FF International

Quick Look:

The Friendship Force is an international non-profit organization founded to promote friendship, goodwill and understanding among the world's people. The organization creates an environment where personal friendships can be established through international home stay exchanges.  

The Friendship Force achieves its goals through the travel of goodwill ambassadors to pre-assigned destinations. In each city, the ambassadors share the lives of their host families for one week.  

Established in 1977 by Wayne Smith with the support of President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, Friendship Force has grown into an organization of 50,000 members in 58 countries. There are nearly 350 clubs around the world with about 135 clubs in the United States. The headquarters of Friendship Force International is in Atlanta with George Brown as President.

The Dallas club was established in 1994 and now has membership of over 100 people from all walks of life - professionals, seniors, singles, couples, families - anyone who loves to meet new friends at home and abroad.  The club has enjoyed wonderful outbound exchanges to Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Brazil, Chile, England, Cuba, Japan, Belgium, Germany, Croatia and Columbia; this year we plan to visit Costa Rica. We have hosted clubs from Germany four times, Chile, Latvia (twice), Peru (twice), Brazil, Japan (twice), England, Canada and Romania.

For more information about Friendship Force International, club contacts and trips offered, please see their webpage at www.thefriendshipforce.org.

See Friendship Force History.

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Upcoming Friendship Force International Conferences

2013 Friendship Force International Conference

Next year's world conference will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA November 22-25, 2013. The official host club will be the Friendship Force of Baton Rouge.

UPDATE: Registration is now open! Go to the World Conference website to see full details and register to attend. Join friends from around the world in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA for the Friendship Force World Conference, November 23 to 25, 2013.

There is no better place to celebrate our mission than the festive city of New Orleans. Together, we'll enjoy the world famous jazz music, cuisine and architecture of this iconic city, and we'll share our ideas, knowledge, and plans for a strong future for the organization we all love.

Post-conference home stays will take place over the American Thanksgiving holiday, giving participants the opportunity to experience all the traditions of this beloved holiday with their hosts.

Our conference hosts, the Friendship Force of Baton Rouge, are hard at work preparing an unforgettable, three-day event. Here are some more of the conference highlights:

PLEASE NOTE: Your hotel room is NOT included in the conference registration. Reserve your room directly with the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel New Orleans - click here to get the Friendship Force discounted rate.

Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel New Orleans - $148 per night
Conference events: http://www.eventbee.com/v/ffiworldconference2013

Optional tours: http://www.neworleans.com/new-orleans-tours/

Questions? Contact Debbie Powell at dpowell@thefriendshipforce.org

127 Peachtree Street Suite 501 | Atlanta, GA 30303 US

US Regional Meetings: Regional meetings for US club members will be held in New Orleans on the afternoon of Friday November 22. Please contact your regional Field Representative if you would like to participate. We will not have a SW Regional conference this year; this is our opportunity for our regional clubs to meet. Our Field Rep is Bob Duncan, mardigrasbob@hotmail.com.

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2014 Friendship Force International Conference

Announcing the 2014 World Conference: Auckland, New Zealand. FFI is pleased to announce that the 2014 World Conference will be held in Auckland and will be jointly hosted by the 23 Friendship Force clubs of New Zealand. Clubs are encouraged to consider requesting an exchange to New Zealand for October 2014, to coincide with the World Conference being held that month. 

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2012 International Conference

Hiroshima, Japan 

Oct 30 - Nov 2, 2012

Join friends from around the world in Hiroshima, Japan, for the Friendship Force International 35th World Conference.
Theme: Hiroshima for Peace and Friendship

Registration is now open!

Conference Fee: ¥27500 (all conference pricing is in Japanese Yen).
Go to the World Conference website to see full details and register to attend.
Contact: Debbie Powell - Conference Director/Special Projects
+1.404.496.6615 or dpowell@thefriendshipforce.org

Get excited about the Global Expansion Plan with plenary presentations and interactive sessions. Learn about the initiatives to open new clubs around the world, expand leadership training and resources, and develop new programs - and find out what role YOU can play in building the future of the Friendship Force.

Attend workshops on the subjects that interest you, led by other Friendship Force volunteers, members of the international board of directors, and FFI staff. Workshop topics include club growth, exchange assignments, social media, Japanese culture, and more! See all 14 workshops and their descriptions.

Highlights:

Hiroshima Peace Memorial
 
Hiroshima provides an inspiring setting for this conference theme. The city is a symbol of world peace, having risen from the ashes of World War II. The conference will be held on the grounds of the historic Peace Park, a landmark dedicated to world peace and the memory of those who lost their lives on August 6, 1945, in the explosion of the atomic bomb.

