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Encinitas Parks Commission hears recap of youth Sister City exchange with Amakusa, Japan
Summary
The commission received a video and in-person recap of this summer’s Sister City youth exchange with Amakusa, Japan, including community-hosted activities and ongoing youth-to-youth communications; staff said the city funds three outgoing delegates and the committee is exploring local fundraising.
Nicole White, a recreation supervisor, presented a video recap of the Encinitas–Amakusa Sister City youth exchange and described a week of hosted activities for six visiting students and two adults from Amakusa, Japan. The program, White said, began in 1988 and alternates years between sending Encinitas high school delegates to Amakusa and hosting Amakusa delegates in Encinitas.
White said the delegates (July 29–Aug. 4) took surf lessons, attended beach volleyball sessions, toured Petco Park, participated in art workshops at Pacific View Arts Center, and visited local businesses that donated gear and meals. She credited local host families, the Sister City Committee and business sponsors including Encinitas101, the Encinitas Chamber, Cardiff101, Sun Bum and others for making the visit possible.
Samantha Merrick, a youth commissioner who hosted a delegate, described the exchange as a formative leadership and cultural experience: “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience life as a teenager in Encinitas,” she said, and she read messages from parents and Amakusa coordinators expressing gratitude and eagerness to reciprocate the visit next year.
In questions from commissioners, White said the selection process for Encinitas delegates includes an application, essay and interview; candidates must be Encinitas residents in 9th or 10th grade so they can host the following year. She said the city historically funds three outgoing youth plus one chaperone at no cost and that the Sister City Committee plans to explore donations and business engagement to support the program going forward.
Next steps: White said the ad hoc sister-city committee will continue recruitment work through January and will bring recommendations about fundraising and outreach back to the commission.
