Exchange Opportunities

For details on any of these exchanges, please contact the Exchange Director directly.

Our newest list from FFI does not have complete information on each exchange. For those exchanges marked with a # - please see the FFI World of Friends Catalog for a list of all  exchanges with openings: 

http://www2.thefriendshipforce.org/catalog/default.aspx and click on World of Friends Catalog.

Please forward this exchange information to your friends and others interested in participating as a Friendship Force Ambassador. If you would like to be added to the Friendship Force International mailing list to receive occasional e-mail updates on exchange opportunities, please send your name, postal address, and e-mail address to ffi@thefriendshipforce.org. 

More opportunities are added as available. Listings for the year will be added as they are received.

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USA

Join us in Atlanta, Georgia, where we will experience a modern city, natural beauty and historic places, learning the art of photography at the same time! We will have plenty to photograph on this unique exchange that features instruction in taking better photographs and a tour of Georgia’s coastal islands. We will focus our classes in digital photography, portraiture and architecture, and we’ll get individual feedback on our photographs.
We will tour downtown Atlanta and Buckhead with a focus on the area’s architecture. We will then turn our focus to nature and visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, which feature beautiful gardens and glass sculptures by famous American artist Dale Chihuly.
After a farewell party with our FF Greater Atlanta hosts, we will head to Georgia’s coastline to visit the state’s beautiful Golden Isles. Here we will have the opportunity to visit the beach, bike the coast line, take a dolphin tour and, of course, take more stunning photographs!
Before returning to Atlanta, we will tour the historic Antebellum Trail and see the few Georgia homes that survived the US Civil War, displaying the spectacular Neoclassical architecture of the 1800s.

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# 11066 - Louisville, Kentucky and surrounding areas, USA  
Discover bluegrass and Bourbon as you explore the rich culture of Kentucky, USA
June 18 to 25, 2012

Estimated Price: $545 USD. Includes FFI and host fees, group activities and local transportation.
Contact John Vezeau
+1 502-426-2681HIGHLIGHTS

Make yourself at home in the South as you enjoy an exchange focused on the unique culture the southern US. Learn the meaning of “Southern hospitality” from your friendly hosts, FF Louisville.
Tour a private thoroughbred racehorse farm, as well as Churchill Downs, home of the world famous Kentucky Derby, and historic Keenland Race Track. Have a taste of Bourbon – a unique American whiskey that originated here in Kentucky. We’ll visit Bourbon distilleries along the great Bourbon Trail. Tap your feet along with the music at a bluegrass concert – this beloved musical style was born in the South and draws influences from Appalachian folk music, blues and jazz.

Description: Nicknamed the Bluegrass State, Kentucky forms a unique piece of the American cultural landscape. The Friendship Force of Louisville invites you to discover its folk and country music, famous thoroughbred horse farms and race tracks, and its beautiful “blue” countryside.

You’ll hear traditional Appalachian folk music as well as bluegrass music, which combines elements of folk music with elements of blues and jazz. Visit historic distilleries and have a taste of Bourbon, a type of American whiskey. Come and experience many other attractions.
Come! Visit us, and share our warm hospitality and cherished traditions.

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Dayton and Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA

PAST AND FUTURE OF FLIGHT ON THE AVIATION TRAIL!
July 7 to 14, 2012

Estimated Price: TBD
Contact Gary Mitchner: +1-937-299-1663

HIGHLIGHTS

Ohio is known as the “birthplace of aviation pioneers” as the home of the Wright Brothers and AmericanAstronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. We will explore the sites that led these great men to make giant leaps for mankind and modern aviation.

To kick off our exchange, we’ll enjoy the Dayton International Air Show featuring the US Navy’s demonstration squadron the Blue Angels, who will perform in-flight aerobatics and a show you will not forget. We will visit the Wright Brothers sites and learn about how the Wright brothers planned and prepared for their first flight.

We’ll also discover more about modern flight beyond our orbit at the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum and John Glenn Site. Both of these men made great strides in the quest for manned space flight, and their home state has commemorated their accomplishments.
Additionally, we’ll discover the National Museum of the US Air Force and the history and development of flight from World War II and beyond.

