Friendship Force International was founded on March 1, 1977 by its first president, Wayne Smith and was announced by President Jimmy Carter at a White House gathering of state governors. The founders envisioned that friendships among people of different nations and cultures not only would be personally enriching for participants, but could contribute to world peace on a broad scale.
Friendship Force programs have created tens of thousands of enduring friendships and helped to establish ties among business, institutions and communities throughout the world.
Friendship Force International is a non-profit organization dedicated to the principle that each person can make a contribution to global goodwill. Home hospitality – the heart of a Friendship Force exchange- provides the opportunity for people of different countries and cultures to connect at a personal level. More than half a million participants have experienced the personal enrichment and cross-cultural understanding that results from a Friendship Force exchange. The ever-widening Friendship Force global network represents a powerful and growing force that can overcome differences between people and nations.
The Aim :
– To foster peace and understanding throughout the world by means of personal contacts and shared experiences achieved through a progam of home hosting.
– The first priority is to develop friendships and through this to generate understanding across cultural boundaries.
– There are more than 300 clubs in 55 countries throughout the world.
– The Friendship Force is not a travel club although the core activity is travelling in groups being home hosted with like minded people in other countries.