Bison Sculpture Dedication Remarks from Debbie Givens, Chair, Tulsa-Tiberias Sister City Partnership

 I bring you greetings from your Sister City of Tulsa, Oklahoma in the United States. I’m very happy to be here for this ceremony after a long wait due to the global pandemic. Tulsa and Tiberias have been Sister Cities since 1989.  During the course of our friendship, our communities have taken part in exchanges in fields such as education, emergency services, sports, and the arts.  The Chair of the Tulsa-Tiberias Partnership, Debbie Givens, has been instrumental in all of these efforts, and spearheaded the commemorative bison statue we dedicate today. 

 This statue, which is a gift from the City of Tulsa, Tulsa-Tiberias Sister City Partnership, Tulsa Global Alliance, Garden Deva, and the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, is dedicated today as we honor the 2,000th anniversary of the City of Tiberias and the 30th anniversary of the Sister City partnership with Tulsa. 

 The statue depicts an American bison, which is the national mammal of the United States.  Bison once roamed North America in the millions, but by the late nineteenth century, they were hunted almost to extinction.  Thanks to a century of conservation efforts in Oklahoma and other parts of the United States, these animals have survived and their numbers are increasing. 

Bison have been important to Native American tribes, who have depended on these animals for food, clothing, shelter, and spiritual value. 

I hope that the resilience of the bison will serve as a symbol of the enduring friendship and Sister City relationship between Tulsa and Tiberias.  And we hope that each and every person who sees this bison here in Tiberias is reminded of this special connection.

In Early February, 2022, Broken Arrow Asian Club at Broken Arrow Public Schools and TGA-Beihai Partnership collaborated to host an educational and meaningful event to celebrate Lunar New Year.

Tulsa Global Alliance works with Tulsa area schools to coordinate educational exchanges between Tulsa students and students from our eight international Sister Cities.  

Study Abroad Fair
Offered for middle and high school students to raise awareness of study abroad programs offered by Tulsa area schools as well as U.S. cultural exchange programs including The Fulbright Program. Participating students learn that many Rotary Clubs offer scholarships for study abroad. University representatives from OU-Tulsa, OSU-Tulsa, Rogers State, NSU and ORU staff information tables and interact with students attending the event.

Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington High School has participated in exchanges of teachers and students with schools in four of Tulsa’s Sister Cities – Amiens, France; Beihai, China; Utsunomiya, Japan; and Zelenograd, Russia. TGA has assisted Booker T. by arranging local field trips for Sister City exchange students, scheduling meetings for them at City Hall, and purchasing travel insurance for outbound students.  Booker T. Washington also hosts the annual Brazilian Youth Ambassador Program, funded by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  

Carver Middle School
Carver exchanges students and teachers with Amal Nofarim School in Tiberias, Israel, and the two schools conduct an annual video conference in May.  TGA has arranged welcome events and cultural activities for Tiberias students when they visit Tulsa.  Carver has also begun an exchange with a school in Amiens, France. 

Edison Preparatory School
Edison exchanges students and teachers with Robert de Luzarches school in Amiens, and TGA has assisted Edison by arranging local field trips for Sister City exchange students, scheduling meetings for them at City Hall, and purchasing travel insurance for outbound students.

Riverfield Country Day School
Riverfield conducts a bi-annual student exchange with Kaiserin Auguste-Viktoria Gymnasium (KAVG) in Celle, Germany.  Twenty KAVG students and two teachers visited Tulsa in September of 2019.  TGA has arranged welcome events and cultural activities for KAVG students in Tulsa. 

Union High School Career Connect
Recently, TGA signed a Memorandum of Understanding  with Union High School through the school’s Career Connect program. TGA will facilitate connections between Tulsa’s international business community for student internships, thereby providing junior and senior level students with practical business experience outside of school a few days per month.

​Will Rogers College Middle and High School
Will Rogers College High and Junior High School is preparing to organize an exchange with a school in Amiens, France.

Global Impact

Tulsa Global Alliance's international alumni are doing great things in the world after they visit Tulsa. A group of students who took part in the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program volunteered at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, and then established a food bank in Kurdistan, northern Iraq. The purpose of the trip was for the youth to learn about services that could help refugees and other displaced people in their country.  

Said Past TGA Board Chair, Cathy Render, “This is a great example of how international exchange programs can inspire young visitors and change life focus. It’s great to know the Tulsa spirit of community service has made such a profound impact in the lives of these students and their local communities.” 

Local Impact