About Friendship Force

Friendship Force International provides opportunities to explore new countries and cultures from the inside by bringing people together at the personal level. Through the signature program of home hospitality, local hosts welcome international visitors into their culture, sharing with them meals, conversation, and the best sights and experiences of their region.

In a typical Friendship Force program, a local club (chapter) prepares an itinerary of cultural activities, inviting members from clubs in other countries to come and stay with them in their homes for up to a week.

There are many ways to explore the world through the Friendship Force. For example, you may:

- Join a group making a cultural exploration of another country or of another region of your own country.

- Bring the world to your doorstep by hosting international visitors in your home.

- Join a cultural travel program formed around common interests such as gardening, hiking, wine and many others.

- Get involved with a Friendship Force club in your city, or organize one yourself.

Ten Reasons to Explore the World with the Friendship Force

1. Go where you’ve never been
Take a journey into the heart of a country and its people. Friendship Force International conducts over 300 programs every year, in 377 communities in 56 countries. Friendship Force hosts are eager to welcome you into their culture, sharing sights and experiences that are not available to tourists.

2. Get off the beaten track
There’s no better way to see a new place than with a friend who knows its “best kept secrets.” You might dine in a palace in Indonesia, visit a remote village in Africa, or see a polo match in Argentina.

3. Cultural immersion
Through the unique Friendship Force program of home hospitality, international travelers are hosted in the homes of local families. In this way, you can get to know a new culture from the inside. For example, you might learn local pastimes, such as calligraphy in Japan or snowshoeing in Canada, or you could learn family recipes in your host’s kitchen. You might even be invited to a religious ceremony or a wedding.

4. Personal friendships
When you travel or host with the Friendship Force, you get to know real people by sharing real life. Often, friendships are formed that last a lifetime.

5. Bring the world to your doorstep
As a Friendship Force host, you can explore the world without leaving home by extending the hand of friendship to international guests. It’s a rewarding experience to give your guests an up-close, insider’s view of life in your country, either through overnight home hospitality or daytime cultural activities.

6. Represent your country
When you travel or host with the Friendship Force, you have the opportunity to share knowledge of your country and culture with new friends from around the world. Through friendly conversation and everyday experiences, you become part of changing the way others see your culture and the world.

7. Make a Difference
There are many opportunities to make a difference in communities around the world. For example, you can help your new friends practice your language, bring supplies to a needy school, or host foreign teachers attending a professional development program in your city.

8. Pursue your passions around the world
Themed programs allow participants to come together to explore a common interest in a unique region of the world. You could spend a week exploring the gardens of England, studying biodiversity in Costa Rica, touring vineyards in New Zealand, or cycling the Niagara Falls region, all with the company of international friends who share your enthusiasm.

9. Lifelong learning
The Friendship Force promotes lifelong learning through a variety of travel and hosting programs. For example, programs especially for teachers and students promote education across borders. Language learning programs provide the opportunity to spend a week in a foreign country with a host family, in full language immersion.

10. Promote Global Goodwill
Friendship Force participants greet the world with an open mind and respect for other cultures. In this way, each person makes an individual contribution toward global goodwill.

Find out how you can Get Involved with the Friendship Force.

A Brief History of the Friendship Force

The Friendship Force was founded by Wayne Smith and introduced on March 1, 1977, by President Jimmy Carter at a White House gathering of state governors. At that time, President Carter asked the governors to return to their states and identify a volunteer leader who would serve as State Director for the Friendship Force in their state. Rosalyn Carter served as Honorary Chairperson until 2002.

