Sister Cities: An Opportunity for Citizen Diplomacy

Official, chartered sister cities are formed by local governments; Rice Lake's program has evolved because of Rice Lake International Friendship Association (RLIFA) volunteers. RLIFA has earned awards and international recognition for people-to-people sister city programs with Miharu in Japan and Zamberk in Czech Republic. Board member and twice past president Deb Neuheisel has led delegations, coordinated successful multi-national initiatives, and presented at two Sister Cities International conferences. An honorary citizen of Zamberk, she will share a framework for developing your own citizen diplomacy or joining RLIFA's initiatives. Now retired, her career areas included education, social and community services, business and marketing. She grew up in the Eau Claire area but has called Rice Lake home since 1985. Neuheisel's talk will be on Thursday, April 28, 12:30-1:30, as part of the Thursdays at the U Lecture Series. The series is held in the Blue Hills Lecture Hall (Ritzinger 234) on the UWEC-Barron County campus, which is located at 1800 College Drive in Rice Lake. These talks are free and open to the public, thanks to financial support from the campus foundation.