The city of Hiroshima at night   

Get inspiration for a strong future:

Hiroshima Castle 

Meet friends new and old:

Special Opportunity! Pre-Conference Tour of Japan
This tour of Tokyo, Nagoya, Nara and Kyoto is designed specifically for conference attendees. Spend a week exploring Japan with other Friendship Force members, enjoy a two-night home stay with FF Aichi, and then continue on to the World Conference together. The tour begins in Tokyo on October 24th and ends in Hiroshima on October 30th. Click for more information.

See you in Japan! If you have questions, contact Conference Director Debbie Powell: dpowell@thefriendshipforce.org, +1.404.496.6615

Extra Info: Post-conference hosting will be available with several Japanese clubs.

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SENBAZURU

1,000 paper cranes for peace

JOIN THE FRIENDSHIP FORCE IN MAKING A WISH FOR PEACE AROUND THE WORLD.

With your help, delegates to the Friendship Force World Conference in Hiroshima can present 1,000 paper cranes at the Children's Peace Monument. Known as Senbazuru, the practice of presenting 1,000 origami cranes represents hope and peace. What a profound statement the Friendship Force could make with a crane from every club! 

Can you send one crane or more by October 1?
(Those attending the conference will have opportunities to fold a crane with the help of Hiroshima club members.)

Step 1: Paper Please use 6” x 6” (150mm) paper. Origami paper, chiyogami paper and washi can be widely found in art or stationery stores worldwide. If you cannot find these types of paper, don’t worry! You can just as easily use scrapbooking paper or normal printer paper, although it is a little thicker. Any colour or pattern is fine, but please start with a paper that is 6 inches square.

Step 2: Fold Easy-to-follow, English video instructions for folding an origami crane can be seen here. (You may want to search for a video in your own language.) Leave the crane folded flat so you can mail it in an envelope to Hiroshima. 

Step 3: Write on one wing, write the name of your club and country. If you choose, you may dedicate your crane to someone, by writing their name or a prayer on the wing.

Step 4: Send Whether you make one or one hundred origami cranes, please be sure to send them to Hiroshima by October 1st so that the Hiroshima club members can string them all together in time for our presentation at the Peace Park. Send your crane to: 
   Mr. Takaaki Morikawa
   19-3, Imokuchi 3 chome, Nishi-ku
   Hiroshima City, 733-0842
   Japan

In November we will publish photos of the Senbazuru, one thousand cranes, and the presentation at the Peace Park on the FFI website.

We thank you for your help with this meaningful project for peace!
Send your questions to Debbie Powell at dpowell@thefriendshipforce.org
Do you want to attend the World Conference in Hiroshima? Register today!

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The Story of the Thousand Paper Cranes

Hiroshima's Children's Peace Monument is dedicated to all the children who died as a result of the A-bomb. At the top, there is a statue of a girl holding a folded paper crane. This girl was Sadako Sasaki.

Two-year-old Sadako was blown out of the window at her home, about two miles from ground zero, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Miraculously, she survived, but ten years later she developed acute leukemia.

She had great faith in the popular Japanese belief that folding a thousand paper cranes would make her wishes come true; however she died eight months later. Sadako’s classmates completed the 1000 cranes and buried them with her. 

They also began a fundraising campaign which was supported by the entire nation and erected a memorial to her and all the children who died from the effects of the atomic bomb. 
At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads: "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world."

Gradually Sadako’s story spread throughout the world and the paper crane became a symbol of peace and hope. 

Friendship Force Expansion Plan

2012 marks the 35th anniversary of The Friendship Force. Our mission — to promote global understanding across the barriers that separate people — is just as important today as it was 35 years ago. Ensuring a successful future is essential to our mission. The Global Expansion Plan comprises five initiatives for building a strong Friendship Force for tomorrow.

1. Establish 45 new clubs

Establish new clubs in all regions of the world, bringing the total to over 400 for the first time and opening new countries and communities to our global exchange program.

2. Expand themed exchanges and new programs

From wine tasting and gardening to language learning and history, expand themed exchanges to attract a new generation of participants.

3. Leadership for tomorrow

Recruit, train and support volunteer leaders for tomorrow, with materials and techniques designed for a new generation of leaders.

4. Promote the Friendship Force globally

Increase regional, national and global recognition of the Friendship Force through the Internet, social media and global communications. 