In addition to these great opportunities to learn about the great aviators of Ohio, we will share meals with our Friendship Force hosts and attend lectures relating to the future of aviation. We’ll also have an option to experience a flight in a replica of the Wright-B Flier.
Get your ticket! This is a flight you won’t want to miss!

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Northern Illinois, USA Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, USA

FROM OUR TABLE TO YOURS – EXCHANGE RECIPES AND FRIENDSHIP IN THE AMERICAN MIDWEST
July 31 to August 14, 2012

Estimated Price: $790 USD (includes FFI and host fees, group activities and transportation between clubs)
Contact Dave Kalan - +1-414-766-6056

HIGHLIGHTS

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well.” –Virginia Woolf.
Come to America’s Heartland to dine well and share friendship, recipes and more in Northern Illinois, Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

We’ll tour urban gardens, an eco-friendly cheese factory and an organic farm to find out where our food comes from (and sample it, too!). We’ll dine at fine restaurants and around kitchen tables. We’ll enjoy the unique fare of our region and invite you to share your favorite foods from home with us!

In each city, ambassadors will enjoy a custom food tour while learning about local history, culture and architecture. It’s time to eat, drink and be merry! Join us at the dinner tables, restaurants, gardens and farms of America’s Heartland and make friends from the heart!

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2012 Memphis Music Global Exchange 
Tuesday, August 28 - September 3, 2012 
Includes a Memphis-Clarksdale-Indianola-Greenwood overnight trip and excursions to Graceland, Sun Studio, Beale St and other Memphis landmarks. 
Estimated cost: $625.00 USD, includes bus tour (with meals), one-night stay in hotel, host fees and FFI fees (The two-day, one-night Blues excursion is priced at $350/person and is a part of the exchange.)

Contact Demetra Lawrence: http://www2.thefriendshipforce.org/exchanges/details.aspx?eid=11063

See the flyer with schedule and details or

See the FFI website, http://www.friendshipforcememphistn.org.

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Western Colorado Adventure Experiences
Friendship Force of Western Colorado
September 2012 
Contact Exchange Director Sue Palmer

More information coming soon! Check the North America page of the World of Friends Catalog for future updates.

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New Haven, Hartford and Shoreline Connecticut, USA Sturbridge, Massachusetts, USA Newport, Rhode Island, USA

A TASTE OF NEW ENGLAND
October 9 to 17, 2012

Estimated Price: $420 USD (includes FFI and host fees, bus and entrance fees, cooking class and most meals)
Contact Sophie Tworkowski - +1-203-248-6646

HIGHLIGHTS

Description: On this exchange, you will get more than a taste of New England cuisine. Your hosts have arranged for you to also get a taste of the history of New England from the founding of the United States to its role in the United States anti-slavery movement in the 19th Century and the present day.

You will tour the homes of famed Connecticut authors Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe. You will then travel north to the neighboring state of Massachusetts where you visit Sturbridge Village where you will experience a taste of rural New England life during the 1790s to 1830s recreated in this living history community.

As you travel south to Rhode Island. The scenery of New England in the Fall will add a delightful flavor to your visit. The trees showcase their bright orange, red and yellow leaves at this time of year.

In Newport, Rhode Island you will whet your appetite for the history and elegance of this region when you visit the coast and home of the largest number of preserved colonial homes in the country. You will tour the Newport Mansions which depict the Gilded Age’s elegance in its architecture, interior design and landscape.

In addition to visiting other sites such as touring the campus of Yale University, your hosts will share their knowledge of their home state and incorporate your interest during the free day planned in the program. We’d also like to share New England cuisine with you in a cooking class and hands-on demonstration where you’ll learn the secrets of dining New England style!

