating a positive view of the U.S. through educational, humanitarian or cultural initiatives. Last year’s awardee was the Links, Inc.

The Kimbell Art Museum – GLOBAL NEXUS AWARD. Awarded last year to Cook Children’s Health Care System, this award recognizes businesses that are connected globally and are good representatives of Fort Worth to the world creating commerce and a healthier community for all.

Miguel Harth-Bedoya – GLOBAL IMPACT AWARD. This award is based on an individual’s role in promoting Fort Worth globally, developing international partnerships, and establishing connections, particularly in the areas of business, culture, education, immigration, and tourism. Past honorees include: 2015 Recipient: U. S. Congresswoman Kay Granger 2017 Recipient: Bob Jameson 2019 Recipient: Ross Perot, Jr.

Fort Worth, TX- Local student wins national photography award

Fort Worth Sister Cities International brings international attention to Fort Worth with its nine sister cities in China, Eswatini, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, and Mexico since 1985.

This month local Fort Worth student Marissa Heckmann from I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA was announced as the third-place finalist in the photography category of the 2021 Young Artists and Authors Showcase held by Sister Cities International.

The YAAS has given youth from around the globe the opportunity to express their vision for a more unified, peaceful world through original artwork and literature. The 2021 showcase encouraged youth to submit entries inspired by the theme “United in Hope.” Young artists and authors shared their vision of unity and highlighted the importance of hope and perseverance in both local and global communities to navigate these difficult times.

“Since its inception, youth have been submitting their inspiring artwork to the Young Artists and Authors Showcase. Every year, we are increasingly in awe of the youth’s work. This year’s entries are especially creative and expressive, exemplifying the theme in ways we never would have imagined. We’re excited to share the next generation’s work with the world on our website” said Leroy Allala, Sister Cities International President and CEO.

In past years, Sister Cities International has sent the artwork on tour to several cities across the U.S. However, due to the pandemic, this year it will not be possible to do so. This year’s winners and finalists will have their work showcased on the Sister Cities International website, making it accessible for many to appreciate the artwork. Additionally, the artwork was displayed in an art gallery during the Youth Leadership Summit Public Forum on August 12, 2021.

“In an increasingly divided world, Sister Cities brings individuals, cultures and countries together for the benefit of all,” said Becky Renfro Borbolla, Board Chairman. “While international travel is limited, that doesn’t mean global relationship building can’t continue. We are so proud of Marissa’s creativity and her desire to make our world a better place.”