Tempe Sister Cities

04/29/2026

🎉 Tempe High School Students – Your Summer Adventure in Global Leadership Starts Here! 🇺🇸🌍

Imagine spending a week diving into the future of tech diplomacy, exploring how AI, innovation, and policy shape our world. Through interactive workshops, real-world simulations, and hands-on activities, you’ll build leadership skills, tackle global challenges, and connect with like-minded students from across Arizona.

📅 Young Diplomats Summer Institute 2026
June 8–12, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM daily
(Closing luncheon on June 12 until 2:30 PM)

This is your chance to explore careers in diplomacy, technology, and public policy — all while gaining skills that will set you apart in college and beyond!

Tempe Sister Cities is proud to spotlight this incredible opportunity for our local high school students. Spots are filling on a rolling basis, so don’t wait!

👉 Register now and learn more:
https://www.globaltiesarizona.org/young-diplomats-summer-institue-2026

Questions? Email [email protected]

Tag a friend who loves global affairs or tech! Let’s show the world what Tempe’s next generation of leaders can do. 💪✨

04/21/2026

Last night, we had the honor of celebrating two incredible leaders who have given so much to the Tempe Sister Cities community. 🇺🇸🌎

Jill & Barry Glickman joined Tempe Sister Cities President David Carrera at the Hackett House for a special retirement dinner recognizing their years of service and impact.

Jill dedicated 18 years to Tempe Sister Cities, serving as Treasurer and later as Country Director to Cuenca, Ecuador alongside Barry. Their commitment has helped strengthen international relationships and build lasting connections across cultures.

While Juan Carrillo and Annie Hsu were unable to attend, we also proudly recognized their 12 years of service as Country Directors to Cusco, Peru. A special gift awaits them in appreciation of their contributions.

Thank you to Kim Alperin and Dede Carrera for organizing such a meaningful evening, and to everyone who came out to celebrate.

Your impact will be felt for years to come. 💙

04/13/2026

Tempe students — this is your chance 🇩🇪 Tempe Sister Cities is now accepting applications for student ambassadors to attend the 5th International Youth Conference in Regensburg, Germany.

🌍 Connect with students from around the world
💡 Discuss real global issues
✈️ Experience international travel
🤝 Build lifelong connections

Who can apply:
• Ages 16–18
• Must reside in Tempe

Travel + Costs:
✔ Hotel, meals, and transportation covered
✈️ Airfare is shared
💵 Student contribution: $400

🗓 Deadline: April 26, 2026 @ 5:00 PM
🌐 Apply at: TempeSisterCities.org
📧 Submit to: [email protected]

This is more than a trip, it’s a chance to represent Tempe on the global stage.

04/08/2026

Tempe Sister Cities has had a very successful Professional Educator Exchange Program for over 25 years. These four teachers from Regensberg, Germany have been in Tempe for two weeks with their home hosts. Led by Jan O'Malley, Shari Solberg Ayers, Linda Parrish, Liz Avias, and Mary Bosen - a very involved and active schedule was organized for them all. Visiting all levels of education and schools in Tempe along with many events and short trips to see Arizona beauty and history.
As they prepare to leave - they were honored with a departure event at the home of Liz Avias.
The Tempe educators will travel to Germany in early June for reciprocal learning.
Proud to be a citizen of Tempe and proud to be a member of the Tempe Sister Cities organization!

02/24/2026

🌟 Big Congratulations to Our 2026 Student Delegates! 🌟

A huge shoutout to the 29 incredible students selected at our Student Selection Night this past Friday, February 20th!

These talented young leaders from:
Tempe High • McClintock • Corona • Marcos de Niza • Veritas Prep • Xavier Prep • Tempe Prep

will proudly represent Tempe this June as they travel to our amazing Sister Cities:

🇩🇪 Regensburg, Germany
🇳🇿 Lower Hutt, New Zealand
🇨🇳 Zhenjiang, China
🇫🇷 Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France
🇮🇪 Carlow, Ireland
🇪🇨 Cuenca, Ecuador
🇲🇰 Skopje, North Macedonia

Get ready for an unforgettable, life-changing adventure filled with new friendships, cultures, and memories that will last a lifetime! ✈️❤️

We’re so proud of you all — the future of Tempe Sister Cities is in excellent hands!

02/21/2026

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled magnetic wireless chargers and go to https://www.recallrtr.com/powerbank to register for the recall and for instructions on how to receive a full refund. After registering, consumers should dispose of the power bank in accordance with local and st...

01/27/2026

🌍 Lead Tempe’s international connections! Tempe Sister Cities (TSC) is looking for community leaders to serve as Country Directors for Cuenca, Ecuador and Cusco, Peru.

