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Sep. 24, 27 & Oct. 1, 6 | NALI Sessions

The New American Leadership Institute (NALI) is an annual four-session civics academy for emerging immigrant and refugee leaders to learn about the structure of local government, hone leadership skills, network with peers, and identify opportunities for civic participation. These sessions prepare NALI participants to act as ambassadors for their communities!

Conversational English is required to apply. To apply, please complete the N ALI application by Friday, September 9, 2022.

NALI Sessions

Session I: Leadership 101
When: Saturday September 24th, 10:00am to 2:00pm
This session will focus on training and honing the leadership skills of our emerging immigrant and refugee leaders! Our participants will have the opportunity to get familiar with different leadership styles, and how to effectively facilitate group decision making in their communities!

Session II: Navigating Local Government
When: Tuesday, September 27, 5:30pm to 8:00pm
This session will focus on educating our emerging immigrant and refugee leaders about local government and city structure. Our participants will have the opportunity to meet their elected officials and learn more about who represents them in their respective districts!

Session III: Government Entities & Community Resources
When: Saturday, October 1, 10:00am to 2:00pm
This session will focus on educating our emerging leaders about the role of government entities (agencies) and their role in providing community resources. Our participants will become familiar with the work of city agencies working to improve the lives of individuals, children, and families in Baltimore City.

Session IV: In My Neighborhood
When: Thursday, October 6, 5:30pm- 8:00pm
This session will focus on connecting our leaders with resources in their neighborhoods. Our participants will become familiar with neighborhood planning, and how to effectively apply skillsets gained from previous conference sessions. This final session will also end with a closing ceremony from the Mayor of Baltimore!

For more information, visit this website.

July 23 | Bmore for Ukraine!

Bmore for Ukraine fundraiser event July 23, 2022. Illustration of yellow sunflowers with blue stems and leaves on a black background; logos of the sponsors

Date: Saturday, July 23, 2022 (Rain or shine)
Time: 12-6pm ET
Location: Pulaski monument in Patterson Park, Baltimore
For more info and to purchase tickets: Eventbrite page

Join the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee for the first annual BMore for Ukraine, a celebration of communities coming together to support Ukraine in its time of need. The event will feature live music, cultural dance, raffles, and more!

All proceeds will benefit World Central Kitchen & United Help Ukraine.

Maryland, USA Delegation September 2022

Maryland state’s Department of Commerce leads a business development mission to the Netherlands in September 2022, with visits to the European Water Technology Week in Leeuwarden and to the Rotterdam/The Hague region.

About Maryland

Maryland is a state located on the east coast of the United States next to Washington, D.C. It is home of the Chesapeake Bay, the port of Baltimore, extensive river tributaries, forests, agricultural lands, ocean-front beaches and mountains.

Maryland is a leader in innovation, implementation, and manufacturing in advanced technologies related to water, also known as “blue tech”, which is one of Maryland’s emerging industries. Maryland is very concerned with climate change issues, environmental sustainability and water quality. New focus has been placed on reaching carbon reduction targets, building alternative energy sources, rebuilding its natural ecosystem (including oysters), purifying its water and reducing urban heat islands.

Maryland is your gateway to the USA

Maryland is the ideal place to expand your business to the USA, and for you to find Maryland partners to assist in addressing the environmental challenges facing us all.

Maryland has developed innovative programs and incentives to help international companies interested in developing a presence in the U.S. market, including the Maryland Global Gateway soft landing program: https://commerce.maryland.gov/softlanding

Learn more about doing business in Maryland:
https://open.maryland.gov/information-for/international-business

Meet the Maryland companies

Maryland’s September 2022 delegation to the Netherlands includes:

Early Charm — A venture builder that converts science to business. It specializes in turning brilliant scientific discoveries into companies focused on growth. With a decade of experience, its companies have grown into manufacturers of specialty products, innovators for aquaculture farms, and builders of engineered products for use in healthcare.
Website: www.earlycharm.com

Innovatreat — Innovatreat’s miniMBR is an extremely efficient pre-engineered system excelling in decentralized nutrient removal and water reuse applications. The miniMBR utilizes externally mounted, vertically-oriented tubular ultra-filter membranes for biomass separation. Its one-of-a-kind, hydraulic pattern contributes to the highest energy efficiency of any MBR available on the market today.
Website: innovatreat.com

