International House Davis

Established in 1981, International House Davis began to serve international students at UC Davis by connecting them with the greater Davis community. In 1984, thanks to the generosity of the Shunta Yamamoto family, the organization was able to purchase its home at 10 College Park. Since then, I-House Davis has broadened its scope of programs and services, building community, international understanding, and cultural connections across the region. Over the years, we’ve become known as a home and gathering place for international scholars, visitors, transplants, immigrants, and anyone interested in learning and engaging with international cultures.  

Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, as we reopened our doors to the public, we focused on easing social isolation by bringing people together and creating a space of belonging for people from diverse backgrounds to feel connected and valued. Our volunteers grew our learning programs to include Persian drumming, French and Peruvian dance, and public speaking. We developed a new culturally responsive English learning program for refugees and newcomers. We launched the I-House World Tour to highlight cultural traditions, beginning with a focus on Native American Cultures in Wintun Homeland.  

We’ve reflected on I-House’s position in our community and reimagined our mission, vision, and offerings through a comprehensive strategic planning process. We know that the world today is not the same as it was in 2020 (or 1981 when we were founded) and rather than defaulting back to our pre-pandemic operating norms, we are taking intentional steps forward to meet the moment and serve the current needs of our community. 

We believe that culture – language, beliefs, art, music, storytelling, food, dance, history, architecture, poetry – is a critical vehicle to facilitate meaningful international and intercultural learning, understanding, and connections. Through a deepened understanding of the complexity of our shared humanity, we create an inclusive, culturally vibrant, collaborative, and compassionate community and world. 

As set forth by our strategic plan, over the next three and a half years (by June 2027), we will establish I-House Davis as a cultural center for the exchange of international arts, culture, and ideas. As a cultural presenting organization, we will continue to center international and marginalized voices, perspectives, and practices to bridge differences for a more connected and inclusive community. We will create space for cultural practitioners – artists, musicians, storytellers, dance makers, scholars, chefs, historians – with an international or intercultural lens to share and engage the I-House community in their work. We know that people come to I-House to share experiences with others, and we will intentionally program those experiences to foster inclusion, cultivate joy and kinship, and facilitate learning.   Staying true to our founding principles, we will welcome international scholars, visitors, immigrants, transplants, and families by connecting them with the local community. We will support volunteers to provide quality language learning and other community-led international arts and humanities programs.