FF originally involved groups ranging from 150 to 400 private citizens, known as friendship ambassadors, traveling via chartered aircraft to the partner city where a group of the same size boarded to return to the original city, hence the terminology “Exchange,” the word we use still to refer to our travel programs. The visiting ambassadors were hosted in the homes of volunteer host families for a week, sharing everyday experiences and getting to know each other on a personal basis. The first FF experience involved 762 Ambassadors in a simultaneous exchange between Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England and Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

During its first five years, a few large two-way exchanges were conducted each year. In 1982, Friendship Force travel arrangements changed from charters to one-way “exchanges” on regularly scheduled airlines, allowing greater flexibility and a reduction of group size—first to 40-80 and later to 20-25. The change in format permitted a great expansion of the program worldwide. Instead of a few large exchanges each year, there are now 250-300 smaller exchanges.

While the size and number of exchanges has changed dramatically since 1977, the basic Friendship Force formula is the same, with visiting ambassadors spending a week in the home of a host family. While each exchange is now in just one direction, the participating ambassadors and hosts develop a shared understanding of each other’s culture so that a true cultural exchange takes place. In many cases, the friendships established during an exchange continue for many years, with follow-up visits through later Friendship Force exchanges or through private visits.

Mr. Ryoichi Sasakawa, President of The Japan Shipbuilding Industry Foundation, played an important role in the organization’s history. After being introduced to the Friendship Force, Mr. Sasakawa became convinced of the worthy goals of the program. Thanks to Mr. Sasakawa’s financial gifts in the mid 1980s, The Friendship Force was able to grow into a global network of independent chapters, which are called Friendship Force clubs. The clubs are organized and led by volunteers in more than 350 communities on six continents.

In 1985, the A.R.M.S. (American Russian Mutual Survival) program was implemented under the auspices of The Friendship Force. The endeavor encouraged the use of arms that embrace rather than arms that destroy. In May of that year a group of 10 Soviet citizens traveled to the U.S. to extend arms of friendship in Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia and Washington D.C. This was followed by a series of exchanges between the USA and the USSR, with thousands of Americans and Soviets participating. The success of the ARMS program demonstrated that the Friendship Force can be a powerful force for good in the world.

As a result of its initiatives between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Friendship Force was nominated in 1992 for The Nobel Peace Prize.

In addition to its annual series of exchanges between established Friendship Force clubs, Friendship Force International (FFI) conducts a variety of specialized programs. These include the “discover” series designed to introduce Friendship Force members to new countries and cultures, humanitarian and educational exchanges, and Friendship Festivals that include participants from many countries.

Since its founding in 1977, The Friendship Force has brought together millions of people. Today we are active in more than 50 countries, promoting friendship and goodwill through an extensive program of home hosting, or exchanges. In 2007 alone, 5763 friendship ambassadors traveled between 58 countries, with thousands more serving as hosts.

Friendship Force International is supported by membership, exchange fees, donations, and foundation grants.

FFI Mission

Mission

To promote global understanding across the barriers that separate people

Values
Mutual Respect • Cultural Diversity • Cultural Exploration • Service

Vision
Each individual will make a contribution to global goodwill.
The Friendship Force worldwide network of clubs and individuals will overcome differences among people and nations.
By connecting the world, one friend at a time, we will create a world of friends that becomes a world of peace.

Slogan
Changing the Way You See the World

Tagline
Explore • Understand • Serve

Explore: We explore new countries and regions. We explore new cultures and new ways to connect across the barriers that separate us.

Understand: By sharing a home, meals, conversation and everyday experiences, people become friends, seeing beyond governments and borders into the heart of a country and its people. By combining home hospitality with cultural exploration, we reach a new level of understanding.

Serve: Exploration leads to understanding. Understanding leads to an acceptance of our common humanity and the desire to serve our global village—with words and actions.

Quick Facts

333 exchanges were conducted in 2012 with 5,443 ambassadors traveling. Thousands more families served as hosts.

377 chartered clubs and programs in 56 countries on 6 continents with more than 18,000 members worldwide.

Friendship Force is a volunteer-driven organization. More than 1,500 volunteer leaders work more than 30,000 hours each year to promote the Friendship Force mission.

225,000 ambassadors and 750,000 hosts have participated in Friendship Force programs since 1977.

