Mendocino-Miasa Cultural Exchange

The Mendocino Sister Cities Association has been planning our first trip to Japan since the pandemic. This exchange program has been occurring for more than 30 years. It has impacted and benefited countless members of our community. This trip will include older students who missed the opportunity due to restricted travel. Everyone is super excited! We are taking 27 students for an experience that will have a lifelong impact. We will travel, starting June 17, 2024, throughout Japan and end our trip with several days staying with our Sister City friends in their homes.

Unfortunately, our expenses are higher than ever due to worldwide inflation. The airfare is normally about 35% of the total cost. This time it is 60% of what we budgeted!!! We have had to ask our families to pay the maximum we told them before we started fulfilling our itinerary. Our students and families have done an amazing job fundraising to meet the financial demand. Our Board of Directors has contributed additional funds and we have provided scholarships for students with the most needs. With all of that, we are still coming up short.

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit Mendocino Sister Cities Association’s Student Exchange Program and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to all of us.

Your contribution will help us fulfill the normal activities we normally experience, from visiting World Heritage sites to experiencing Japan’s countless cultural activities.

Mendocino Sister Cities Association is a volunteer organization. We are dedicated to an exchange program that sends students and artists from our small town in Northern California to Japan biennially and hosts students and artists on the opposite years from a small town in Nagano Prefecture.