Founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Sister Cities International is a nonpartisan nonprofit serving as the national membership organization for 545 U.S. sister cities, counties, and states with 2,121 partnerships in 145 countries on six continents. This network unites tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers.

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Noblesville is proud to be apart of this national organization by bridging the gap between students and leaders in Noblesville and our two sister cities in Cittadella, Italy & Nova Prata, Brazil. Through what is called a Tri-Lateral agreement, our cities get to share in three cultures. Each year, we rotate who hosts. Over the course of a 10-12 day exchange each summer students and dignitaries are engaged in home-stays, a variety of activities, and tours of significant places around the respected area. By the end, friendships have been created and connections have been made. The beauty and hope of this organization is to spark relationships that could one day bring about peace. The connections created during each exchange last a lifetime and it's an amazing thing to know that you have people who will support you and welcome you with open arms who live thousands of miles from where you work or attend school.

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As a private organization through the city, we are a nonprofit that hosts and sends students and leaders with little cost to them, compared to what a normal trip of this caliber would cost. Students typically pay for their airfare and that is all. When they arrive in the host country, expenses are covered from there besides the occasional souvenir or meal while traveling. When we host, however, we are responsible for the expenses of the whole group. This includes meals, activities, tours, etc. They are special guests, and we want to make them feel at home in our country.

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Students and the rest of our delegation are chosen based on an application, essay and interview process. This is a great opportunity for them to show us why they should be apart of our traveling delegation for that summer.

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With your help, we hope to continue to provide our guests and those we send with resources they need to enjoy themselves on a once and a lifetime exchange. Our goal would to, one day, send a delegation without any out of pocket from those traveling.