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Las Vegas, Nevada

#11069 DISCOVER THE OTHER SIDE OF LAS VEGAS
November 28 to December 5, 2012

Estimated Price: $290 USD (includes FFI and host fees, most meals and some entrance fees) Shows are at an extra cost.
Contact D Thorn: +1-702-363-1014

http://www2.thefriendshipforce.org/catalog/catalog_northamerica.aspx#11069

HIGHLIGHTS

Ambassadors will see the sights of Las Vegas and the beautiful region surrounding the city of lights. We will visit Red Rocks, an area that shows the geology of the valley, some Indian petroglyphs, and indigenous flora and fauna. The Hoover Dam is a well known landmark and the new bridge is quite a feat: ambassadors will drive across the bridge and then see from atop Hoover Dam.

Show(s) are plentiful and we will talk with ambassadors about which one(s) they want to see, so that they are not limited to just one. They will get to see shows from the audience and will also get a backstage tour of one of the shows to see the costumes and workings of the show up close. Along with the glitz and glam, you can also learn more about Las Vegas history, regional culture and numerous other topics in some of our 39 Las Vegas museums.

Ambassadors are given the flexibility to make the program what they want it to be. The host club takes ambassadors on outings and provides the option for ambassadors to choose some things that are of particular interest to them.

Join us to see the other side of Las Vegas! 

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CANADA

EUROPE

#11181 - Discover Ireland 

March 15 - 24, 2012
Discover Ireland - thatched cottages, rugged coasts and cosmopolitan cities!
Killarney, Causeway Coasst, Belfast and Dublin, Ireland
View exchange details/contact: http://www.thefriendshipforce.org/exchanges/search.aspx 

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MIDDLE EAST / ASIA

#11039 - Indonesia 

March 6 - 24, 2012 
Experience Indonesian culture and hospitality firsthand.
Jakarta and Solo-Surakarta, Indonesia

View exchange details/contact: http://www.thefriendshipforce.org/exchanges/search.aspx 

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Friendship and Service in Nepal
April 17 to 23, 2012
Cost: $975 USD, covers FFI fees, accommodations and food, materials and medicines for our humanitarian work in the village of Thosey.
Contact: Matthew Nidek
Friendship Force International
+1-404-965-4343 or mnidek@thefriendshipforce.org

A rare opportunity has arisen for a combination of Friendship Force activities and humanitarian work in a small village in Nepal. The Friendship Force of Nepal has led and participated in several projects aimed at improving the lives of its people living in rural and remote areas, supported by volunteers from around the world.

Service in Nepal 1
Shiva Shrestha, president of FF Nepal, is an active community service leader. 
This is an incredible Friendship Force opportunity to be part of a group who will experience both home-hosting in Kathmandu and travel to a remote village in need of help.

Every skill and ability will be welcome; every ambassador will have something to offer to help the people we meet here. In the end, volunteers often find that they have recieved just as much as they have given in their humanitarian work.

Service in Nepal 2
Shiva and the children of Thosey, Nepal.
FF Nepal has arranged for us to assist with a community health project in the village of Thosey, located an eight-hour drive from Kathmandu.

The community health camp performs a wide range of assistance. If you have a background in a health field, you will work with villagers who have health or hygiene questions, administering advice and medications. Other volunteers will have opportunities to work with children in the school or assist with other tasks such as painting, cleaning, decorating, or landscaping – there will be such a wide range of needs that everyone will be able to contribute in a meaningful way.

Current itinerary:
  April 17- Arrive in Kathmandu, stay in Hotel Shakti
  April 18- Sightseeing in Kathmandu
  April 19- Drive to Thosey village, stay in hotel or home stay
  April 20- Health camp
  April 21- Health camp
  April 22- Hiking, farewell party, cultural program with local community.
  April 23- Drive back to Kathmandu 

Opportunities for further explorations of Nepal and India are available after the program. Let me know if you might be interested in a post-exchange tour. Don’t delay - this exchange is filling up fast! Send me your Amabassador Application or contact me for more information.  

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Mt. Fuji Yamanashi
April 19-30, 2012

Estimated land-only price: $635 USD (without extension)
Contact Andrew Stirling: iax@magma.ca

You will have only one opportunity to be the first ambassadors hosted by the new Friendship Force club of Mt. Fuji Yamanashi, and this is it! Travel to Japan to welcome this new club into the Friendship Force fold, to discover their culture and form friendships. You will also have a chance to support the club in Koriyama near the area where the March tsunami hit. They are eager to welcome visitors to their community once again.