Mission

Mission

Promouvoir une vision planétaire du monde au-delà des barrières qui séparent
les personnes

Valeurs
Le respect mutuel • La diversité culturelle • L’exploration culturelle • Le service

Vision
Chaque personne aura contribué à la bienveillance mondiale.

Le réseau international des clubs et personnes de Friendship Force International
contribuera à surmonter les préjugés dus aux différences entre peuples et nations

En rapprochant les habitants du l’univers, un ami à la fois, nous créerons un monde
d’amis qui formera un monde de paix.

Devise
Changer Votre Façon de Percevoir le Monde

Slogan

Explorer – Comprendre - Servir

Explorer: Nous découvrons de nouveaux pays et de nouvelles régions. Nous
explorons de nouvelles cultures et de nouvelles façons de nous rejoindre au-delà des
barrières qui nous séparent.

Comprendre: Par l’accueil à domicile, en partageant des repas, des conversations et
la routine quotidienne, les gens deviennent amis, voyant au-delà des gouvernements
et frontières, jusqu’au coeur d’un pays et de son peuple. En combinant l’hospitalité
chez soi et l’exploration d’une culture, nous atteignons un nouveau niveau de
compréhension mutuelle.

Servir: l’exploration mène à la compréhension. La compréhension mène à
l’acceptation de notre humanité commune, ainsi qu’à la soif de servir notre village
global – par des mots et des actions.

Mission

Mission

Förderung der Völkerverständigung jenseits aller trennenden Hindernisse Werte Gegenseitiger Respekt • Kulturelle Verschiedenheit • Kulturelles Entdecken

Vision

Jedes Mitglied trägt dazu bei, die Welt zum Positiven zu verändern
Überwindung der Konflikte zwischen Menschen und Nationen durch das weltweite
Netzwerk von Friendship Force Erschaffung einer Welt des Friedens durch weltumspannende Freundschaften

Slogan
Die Welt mit anderen Augen sehen

Tagline
Enddecken • Verstehen • Mitwirken

Entdecken: Wir entdecken neue Länder und Regionen. Wir entdecken neue Kulturen
und neue Gemeinsamkeiten jenseits aller trennenden Grenzen.

Verstehen: Fremde werden zu Freunden, indem wir ein Zuhause, eine Mahlzeit,
eine Unterhaltung und alltägliche Erlebnisse teilen. Jenseits der Grenzen von
Regierungen und Staaten gewinnen wir einen neuen Einblick in das Herz eines
Landes und seiner Menschen

Mitwirken: Aus dem „Entdecken“ entsteht Verständnis. Aus dem „Verstehen“ der
Gemeinsamkeiten entwickelt sich das Bedürfnis, in der globalen Gemeinschaft
mitzuwirken und mitzuhelfen - durch Worte und Taten.

Mission (Japanese)

使 命
人々を隔てる障壁を越えて地球規模的相互理解を推し進める
価 値
相互理解 • 文化の多様性 • 文化の探検 • 相互援助
ビジョン
• 誰もが世界的に善意の貢献をします
• フレンドシップフォースのクラブや個人の世界規模ネットワークは、人々や
国の間に横たわる相違点を乗り越えます
• 世界と繋がることで、一度に一人の友人を創造していくことは、世界の平和
に繋がります
スローガン
あなたの明日を見る目が変わります
タグライン
発見 • 文化理解 • 相互援助
発 見：私たちは新しい国々や地域を発見していきます。私たちは新しい文化と、
そして私たちを隔てている障壁を乗り越えて新しい道を発見します。
相互理解：一緒に一つ屋根で過ごし、共に食事、会話、日々の経験を共有するこ
とで人々は友人となり、政府の政策や国の境界線をはるかに超えて、国や人々の
心を理解します。家庭でのもてなしと文化発見を組み合わせることで、私たちは
相互理解の新しいレベルに達することができます。
相互援助：発見は理解を生みます。理解は我々に馴染み深い人間性を受け入れる
ことを導き、われらが地球村の相互援助をしたいという気持ちを呼び覚まします
－言葉や行動で。

