Culver City Sister City Request for Two New Sister Cities - Uddevalla, Sweden and Swakopmund, Namibia
Basic demographics of the cities
Uddevalla
Located on the west coast of Sweden, 71 kilometers from Gothenburg, the 3rd largest city in Sweden.
● 6.5 square miles (Culver City 5.14 square miles)
● Population Uddevalla: 56,974 Uddevalla (39,970 Culver City). ● Economy: entrepreneurial focus toward small businesses, strong municipal infrastructure: textile and technology.
● Languages spoken: Swedish, English.
Swakopmund
Located on the Coast of western Namibia, Swakopmund, founded in 1892, is a beach resort and an example of German colonial architecture.
● 76 square miles
● 25,047 population size
● Economy: Mining, Tourism, Technology, Film
● Governed by a municipal council that has ten seats
● Namibia is a democratic republic
● Languages spoken are German, Afrikaans, and English
Reason for selecting these cities
Uddevalla
● A small city near one of the largest Swedish cities, Gothenburg. ● Approximately the same population size: 56,974 Uddevalla / 39,970 Culver City. ● Has a strong youth exchange program with their Japanese sister city, Okazaki 15 - 19 years old.
- Ekonomi programmet - 3-5 per team - business - 3 categories to build youth business - nytanker
● Has a strong bike culture and biking infrastructure
- JULY Bike competition https://uddevallamtb.se/ July
- APRIL ‘Run in the Forest’
- JUNE Beach Jog June 6 https://www.strandjoggen.se/
● Exploring alternative fuels for its buses
● Has a small business entrepreneur mindset (300 new businesses every year https://ungforetagsamhet.se/
● Has an arts program similar to AVPA that can be developed into youth exchanges about music performance, theater, and studio art.
● Has three main museums: military museum - sailors museum - region natural / social museum - mountain of shells museum (Skalbanksmuseet)
Swakopmund (SWK)
● A small city on the coast of Namibia 224 miles from the capital city of Windhoek and 22 miles from Namibia’s major port in Walvis Bay.
● Approximately the same population size: 25,047 Swakopmund / 39,970 Culver City. ● SWK was recommended by Culver City Resident, Christian Epps, a professional in the film industry and founder of the Non-Profit, Lights, Camera Diaspora (LCD). LCD is a non-profit social enterprise that bridges the gap between the African and African- Diaspora entertainment industries to progress the aesthetic quality and business opportunities for African film, broadcast, and live events on the Continent and in the African Diaspora.
● A location for filming: Max Fury Road, The Amazing Race, The Prisoner, Sands of the Kalahari to name a few.
● Strong art and culture activities: Annual Music Festival; Annual Golf tournament; Annual holiday fair; Sandman Triathlon & Jetty Mile Biathlon. ● SWK has a robust Youth Development Program https://swakopmun.com/economic- development-services-department/youth-development/
Action by the CCSCC Board to choose the cities
In May 2022, the CCSCC board voted to move forward with adding Uddevalla and Swakopmund to our existing sister city program
CCSCC was invited to consider Uddevalla, Sweden as a possible addition to the existing sister city program, which is the birthplace of Council Member, Göran Eriksson.
Concurrently, CCSCC was approached by Congresswoman Karen Bass and then Culver City Council member, Dr. Daniel Lee, to consider adding a sister city from Africa. This request coincided with Sister Cities International’s (SCI) plea for US cities to develop relationships with the southern region of the African continent.
In the fall of 2019, the CCSCC created an exploratory committee to identify the demographics of potential sister cities that would be a suitable match for Culver City. We took into account the following criteria: population, geographic location, natural resources, educational systems, infrastructure, political structure, and experience in the film industry.
In 2020, regular zoom meetings were established to continue learning and exchanging information with municipal representatives that continue today.
The addition of both Uddevalla, Sweden and Swakopmund, Namibia will clearly round out Culver City’s global ties.
Interest from proposed Sister Cities (government and/or community organization to become one of our Sister Cities
Uddevalla
Swakopmund
They are interested in being part of the Sister City program. The municipality of SWK is eager to enter into a relationship with Culver City and learn more about our cultures. With SWK’s vibrant arts and sports programs, they see many opportunities to learn from each other.
The names of any Sister Cities that the proposed Sister Cities may already have Uddevalla
Sister Cities in Scandinavia:
● Skien - Norway
● Thisted - Denmark
● Loimaa - Finland
● Mosfellsbær - Iceland
Sister Cities outside of Scandinavia
● Jôhvi, Iceland
● Okazaki, Japan,
● North Ayrshire, Scotland
https://www.uddevalla.se/kommun-och-politik/internationellt-arbete/vanorter.html?vv_hit=true
Swakopmund
Swakopmund currently has no sister city relationships, however they are developing a relationship with Giessen, Germany.
Highlights of past activities with our other Sister Cities ● Oct 11-13, 2022: US Mexico Mayors Summit in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico ● Sept 9-15 2022 - CCSCC raffle winners from 2020 visited Capo d’Orlando, Italy ● Aug 26-30, 2022: Uruapan, Mexico Mayor and delegation visited Culver City ● April 2022: Sister Cities International Youth Artist and Authors Showcase competition ● 2020 - 2021: Sister city anniversaries were highlighted with Zoom Celebrations of Friendship, for which CCSCC won an award from Sister Cities International ● June 2021: Penpal letters were exchanged between Spanish Immersion elementary students in Culver City and Lethbridge, Canada
● March 2020: Kaizuka, Japan youth visited Culver City
● March 2020: Kazuka/Los Angeles Marathon Exchange
● July-Aug 2019: Culver City youth visited Iksan City, Korea ● April 2019: CCSCC adult delegation visited Uruapan, Mexico
Planned/Proposed Activities with the future Sister Cities (3 - year plan)
2022-2023
Udd: March 19 - Informal Uddevalla adult delegation visits Culver City to participate in the Los Angeles Marathon.
SWK: February 27 - March 4: CCSCC delegation to visit SWK after SCI-Afica conference in Cape Town, South Africa (Feb 20-25)
2023-2024
Udd: June 6 - Informal Culver City adult delegation to participate in the Beach Jog (Strand Joggan) https://www.strandjoggen.se/
Udd: A Swedish adult delegation visits Culver City. The Sister City relationship is officially established (Nov time).
SWK: A Swakopmund adult delegation visits Culver City. The Sister City relationship is officially established.
2024-2025
Udd: July 2024 - Uddevalla, Sweden hosts their Scandinavian sister city relations conference (5 cities in total) A Culver City delegation will be invited to join as a guest.
2025 and beyond
● Dec. 2024 - Swakopmund Food Festival - Culver City delegation ● A CCSCC committee will be created to develop activities among its sister cities relating to the North American World Cup
● A CCSCC committee will be created to develop activities among its sister cities relating to the 2028 Summer Olympics
Uddevalla and Swakopmund
Our desire with both cities is to develop strong cultural exchanges with adults and youth on a bi/tri-annual basis.
Summary of Cultural Exchanges
Uddevalla
2024: https://www.uddevalla.se/kommun-och-politik/internationellt- arbete/vanorter.html?vv_hit=true
Swakopmund
● We expect to have Adult exchanges with an interest in Film, Music, Food. ● Youth exchanges could include performing arts, and cultural understanding
Estimated budget request to add these Sister Cities and the timeframe you would need to fund
Uddevalla
$4,500 with funds available starting in FY 2023-2024
Swakopmund
$4,500 with funds available starting in FY 2023-2024