There will be 10 nights of home stays between the two cities. There are 16 spaces on this exchange, for people from all over the world. The exchange directors are Andrew Stirling and his wife Eileen Howell of Ottawa, Canada. Andrew is a retired nuclear physicist, has been the FFI board treasurer until this year, and has visited Japan more than 10 times on business. He has led many Friendship Force International exchanges.

Andrew and Eileen will arrive in Narita Airport before each of you so they can meet you and get you settled into an airport hotel. Our Friendship Force members in Japan will arrange bus transportation the next day to the new club Mt Fuji Yamanashi, where you will have a five night homestay and then you will move on to be home hosted by the Friendship Force of Koriyama for five nights.

Mt. Fuji Yamanashi Highlights:

Experience many natural attractions like mountains, canyons, parks, lakes, etc. Visit cultural centers including shrines, temples, museums and markets

Koriyama Highlights:

One-day bus trip to Nikko World Heritage Site
Experience traditional Japanese culture through the arts of the Kimono, Ikebana (flower arrangement), Sado (tea ceremony) and Shodo (calligraphy)
Optional visit to the area affected by the tsunami 

After the exchange in Koriyama, return to Tokyo will be by Shinkansen (bullet train) with connection in Tokyo Station to Narita for those leaving immediately after the home stays. For people with more time, there is an optional extension to Kyoto.

Dates:
April 19: Arrive Narita - overnight in nearby airport hotel
April 20: Depart for Mt. Fuji via bus - stay for 5 nights
April 25: Depart for Koriyama via bus - stay for 5 nights
April 30: Return to Tokyo and depart for home or go to Kyoto for an optional 5-day tour extension

Estimated land-only price: $635 USD (without extension)

Optional 5-day extension to Kyoto: Based on 10 persons in group. Pricing will depend on itinerary to be planned after expressions of interest are received.

Contact Andrew Stirling to apply or to get more information. I hope you'll join us!
FF Ottawa
FFI Board Member
iax@magma.ca

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#10782 - Ukraine and Russia  
Friendship and cultural discoveries await you in the Ukraine and Russia
Lugansk, Ukraine and Moscow, Russia
May 2012 

#11184 - Global Exchange to Republic of Georgia
Tbilisi, Sighnaghi, and Kakheti region
July 23 to 29, 2012
TASTE THE TRADITIONS OF WINE, HOSPITALITY AND FOLK ARTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA
Estimated cost: $1185 USD, based on 25 ambassadors. Includes FFI, 3 nights in hotel, 3 nights in guest houses; tours and meals, bus travel, English guide and wine tasting (see itinerary).
Optional four-day homestay in Tbilisi: $80 USD
Contact: Blaine McCutchan, ED or the Program Coordinator at FFI! 
View the details: http://www2.thefriendshipforce.org/catalog/catalog_europe.aspx#11184

HIGHLIGHTS

Wine is a symbol of Georgian hospitality, friendship and tolerance. Over thousands of years, the people of Georgia have developed a distinct tradition of winemaking and Friendship Force of Tbilisi would like to share that with you.

We will begin our tour of Georgian culture and wine in Tbilisi. Enjoy folk dancing, singing, martial arts performances, handicrafts, Georgian cuisine and Georgian wine at the Art Gene Festival, which focuses on a new aspect of Georgian culture and art every year. Before exploring more of this country, we will visit a number of churches dating back as early as the fourth century.

The second part of our journey will be to the Kakheti region where we will visit Tsinandlai Museum, home of the oldest winery in Georgia. We will get to know a Georgian family and learn about their traditions of wine making.

Next we will visit Sighnaghi and tour the town of Signagi, a royal town surrounded by defensive walls with 23 towers to protect the area from invaders. Next, we will tour Pheasant Tears Vineyards. Pheasant Tears takes its name from a Georgian tale in which the hero claims that only a wine beyond measure could make a pheasant cry. See for yourself how their adherence to traditional wine making, including a method of fermentation through bottling made in qvevri, clay vessels lined in beeswax and buried in the earth, creates a flavor unique to Georgian wines.