Mission (Portuguese)

Missão

Promover o entendimento universal, rompendo as barreiras que separam as pessoas

Valores
Respeito Mútuo • Diversidade Cultural • Exploração Cultural • Solidariedade

Visão
Cada indivíduo dará sua contribuição à boa vontade universal.
A rede global de clubes e indivíduos da Friendship Force ultrapassará as diferenças
entre pessoas e nações.
Por conectar-se ao mundo, um amigo de cada vez, cria-se um mundo de amigos,
conduzindo a um mundo de paz.

Slogan
Mudando a Maneira de Você Ver o Mundo

Lema
Conheça • Entenda • Participe

Conheça: Conhecemos novos países e regiões, novas culturas e novas maneiras de
nos conectar, ultrapassando as barreiras que nos separam.
Entenda:Ao compartilhar sua casa, refeições, conversas e experiências do dia-adia,
as pessoas se tornam amigas, vendo, além de governo e fronteiras, o coração de
um país e de seu povo. Ao combinar a hospitalidade de uma casa com a exploração
cultural, alcançamos um novo nível de entendimento.
Participe: Conhecimento conduz a entendimento. Entendimento conduz a uma
aceitação de nossa humanidade comum e ao desejo de participar do mundo global,
com palavras e ações

Mission (Spanish)

Misión

Promover el entendimiento global rompiendo las barreras que separan a la gente

Valores

Respeto mutuo • Diversidad cultural • Exploración cultural • Solidaridad

Visión
• Cada individuo contribuye con la buena voluntad global.
• La red mundial de clubes e individuos de la Fuerza de la Amistad sobrepasa las diferencias entre las personas y las naciones.
• Por conectarse al mundo, un amigo a la vez, creamos un mundo de amigos y logramos un mundo de paz.

Slogan

Cambiando la Manera de Ver el Mundo

Lema
Conozca • Entienda • Únase

Conozca: Conocemos nuevos países y regiones, nuevas culturas y maneras de
conectarse rompiendo las barreras que nos separan.
Entienda: Al compartir la casa, comidas, conversaciones y experiencias de la vida
diaria, la gente se hace amiga, yendo más allá de gobiernos y fronteras, y viendo
adentro del corazón de un país y de su gente. Al combinar la hospitalidad en una casa
con la exploración cultural, se logra un nuevo nivel de entendimiento.
Únase: El conocimiento lleva al entendimiento, y éste conduce a la aceptación de la
humanidad y al deseo de unirse a la aldea global con palabras y acciones

Mission (Russian)

Наша миссия

Содействовать всеобщему пониманию невзирая на барьеры, разделяющие
людей

Наши ценности
Взаимоуважение • Культурное многообразие • Исследование
других культур • Помощь

Наше видение
• Каждый человек внесёт вклад во всемирную добрую волю.
• Распространение по всему миру сети клубов Силы дружбы и дружба между отдельными людьми преодолеют различия между народами и нациями.
• Приобретая всё новых друзей, сближая людей из разных уголков света, мы создадим мир друзей, который станет миром без насилия.

Слоган
Изменение твоего видения мира

Девиз
Познаём • Понимаем • Помогаем

Познаём: Мы познаём новые страны и регионы. Мы познаём новые
культуры и новые пути преодоления барьеров, которые нас разделяют.

Понимаем: Разделяя дом и еду, беседуя и делясь житейским опытом, люди
становятся друзьями и начинают видеть сердце страны и населяющих
её людей – вне границ и правительств. Совмещая гостеприимство и
культурное исследование, мы достигаем нового уровня понимания.

Помогаем: Исследование ведёт к пониманию. Понимание ведёт к
принятию нашей общей человечности