WHAT IS ASCA?
Started in 1959 by President Eisenhower, Sister Cities International (SCI) is a global approach to create person-to-person diplomacy through non-political educational, cultural and business exchanges. Alameda has sister city and friendship city relationships with municipalities across the globe, and these arrangements are run (with City Council approval) by the non-profit Alameda Sister City Association (ASCA) a local chapter of SCI.
IN THE HEART OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY:
Alameda is a great place to raise kids; a quiet small town with tree-lined streets, good schools, lots of sports activities, a diversity of places of worship and cultures with American patriotism on display, a safe kid-friendly community where everyone knows one another. Alameda’s history brims with character. We grow up with a can-do attitude, facing forward, and embracing the challenges and opportunities of our times.
- Alameda was the California hub of Alaskan fishing fleets that plied the Pacific a century ago.
- The first China-bound clipper ships of Pan American Airways took off from our runways.
- It was our home-ported crew of the USS Hornet that plucked the Apollo 11 astronauts from the sea on their return from the first lunar-landing.
- World-renowned scientist Dr. Sylvia Earle conducted much of her pioneering exploration in deep water submersibles built here in Alameda.
WHAT WE DO:
ASCA produces many sister city-type events, but our focus is on teaching our young men and women to be world citizens of good will, and active players in our global community. To this end, we have launched Dive the Seven Seas, a ten-year project involving many partners, designed to engage young divers from our sister cities and support a string of collaborative dive trips abroad. The goals of these supervised dives is two-fold: to collect oceanographic data from which scientists can impact ocean stewardship; and to nurture cross-cultural understanding, cooperation and leadership skills of our youth.
OUR MISSION: Promote peace through the respect we show, understanding we foster, and cooperation we seek with our Sister Cities around the world - one individual, one community at a time.
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