After our exploration of these regions of Georgia, we will return to Tbilisi for an optional four night home stay with the Friendship Force of Tbilisi to further your enjoyment of the rich history of Georgia.

Hosts: The FF of Tbilisi- Georgia, Kate Maisashvili

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AFRICA

None listed at this time.

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CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICA

#11075 - Amazon rainforest - Brazil  
Only a few spaces left!
Amazon Region, Brazil
July 27 to August 12, 2012

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AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND & SOUTH PACIFIC 

Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia 

Sunshine Coast and Australia's tropics by train
June 2 to 17, 2012

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Discover Trips for Club Expansions

Discover Trips have been organized to take groups to areas where Friendship Force wishes to establish clubs. They are open to Friendship Force members from any country. Ambassadors stay in hotels but meet with local people interested in forming new clubs.

#11181 - Discover Ireland 

March 15-24, 2012
Discover Ireland - thatched cottages, rugged coasts and cosmopolitan cities!
Killarney, Causeway Coasst, Belfast and Dublin, Ireland
View exchange details/contact: http://www.thefriendshipforce.org/exchanges/search.aspx 

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Friendship and Service in Nepal
April 17 to 23, 2012
Cost: $975 USD, covers FFI fees, accommodations and food, materials and medicines for our humanitarian work in the village of Thosey.
Contact: Matthew Nidek
Friendship Force International
+1-404-965-4343 or mnidek@thefriendshipforce.org

A rare opportunity has arisen for a combination of Friendship Force activities and humanitarian work in a small village in Nepal. The Friendship Force of Nepal has led and participated in several projects aimed at improving the lives of its people living in rural and remote areas, supported by volunteers from around the world.

Service in Nepal 1
Shiva Shrestha, president of FF Nepal, is an active community service leader. 
This is an incredible Friendship Force opportunity to be part of a group who will experience both home-hosting in Kathmandu and travel to a remote village in need of help.

Every skill and ability will be welcome; every ambassador will have something to offer to help the people we meet here. In the end, volunteers often find that they have recieved just as much as they have given in their humanitarian work.

Service in Nepal 2
Shiva and the children of Thosey, Nepal.
FF Nepal has arranged for us to assist with a community health project in the village of Thosey, located an eight-hour drive from Kathmandu.

The community health camp performs a wide range of assistance. If you have a background in a health field, you will work with villagers who have health or hygiene questions, administering advice and medications. Other volunteers will have opportunities to work with children in the school or assist with other tasks such as painting, cleaning, decorating, or landscaping – there will be such a wide range of needs that everyone will be able to contribute in a meaningful way.

Current itinerary:
  April 17- Arrive in Kathmandu, stay in Hotel Shakti
  April 18- Sightseeing in Kathmandu
  April 19- Drive to Thosey village, stay in hotel or home stay
  April 20- Health camp
  April 21- Health camp
  April 22- Hiking, farewell party, cultural program with local community.
  April 23- Drive back to Kathmandu 

Opportunities for further explorations of Nepal and India are available after the program. Let me know if you might be interested in a post-exchange tour. Don’t delay - this exchange is filling up fast! Send me your Amabassador Application or contact me for more information.  

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Humanitarian Mission to the Western Sahara  

See the Saharawan Aid Trust website for details, www.saharawanaidtrust.com!

A visit to the Sahara was made in July 2011. Others will be planned in future.

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Festivals and Global Exchanges

2012 Memphis Music Global Exchange 
Tuesday, August 28 - September 3, 2012 
The two-day, one-night Blues excursion is priced at $350/person and is a part of the exchange. Total cost of exchange is $500/person. 

Includes a Memphis-Clarksdale-Indianola-Greenwood overnight trip and excursions to Graceland, Sun Studio, Beale St and other Memphis landmarks. 

Full and final details and Registration are now available. See schedule and details on the flyer or the FFI website, http://www.friendshipforcememphistn.org

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Cruise

None listed at this time.

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