Cultural Exchange between De Pere & Åmål 

Since 2007, De Pere and Åmål, shared a partnership as Sister Cities and have enjoyed their cultural exchange. This has been facilitated through numerous visits of delegates both to and from Åmål. During such visits, delegates from both De Pere and Åmål are able to exchange ideas on many social and economic programs. Many of these have focused on shared educational initiatives such as those described below.

Teachers - April 2010

In one of the first Sister City initiatives, West De Pere High School teacher,  Dana Lex and De Pere High School teacher, Christine Fossen- Rades attended the “Youth Towards a Greener Future in Europe” Conference in Åmål with West De Pere student Samantha Winters and De Pere student Meg Summerside. This conference focused on sustainability and cultural learning.

Mayor of Åmål - June 2013

 The Mayor of Åmål, Michael Karlsson together with city officials Olle Anderson, Anna Lundin; pen pal teacher coordinator- Rose-Marie Larsson and student Kajsa Gustafsson visited De Pere. From this meeting, ideas for the De Pere Exchange Student Scholarship were developed along with the expansion of the Pen Pals Program. Additionally, connections with Seroogys Chocolates were strengthened.

De Pere Visits Åmål – June 2014

 A delegation from De Pere led by De Pere Mayor Mike Walsh and educator Dana Lex  together with  Sister City members Jim Stupka, Kevin Bauer, and Ken Pabich traveled to Åmål to further develop connections with our Sister City.

Making Time for Åmål- 2016

Åmål Mayor Michael Karlsson returned with Anna and Per Lundin, Ulrika, and Swedish educators Christian Bruce  and Roger Engstrom to visit De Pere. There were discussions to further connections between the schools of the two cities with the exchange students. St. Norbert became more involved with classroom Skype exchanges. Educational collaborations were strengthened both at the high school and college level with the added involvement with educators from St. Norbert college whose students met with Åmål students via skype.

St. Norbert College Professors Speak in Sweden – January 2017

St. Norbert College Professor Robert Pyne and Professor Robert Osgood spoke at a conference and classes in Åmål. They were the featured speakers for "International Week" in Åmål which also included the announcement of Åmål's recipient of a scholarship to study in De Pere.

Educators Visit from Åmål- September 2017

Educators from Åmål: Christian Bruce, Henrik Olsson, Malin Eriksson, and Per Backstrom came to speak at a conference on forced migration and refugee issues at St. Norbert College and strengthened the high school connections.

St. Norbert College Professor to Åmål- January 2018

St. Norbert College professor Robert Osgood returned to Åmål in January 2018 as the featured speaker for “International Week.” While there, he also made arrangements for St. Norbert College students to do student teaching in Åmål, and for a Global Seminar to travel there in the near future.

375 Anniversary Celebration in Åmål- April 2018

All of Åmål's Sister Cities representatives were invited to the celebration of Åmål’s 375th Anniversary.. De Pere was represented by Mayor Mike Walsh and Kim Thompson. Visitors participated in the activities, toured the schools for exchange students and pen pals, represented De Pere at the Public Library Expo, and  reunited with former exchange students and their families. They also visited with AFS Sweden in Stockholm.

St. Norbert College visit to Åmål- May 2018

Dr. Robert Pyne, Director of the Norman Miller Center for Peace, Justice & Public Understanding at St. Norbert College, visited Åmål for continued discussions and site visits regarding refugee resettlement and educational collaborations.

Educators visit from Åmål- March 2019

Chrisian Bruce, Lynn Nordin, Magnus Svesson-Vinofg and Katarina Sandvall came to speak at St. Norbert College on forced migration and human flourishing discussing their experience with resettled refugees in Åmål.

Åmål Delegation came to DePere- April 2019

Mayor Michael Karlson, Anna Lundin and Ida Radman came to meet with municipal leaders and educators.

St. Norbert Class travels to Sweden- May 2019

St. Norbert Professor Robert Osgood & Kim Kaczmaroust led a global seminar on the Swedish Educational system for St. Norbert students who traveled with them to Åmål. Swedish educators and municipal leaders provided guest lectures and guided tours around the region.

St. Norbert College Professor to Åmål- January 2020

St. Norbert College professor Angel Saavedra Cisneros traveled to Åmål in January 2020 as the featured speaker for “International Week.” He met with local educators, municipal leaders, and those working in the area of refugee resettlement and integration.

Åmål Delegation to De Pere — August 2022

Christian Bruce returned to De Pere with a delegation from Åmål’s EU-funded project on refugee integration. Traveling with him were Samir Rizkallah, Tanja Vornanen, Emilia Hagström, and Sofie Rahmn, who met with local human services agencies, employers, and educators to discuss best practices in refugee integration.

De Pere Delegation to Åmål – December 2022

A Sister Cities delegation from De Pere, led by Mayor James Boyd, visited Åmål in December 2022. Joining the mayor were De Pere educators Sue Lutz and Randy Soquet, who met with their Swedish counterparts in longstanding educational collaborations, Brenda Busch, and Robert Pyne. Mayor Boyd met with both the outgoing and the incoming mayors of Åmål, and the delegation continued to strengthen the cultural, economic, and educational connections between our two cities.