5. Raise $275,000 to pay for the Global Expansion

Challenge clubs, members and friends to step forward with financial donations to secure the future of the Friendship Force.

Working together we can build a strong Friendship Force for tomorrow.

http://www.thefriendshipforce.org/expansion

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2012 Updates on Expansion Plan

New Clubs

These new clubs are opening in 2012 with exchanges to them:

If you have contacts in the following regions, please tell FFI your name, your Friendship Force club, where your contacts are and what your connection to them is. Mary Mwambay, FFI Program Services Coordinator, will respond to discuss with you the possibility of reaching out to your contacts to establish a new club. They are especially interested in:

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Themed Exchanges – Coming Together

Themed exchanges create opportunities for new friendships to blossom from shared interests. For many ambassadors and hosts, the best parts of an exchange are the opportunities to discover all they have in common. Themed exchanges provide unique opportunities for Friendship Force members to come together around shared interests, such as gardening, language learning, hiking, history or the arts.

Many successful themed exchanges took place in 2011, including a performing arts exchange in Hamilton and Burlington, Canada; gardeners to Cornwall, UK; renewable energy advancements in Colorado, USA; vintage travel in New Zealand; and the history, technology and culture of the Mississippi River in the US.

FF Haliburton Highlands hosted a winter sports exchange in 2011 and again in 2012. Their guests learned the game of curling, went snowshoeing and drove a team of sled dogs.

The FF Niagara club provided bicycles and helmets and welcomed ambassadors to join them on their favorite trails. Ambassadors and hosts cycled the region together, taking in all the varied scenery including the canal, the Niagara vineyards, and the beautiful farmland and orchards.

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George Brown Retirement

George Brown, who has served as president of Friendship Force International since April 2004, will retire effective June 30, 2013. The announcement comes two weeks after the very successful conclusion of FFI’s 35th World Conference in Hiroshima, Japan, attended by over 400 members from 24 countries. 

“It has been a great honor for me to work for this incredible global organization for a total of 23 years, the last nine years as president,” stated Brown who will turn 68 next June. “The Friendship Force, with its new global expansion plan, is in great shape. I can look back with pride and satisfaction at the record of the past few years, but now is the time for new leadership to carry forward the mission of global friendship that was started in 1977 by Wayne Smith, with the support of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.”

Brown expects to remain active in the international field but has no plans to take on another fulltime position. “I’m looking forward to slowing down a bit and to taking advantage of the opportunity for personal visits with many of the friends I’ve made around the world.”

In accepting Brown’s resignation, Board Chairman Alan Milne of Kapiti Coast, New Zealand, stated: “We will miss George with his enthusiastic and effective leadership. He has made a tremendous contribution to the growth of our organization. We wish him all the best in his retirement years and know he will remain an active friend of the Friendship Force.”

Brown first joined the Friendship Force staff in 1983 and worked closely for many years with founder Wayne Smith. The Board of Directors has begun the leadership transition process and expects to have a new president appointed by June 2013. “We are confident that we will find just right person to lead us, building on the strong foundation George Brown has established,” stated Milne. “The Friendship Force is strong and growing and will continue to flourish for years to come.” 

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CEO Search Committee Established

During a special teleconference on December 20, 2012 the FFI Board of Directors approved the appointment of a search committee to guide the selection process for a new President to replace George Brown when he retires in June 2013. The purpose of the committee will be to work with a consulting firm to identify and screen candidates for the position and to recommend one or more finalists for final selection by the Board of Directors. 

The committee consists of current board members, as well as other experienced Friendship Force leaders. The members of the committee and their home Friendship Force clubs are: Sandra Larson, chair, Kern County, California; Cecile Latour, Canadian Capital Region, Ottawa, Canada; Mac Mackenzie, Florida Suncoast; Boya Marshall, Bavaria, Germany; Alan Milne, Kapiti Coast, New Zealand; Jack Mullen, Western North Carolina; Karen Overly Smith, Greater Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Bruce Wazorko, Connecticut.

According to Sandra Larson, the committee will be looking for a person "who can work well with all the countries and cultures represented in our remarkable organization.” She welcomes comments from Friendship Force members regarding the task of the search committee. Contact Sandra at SLWorksCO@hotmail.com.

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Field Representatives

Bob Duncan of FF Baton Rouge will serve the Southwest Region, including the Friendship Force clubs of Kansas, Baton Rouge, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Thanks to Joyce Rulon, who has served the Southwest Region for the past two years. We appreciate all the hard work she has put into serving the mission of the Friendship Force.

