Davenport Sister Cities offers a series of activities and programs through the commitment of its community partners and the generous support of local funders and private contributions by those who believe in the power of citizen diplomacy. Activities include:
Cultural Awareness – increasing the cultural proficiency of Davenport citizens through cultural exposure, awareness, and celebration.
- Coordinate and sponsor workshops and exhibits on international culture such as arts, language, food, fashion, social norms, business climate and more.
- Special events include Christkindlmarkt Quad Cities in partnership with the German American Heritage Center, a winter market every holiday season that celebrates our community’s German heritage.
- Partner with Davenport Community Schools to advance multicultural education, including multicultural events, World Language clubs, and a high school summer academy exploring international business, the global economy, and various cultural norms.
- Service Learning projects exposing youth and lifelong learners to a variety of world cultures through project-based activities serving the humanitarian needs of Sister Cities.
Citizen Diplomacy – promoting one-on-one international relationships to increase cultural understanding and advance mutual benefit between communities.
- Host visiting international delegations and send Davenport delegations to communities around the world to advance communication, coordination, and collaboration.
- Pen Pal and art exchange programs for all ages of youth and lifelong learners to increase exposure to and relationships with cultures from around the world.
- Professional and educational exchange relationships serving a variety of industries and sectors to learn and replicate international best practice.
- Celebrate foreign exchange students and guest workers across the Quad Cities community and support a variety of youth exchange relationships, including an active youth exchange between West High School and Kaiserslautern, Germany.
- Strengthen relationships and deepen cultural immersion by establishing a Homestay Network of “guest homes” on both ends of the Sister Cities relationship.
International Travel, Tourism, and Trade – encouraging international travel by Davenport citizens and promoting our region as international travel destination and trade partner.
- Encourage citizen exchange among civic groups, retirees and church congregations to increase group travel to and from Davenport and the Quad Cities.
- Opportunities for cross promotion and collaborative programming that increases international tourism to and from and trade with Davenport and the Quad Cities.