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PAST PROJECTS
Oranjestad-Aruba Sister Cities Association advances Oranjestad as a global city and promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding, cooperation and citizen diplomacy; for the benefit of Oranjestad and its US sister cities.
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To accomplish this mission, OASCA develops tangible and impactful projects in the areas of economic development, trade & commerce, sports & wellness, innovation, education, government relations and creative industries – culture, culinary arts, music & performing arts. These projects reinforce our agreements.
OASCA seeks synergies and is constantly on the lookout for innovative ideas which could originate from Oranjestad or from its sister cities. The projects are crafted with the help of our advisors, volunteers and sponsors.
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OASCA aims to create at least three (3) annually recurring programs in each sister city. These (3) projects would focus on themes that are particularly important to both communities and which bonds the sister cities around specific and common goals. Smaller standalone initiatives supplement the bedrock projects throughout the year.
Do you have a brilliant idea to strengthen our sister city ties?
Work with us! Contact us at contact@oranjestad-aruba.org or call +1 786-331-9948
Here follow a few of OASCA's past projects and events:
YOUTH STEEL BAND PROJECT​
Mission: Uniting Aruba’s steel band academies with music schools in Oranjestad’s sister cities.
The strong trade winds blew steel band music over to Aruba from Trinidad & Tobago. This classic Caribbean music genre is experiencing a resurgence in Oranjestad thanks to a new generation of pannists.
OASCA seeks music schools in our US sister cities which are interested in adopting a youth steel band program into their musical curriculum.
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Status: Steel pans require lots of physical space which had been the pitfall of accepting such a program. The search for suitable music schools is ongoing.
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Click here to visit their Facebook Page
PHOTOGRAPHY EXCHANGE PROJECT​
Mission: Expanding the annual photography competition to include additional sister cities into the program.
This photography project was created under the auspices of Capture- Doral and Nature & Faces-Aruba and connects the amateur and professional photography communities through a photography competition, depicting the diversity of our sister cities. This magnificent exposition adorns the rotunda of Doral city hall every month of April.
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Status: Since 2018, Nature & Faces photographs have been exposed during the Ritmo Doral diplomatic festival and OASCA hopes to expand this wonderful program to all its future sister cities.
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Click here to visit their Facebook Page
ARUBA​ BIKE PARTY ANNUAL EVENT​
Mission: Building an international cycling coalition with Oranjestad’s sister cities to highlight the need to improve cycling in our communities.
Energized by the desire to become “the most bike-friendly island of the Caribbean”, OASCA, in harmony with One Happy Bike Island Foundation and the Boston Bike Party, created the Aruba Bike Party. We hope that this fun and meaningful initiative serves as a segue to a sister cities agreement with the City of Boston.
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Status: The Aruba Bike Party was set in motion in July of 2019 in Boston and later in December in Oranjestad and is poised to become an important vehicle to advocate for improved cycling and uniting our sister cycling communities.
Click here to visit their Facebook Page
"O"STAD-GIGS PROJECT​
Mission: Promotion of Oranjestad’s local performing artists in our sister cities.
Oranjestad-Aruba is brimming with talented musicians, dancers, film makers, fashion designers and others belonging to the creative industries. Together with Exprodesk Aruba, an initiative was envisioned to motivate local talent to explore international opportunities through the sister cities platform.
OASCA is scouting several US festivals that are geared to the world music genre and international cultural events where Oranjestad’s bands can perform. In addition, OASCA is searching for radio stations willing to play Aruban music.
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Status: An Aruban ensemble performed at the Ritmo Doral festival and Aruban music is featured on WDNA 88.9 FM Miami. A sister dance school program is also being developed along with Club di Movemento-Aruba.
Click here to visit their Facebook Page
CURASONCHI PROJECT​
Mission: Introducing a multilingual story about finding one’s purpose to students in Oranjestad’s sister cities.
This very inspiring book, co-authored by Rosabelle Illes and Levi Silvanie, was first presented to students at Downtown Doral Charter Elementary School and the objective is to expand the mission by publishing a US edition and subsequently printing and distributing
this wonderful book in and from Doral to the US market.
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Status: The success of Curasonchi’s presentation in Doral spurred the initiation of the Sister Elementary School Program which aims to establish long-lasting relationships between Aruba’s elementary schools and their counterpart elementary schools in our sister cities.
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Click here to visit their Facebook Page
A Big Thanks to all our volunteers and sponsors for making these projects and events a success!