Tetrahedron, Inc. — Provides environmental services in the USA and internationally. Its services include drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater management. Its expertise has been in conducting water quality assessments with respect to all contaminants including organics, inorganics, disinfectant by-products, explosives, per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and microorganisms.
Website: tetrahedron-inc.com

Blue Sources — Provides real-time, early warning systems that detect toxic chemicals in drinking water distribution and raw water systems. Additionally, its products and services are used for monitoring wastewater effluent and EPA superfund sites discharging water. In support of water security monitoring tasks, it provides consulting, technical, and managed services.
Website: www.bluesources.com

GaiaXus — Develops water environmental monitors for citizen science, school education, and academic research. Its first system is an IoT water quality system with integrated educational content. The system measures common water quality parameters such as salinity, temperature, and turbidity and is open for collaborators to add their specialized sensors.
Website: gaiaxus.com

Ranging from off-the-shelf options to bespoke solutions, these companies provide wide ranging blue tech services including water quality testing, recycling, monitoring, education, security, management and more. Large or small, on the ground or over the web, these leaders can meet your needs.

For more information

Contact the delegation’s leader:
Andrew Kreinik, Regional Manager for Europe and Australia at Maryland Department of Commerce: andrew.kreinik@maryland.gov
(or contact Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee)

Maryland Commerce’s blog post:
https://open.maryland.gov/blog/maryland-blue-tech-sector-on-full-display-at-european-water-technology-week

About the delegation trip:
https://baltimoresistercities.org/blue2022/

Venture Cafe Rotterdam September 22 networking event:
https://venturecaferotterdam.org/sessions/break-out-learn-more-about-maryland-and-opportunities-to-land-here/

Logos of the Maryland companies in delegation: Early Charm, Tetrahedron, Innovatreat, Blue Sources, GaiaXus

2021 Year in Review: Baltimore Sister Cities

Annual Report & Plan

Baltimore Sister Cities Annual Accomplishments Report for 2021 (PDF, 3mb)

Baltimore Sister Cities Annual Plan for 2022 (PDF, 1.3mb)

Some of our 2021 highlights:

Photo collage of Baltimore Sister Cities 2021 activities - the activities are described in the report.

2nd photo collage of Baltimore Sister Cities 2021 activities - the activities are described in the report.

Baltimore-Xiamen chair speaks at Baltimore Mayor’s “410 Report” event

Xin (Cindy) Wang (Chair, Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee) was one of the speakers in the 2022 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month edition of Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s “410 Report.” Other speakers included HyeSook Chung (President, Baltimore Civic Fund), Cori Dioquino (Co-Executive Director & Co-Founder, Asian Pasifika Arts Collective), and Heang Tan (Deputy Commissioner, Office of Aging). Mayor Scott and these members of our local Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community celebrated the contributions and experiences of our city’s AAPI communities. With a rich history in our city, AAPI communities continue to be a thriving source of what makes Baltimore, Baltimore. The program was originally broadcasted on Thursday, May 19, 2022, on the Mayor’s Facebook page, the CharmTV Facebook page, and the Mayor’s Instagram page.

To view a recording of this program, visit the CharmTV Facebook page.

A Tale of Two Cities: Baltimore, MD and Odesa, Ukraine

The Role of Sister Cities in International Relations

City flags of Baltimore, USA and Odesa, Ukraine

Video recording available: youtu.be/QxAFORH3MDg
Webinar was held on March 1, 2022. (Event info page: tinyurl.com/BaltimoreOdesa)

Our esteemed panelists discussed the connection between Baltimore and Odesa in light of current events at the intersection of public, private and government partnerships across the world which help promote international diplomacy.

Webinar panelists include:

Mary E. (‘Mendy’) Nitsch — Director, International Programs at the Maryland Department of Commerce, and coordinator for the State of Maryland’s Sister States program.
Lewis Madanick — Senior Program Manager for Open World Leadership Center
Eric Hontz — Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Eurasia at Center for International Private Enterprise
Ugo Poletti – Chief Editor, Odesa Journal
Moderator — Karina Mandell, Chair, Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee

Webinar organized by Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee (BOSCC).

How you can help Odesa

To support the city of Odesa, Ukraine during its time of need:
Donate to our fundraising drive, organized by Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee.