Country Directors are Directors on the TSC Board of Directors and serve a 3-year term in a year-round volunteer leadership role. You’ll help guide our relationship with the sister city, support youth ambassadors and families, and coordinate key parts of the student exchange experience to ensure it’s positive, safe, and enriching for everyone involved.

What you’ll do:
• Serve as the main liaison to the sister city
• Coordinate student exchanges with youth ambassadors + parents
• Help with orientations, pairings, and communication during exchanges
• Report to the TSC Board on programs, visits, and developments
• Support relationship-building events and TSC community activities

📅 Applications due: February 4, 2026 (interviews shortly after)
📩 To request an application, contact Dean Gambino: [email protected]

12/09/2025

Join Tempe Sister Cities on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025 at 6 PM for a magical Holiday Light Tour through the East Valley. Enjoy dazzling displays, great company, and light refreshments along the way!

🚌 Tour lasts about 2.5 hours
💵 $35/person — limited seating!
🎟️ Grab your tickets: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/udrmxyr

Transportation provided by Bigelow Limo Bus

12/05/2025

🎉 Tempe Sister Cities & Hackett House are BACK at the Tempe Festival of the Arts this weekend – and the YOUTH are taking the stage! 🎶✨

Join us December 5-7 along Mill Avenue in beautiful downtown Tempe for one of Arizona’s favorite holiday traditions: the 57th Annual Tempe Festival of the Arts!

Over 300 artists, food trucks, live music, and family fun fill 10 blocks of Mill Avenue (from University to 3rd Street) – it’s free, it’s festive, and it’s the perfect way to kick off the holiday season!

This Saturday & Sunday, stop by the historic Hackett House (95 W 4th St, right on Mill Ave) where our amazing Tempe Sister Cities youth will be performing live music all weekend long! 🎤🥁

Bring the whole family and:
🎵 Enjoy incredible performances by local youth musicians
💃 Play games & dance the day away
🛍️ Shop unique gifts & holiday treasures in Millie’s Boutique (open 10 AM - 5 PM all three days!)
🍷 Adults – the bar is open! Grab food from the trucks and relax on our gorgeous covered patio

Hackett House Location: 95 W 4th St, Tempe AZ 85281 (just steps from the heart of the festival!)

Let’s celebrate our talented young artists and get some Christmas shopping done while we’re at it! 🎄❤️

Tag a friend and we’ll see you on Mill this weekend! 🌵

11/17/2025

🎄✨ What a magical afternoon at the 2025 Nutcracker Tea! ✨🎄

Yesterday, November 16th, the historic Hackett House in Tempe was transformed into a Victorian Christmas wonderland as Tempe Sister Cities and Southwest Youth Ballet Theatre (SWYBT) hosted our beloved annual Nutcracker Tea – and once again, it sold out in record time!

Over 70 incredible volunteers from Tempe Sister Cities Hackett House, East Valley National Charity League, and SWYBT came together, dedicating more than 60 hours across five days to create a breathtaking two-hour experience for nearly 120 delighted guests of all ages.

Under the artistic direction of Yen-Li Chen, our talented SWYBT dancers brought the Nutcracker to life with a beautiful seasonal performance, accompanied by the enchanting sounds of a quartet from the Chandler Symphony Orchestra. Little ones enjoyed holiday crafts, Nutcracker coloring pages, and a special reading of the classic tale, while everyone savored an elegant traditional tea with this year’s theme: A Victorian Christmas Tea.

A huge thank you to SWYBT President Mary Madine, Hackett House Directors Lynn Etter, Gail Ewen, and Beth Lang, and all our dedicated volunteers for making this cross-generational tradition so unforgettable. Since 2009, the Nutcracker Tea has remained Tempe Sister Cities’ largest tea event and the primary fundraiser for SWYBT – and the love from our community keeps growing!

Missed it this year? Mark your calendars for 2026 – you won’t want to miss the magic! 🩰☕

11/02/2025

🌟 Big win for Tempe Sister Cities! 🌟

We made it into the Tempe Independent with a fantastic feature on our student exchange program! 🎉

A massive THANK YOU to Cirocco and Lily Staut for sharing their inspiring experience with the reporter — you both represented us beautifully! 👏

📖 Read the story here:
https://www.yourvalley.net/tempe-independent/stories/tempe-sister-cities-announces-2026-application-one-student-shares-her-experience,629754

(Psst: It’s behind a paywall, but a yearly subscription is super affordable and supports local journalism — you *should* be subscribed anyway! 😉)

We’re still pitching to other outlets for more coverage. Know someone at a news station? Contact Joe or Cirocco! 📺

Lily Stout was in her high school film class when several students walked in to give a presentation about Tempe Sister Cities and their time abroad the previous summer. Later, she spoke with a …