Bob says: There is a lot I need to learn, the most important of which is how I can help you and the other club Presidents the most… Regarding a SW Regional Conference in 2013, it's my hope that we can have a one day conference in New Orleans the day before the beginning of the International Conference. I would also like to come up with some specific ways to get the SW region involved in the conference as well. Any ideas, anyone? My e-mail is mardigrasbob@hotmail.com.

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Health and Mobility

In 2012 there are new guidelines for how to recruit ambassadors (and hosts) that are physically and mentally capable of carrying out the basic requirements of the exchange. This is very important, and FFI will monitor closely all exchanges to ensure these guidelines are followed. Clubs failing to abide by these guidelines will be required to make changes in their recruiting procedures. In order to ensure proper recruiting, it is the responsibility of the host exchange director to provide the ambassador ED with details regarding hosting activities. A new checklist has been prepared by FFI for use by the host exchange director for this purpose. The ambassador ED is required to accept only people capable of carrying out the hosting activities—unless an exception is granted by the host ED. 

See the guidelines.

If you have any questions or suggestions or need to report difficulties with this policy, please contact Kathy Thomas at kthomas@thefriendshipforce.org. 

Scams/Security

Dated 2/9/09:   Recently we have had reports of emails purporting to be from bona fide Friendship Force members requesting money to get home. These emails are as a result of our members' email accounts having been hacked into and taken over by criminals.

The criminal pretends to be a fellow member and emails everyone in their contact list.

THESE EMAILS ARE SCAMS. DO NOT WIRE ANYONE MONEY THROUGH WESTERN UNION OR ANY OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTION AS A RESULT OF ONE OF THESE EMAILS.

We regret anyone being inconvenienced by one of these emails, however FFI takes your privacy seriously, we do not sell our contact lists and we cloak all emails in our communications to our members as much as possible. We continue to look for ways to ensure your privacy.

When traveling with Friendship Force and you have a true emergency you should always first contact your Exchange Director, our emergency number (404 522 9490 ext. 375), the relevant Consulate and your Program Coordinator.

Here are some tips to keep your email account safe:

From Easy Website presentation at 2009 SW Conference:

Facebook

Many Friendship Force people are signing on to Facebook - just type in Facebook on your top line of your browser and you will be taken to the Facebook website to join or sign in if you are already a member. It lets you share photos with friends, with people you have stayed with, with club members. Share exchange photos and keep in touch worldwide. There are groups within Facebook, and one of them is a Friendship Force group. You can set up your own group too.

With any social sharing site, just be careful what you put on there. Theoretically, you are allowing only your friends whom you have approved to see what you put there, but actually their friends may see some of your postings too. 

There have been cases of scams and people defrauded when their Facebook password was used to steal their identity. People can assume your identity, change your password and appeal to your friends for “emergency” money. This problem occurs if you respond to a request on your e-mail for information or click on a link taking you to a scammer’s site. That’s really where you need to be careful. When you get a request on your e-mail from an organization, bank or company that looks familiar to you, do not click on a reply link. Respond if you wish by going to that company’s website or use your own address book. That request could come from someone mimicking that company and providing you with a link to their scamming address; you may not be talking to the company you think you are. Reputable companies do not ask for information online that would compromise your identity. Beware of any that do.

Privacy

When the whole world sees you, you need to weigh what you put on your website. We (in Dallas) don’t print our members’ phone numbers or home addresses. If a meeting is in a private home, we provide an e-mail address as contact to get the address. We figure if the viewer is seeing this on the Internet, he or she has e-mail and can use that to contact a person mentioned on our site. An e-mail address does not identify location of the person or confidential information; however, some people object even to using their e-mail address or last name in a newsletter or website. If you have a member who objects, respect their privacy.

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Rebranding Friendship Force

To: Friendship Force Club and Exchange Leaders
From: George Brown
Date: June 13, 2008
Re: New Website launches on 16 June!

On Monday, June 16, at 12:00 pm Atlanta time, FFI will launch the new Friendship Force website. The web address will be the same (www.thefriendshipforce.org), but it will have an entirely new look, reflecting the re-branding initiative that is part of our strategic plan. I invite all of you to take a look at the website in the days ahead and let us know what you think. It will be a “work in progress” for a while as we continue to make improvements.