WYPR interview

Listen to recent interview on Baltimore’s WYPR radio station with Karina Mandell, Chair, Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee, talking about current events in Baltimore’s sister city of Odesa, Ukraine:
www.wypr.org/2022-02-25/baltmores-sister-odesa-ukraine

About the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee

The Sister Cities International program was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 to create a force for international cooperation and understanding through community involvement by promoting peace through people-to-people relationships. The Baltimore Sister Cities (BSC) Program was established in the early 1970’s by then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer. The Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee (BOSCC) was established in 1974 and is the second oldest relationship managed by Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc, a non-profit 501c3 corporation.
Visit www.baltimoreodesa.org for more information, more ways to support Odesa and Ukraine, and to volunteer for the committee.

Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee Reignites Partnership Through Visit to Odesa

Karina Mandell, Chair of the new Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee, was born in Ukraine and immigrated to the United States as a young girl at the age of 7. She traveled to Ukraine recently to reunite with family members. During this trip, she met with the Mayor of Odesa on August 26, 2021, to explore ideas for mutually beneficial partnerships and potential avenues for further collaborations between Baltimore and Odesa (also known as Odessa).

In October 2021, Karina and other leaders of BOSCC met with Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott and presented the gifts from Odesa City Council (photo below).

Baltimore and Odesa have been sister cities since 1974 and the relationship is managed by ‘The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore’. In coordination with The Associated, the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee has recently been formed under the auspices of the Baltimore Sister Cites organization in order to broaden the relationship.

If you are interested in this initiative or want to be a volunteer member of our committee, please contact us at

March 2022 Update

To support the city of Odesa, Ukraine during its time of need:
Donate to our fundraising drive, organized by Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee.

Members of Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee and Baltimore Sister Cities presenting gifts from Odesa to Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott.

Recent webinars

Did you miss any of our webinars? Recordings are available on Baltimore Sister Cities’ Youtube channel and they include:

Growth Opportunities for AgriTech between Maryland and the Netherlands (January 2022)
https://youtu.be/n_NKBwvQt60

Can We Show Empathy on Our Devices – with Rana el Kaliouby (April 2021)
https://youtu.be/R2jr0jw8_0U

Food Resilience in Maryland (May 2021)
https://youtu.be/_-WyWs2O6Dk

Our Home Too: Forum in Support of Asian American Pacific Islander Communities (May 2021)
https://youtu.be/XI38KYsLbpA

Photo collage of Asian Americans; Photos of the speakers; event title; partner logos

Sister Cities International Annual Conference

Date: July 15–16, 2021
Format: Virtual
Admission: Free (advance registration required)
More info & to register: www.sci-ac.org

This year’s theme is “Building Stronger Ties for an Interconnected World” and features breakout sessions on economic, education, humanitarian, sports, and other themes.

May 27 | Our Home Too

A Forum in Support of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities

Date: Thursday, May 27, 2021
Time: 7-8:30pm
Format: Zoom webinar
Admission: Free (advance registration required).
More info & to register: aapi2021.eventbrite.com

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), a time when we recognize the history and achievements of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Unfortunately, this year’s celebrations are marred by increasing rates of targeted violence against AAPI individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions are rooted in our nation’s history of periodic exclusion, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia which have long been juxtaposed with the vitality, promise, and mutual benefit endowed by our diversity of backgrounds and experiences.

Please join Baltimore Sister Cities and our partners in solidarity, community and celebration as we honor the invaluable contributions of AAPI communities in Baltimore and Maryland. During this panel discussion, we will explore what AAPI heritage means to all of us. How have AAPI communities contributed to Baltimore and American history? What are AAPI communities currently doing to contribute to culture, the arts, activism, and public service in our region? What new directions are they calling for?

Speakers include:

Mayor Brandon M. Scott — Mayor of Baltimore city
Linda Yuriko Kato, RSCJ, Ph.D. — Senior Consultant for Society of the Sacred Heart – U.S. Canada Province
Christina Wong Poy — Administrative Director, Maryland Governor’s Commissions on Asian Pacific American Affairs and South Asian American Affairs
Mark Chang — Delegate for District 32 Anne Arundel County, Maryland State House of Delegates
Dana Petersen Moore — Baltimore City Chief Equity Officer and Director of Baltimore’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights
Nerissa Paglinauan — Program Manager, Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University

Moderator: Teresa Leslie from Baltimore Sister Cities.

More info & to register: aapi2021.eventbrite.com

Event partners

Baltimore Sister Cities (BSC)
This webinar is organized by Baltimore Sister Cities in honor of its Asian sister city committees (Changwon, South Korea; Kawasaki, Japan; Xiamen, China).

Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA)

Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University (AA&CC)