"The Sister Cities Program is an important resource to the negotiations of governments in letting the people themselves give expression of their common desire for friendship, goodwill and cooperation for a better world for all." ~ President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Affiliations between cities throughout the world began after World War II. Shortly after World War II, international affiliations between the United States and other countries became popularly known as Sister Cities. The program gained national prominence through a White House conference in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed the People-to-People program. His idea was to involve people and community organizations in personal diplomacy.

Today, more than 1,000 U.S. cities in all 50 states are linked with more than 1,600 foreign cities in 117 countries.

A key to the success of sister cities is the public-private partnerships between locally-elected officials and volunteers. It is this partnership that allows the entire community to support and participate in the programs.

The Sister Cities Program allows the individual and the community to participate on local, national and international levels to make an impact on an ever-changing world. Exchanges range from education to culture, medicine to municipal training, business and trade to sports.

The Oxnard Sister Cities Committee creates exceptional people-to-people opportunities for Oxnard citizens, businesses and organizations to experience and understand other cultures through international partnerships. The committee, a not-for-profit, volunteer organization officially authorized by the City of Oxnard, promotes international people-to-people relationships through a variety of programs, including student, educational, cultural and economic development exchanges that form bridges of international understanding and goodwill.

The goals of Oxnard's Sister Cities Program include:

• Creating opportunities for all people to experience and explore other cultures through long-term partnerships;
• Creating an atmosphere in which economic development and trade can be explored, implemented and strengthened;
• Opening a dialogue and addressing issues ranging from the cultural to the technical, from the municipal to the medical, from the environmental to the educational and beyond;
• Stimulating environments through which partnerships can creatively learn, work, and solve problems together;
• Collaborating with other organizations, both in the United States and in other countries, that have similar visions and goals.

Oxnard has Sister Cities affiliations with [Ocotlan, Mexico] |

Newspaper entitled: [Back To Ocotlan, Mexico] - Home Fires Burn ..... but ...... a sense of split loyalties can vex those who return to Mexico. In cooperation with the Ventura County Star, the City of Oxnard is reprinting the articles as they appeared in the Sunday Special Section. Please let us know if you enjoyed reading these articles on our website!