As you and your members become familiar with the website, there are several features that I want to emphasize:

1. GETTING THE WORLD’S ATTENTION
We all know that FFI has a great story to tell. We also know that we live in an age of information technology. So, we are going to maximize our piece of cyberspace by using our website to help us get the word out about our organization and its activities. Our new homepage is designed to be fun, attractive and interesting to our members and to the general public.

2. ATTRACTING EXCHANGE PARTICIPANTS
The website will be useful in getting the word out about Exchanges. Here’s what the terminology means:
Featured Exchanges provides a sample of upcoming exchanges that are open to applicants from outside the originating club. Currently these exchanges originate in the USA but anyone, anywhere in the world, may apply. We will also be adding exchanges of interest to members from other regions in the future.

In addition to the Featured Exchanges we still have the “All Exchanges” listing as well as “Find an Exchange,” both of which provide a full listing of our exchange activity for 2008 and 2009.

3. WEB-SITE VIDEOS
We’re entering the age of web-videos with the new website, providing the opportunity to include short videos for those with fast internet connections. The new website includes the video about the new logo and strategic plan that was sent to all club presidents.

4. VISIT THE FFI STORE
We have an on-line Friendship Force store for the first time. You can order merchandise with the new FF logo directly from an internet supply house called “Café Press”. In the weeks ahead we’ll be adding additional merchandise items including a standard logo lapel pin — that will be supplied from FFI in Atlanta. In July we will provide guidelines to clubs on how to use the new logo in their own materials or merchandise.

5. PRIVATE HOMEPAGE FOR FF LEADERSHIP ONLY
One of the most important features of the new website is a special section for club and exchange leaders. This new leadership section is much stronger. And to avoid confusion for members and the general public who may be using the website to learn about FFI, a password will be required for the leadership section. We want all active FF leaders — both club and exchange leaders—to have access to this section, which we’re calling the Leadership Forum, so the password is very easy to remember:

The user name is FFI; the password is friendship.
We are asking that club presidents give the password to exchange directors and other leaders who may have need of forms, manuals and other leadership information. The Leadership Forum section is also designed to be interactive, providing a way for you to communicate with each other and with the FFI staff on an ongoing basis, using “blogs” (web-logs). This means you can enter comments and suggestions that can be seen by FF leaders around the world. Give it a try! Or you can send an email directly to me through the website in the “Talk to George” section. I think it will be fun and also very productive.

6. NEW NAME FOR OUR MONTHLY E-MAIL TO YOU
Since we will now be calling our entire leadership section in the website Leadership Forum, the name of our monthly communication which you have been receiving by that name will now be called the “FFI Communiqué.” We’ll continue to send this via e-mail, with back issues saved on the website in the leadership section.

If you’re like me, this new technology can be quite confusing. But there is no doubt that the Internet is a tremendously powerful tool for a global organization like FFI. In addition to providing the world access to our story and our programs, it also enables us to greatly improve communications between FFI and our clubs. It won’t always go just the way we want, but we can learn together and in the process create a much more efficient and effective international organization. I’m looking forward to working with you to make this a reality!

Staying in Touch

UPDATE JANUARY 1, 2011: 

The Friendship Force International (FFI) office has moved to 127 Peachtree St., Suite 501, Atlanta, GA 30303.  Tel:  404-522-9490 or 9490; e-mail: ffi@thefriendshipforce.org or www.friendshipforce.org. 

George Brown is President of FFI and Debbie Powell is our Program Service Coordinator in Atlanta.  

Check the webpage for Friendship Force International news, all exchanges, clubs around the world,  products for sale and the Friendship Magazine.

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2011 FF International Exchanges - First Half Year Summary

A total of 1,875 Friendship Force ambassadors participated in 101 exchanges during the first half of 2011. These numbers are very similar to last year, even with the cancellation of 11 exchanges due to the tragedy of the Japanese tsunami. 

Among the highlights:

Important “firsts”:

2010 International Conference

Washington, DC in October 2010

Friendship Force members from around the world attended the 2010 World Conference in Washington, DC - Saturday, October 16 - Monday, October 18.

Internet Search

What if FFI earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Well, now we can!

WWW.GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter “Friendship Force International” as the charity you want to support. Just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year. Please be sure to spread the word!

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Blog - 2007

Friendship Force International launched a new blog this month, titled Blog for Friendship. The term “blog” is short for web-log and is a user-generated site that presents information in a journal format. The website allows staff and club members to share their experiences, ask questions or chat with a friend on the other side of the globe.

Blog for Friendship can be found at www.thefriendshipforce.wordpress.com