Want to know what you may see or learn from exchanges? Well just take a photo journey with Richard & Merilee over the past 5 years and enjoy the experience. (clickhere and view the slide show) 2010 Exchanges March 2010 La Libertad, Peru INCOMIING.....Marti Reckdenwald ED APRIL 14-7, 2010 Festival in Bali followed by an exchange in Solo, Indonesia [dates are not confirmed] need an ED MAYBE!!!!!!! MAY. 2010 Indonesian students......get excited ....this is a true FF experience! Waiting on FFI to see if we are selected to host......Dave & Mary Lou Leverette EDs Sept.-Oct. 2010 TO NAPA .... Gayle Reynolds ED 2010 International Conference in Washington, DC. Dates are Oct. 15 – 18 (click on images to enlarge) Friendship Force Monthly meetings are the 1st Monday of each month located at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Founders Hall 1009 Benson Street Hartwell, Ga. 30643 Please join us if you would like further information. The Friendship Force Exchange Catalog (Click on the above to view the catalog) Friendship Force International, leading the world in home hospitality and cultural travel, is pleased to announce a new publication, The WORLD OF FRIENDS Catalog. This electronic listing of specially selected opportunities will replace the former E-Flyer list of our travel exchanges and will be published monthly beginning in October. All of the travel opportunities in the catalog are available to all interested travelers: experienced Friendship Force members as well as first-time participants. Each new edition of the Catalog will be introduced by a 'postcard' like this one. In addition to planning your own future travels, you can pass this publication on electronically to your own circle of friends and acquaintances, introducing them to the Friendship Force and inviting them to experience the unique style of travel offered by our organization. We hope you can join us on one of these spectacular cultural opportunities that will change the way you see the world. 
(Friendship Force is not affilated with the Catholic or any religious organization)
Cultural Travel On Six Continents! Friendship Force International
233 Peachtree St, Suite 2250 | Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404.522.9490 | http://e2ma.net/go/2448500934/2227235/84298548/21753/goto:http://www.thefriendshipforce.org
I Can Make a Difference
By Dave Leverette
That’s what we pledge at every meeting. I’d like to describe a few instances when I believe a Friendship Force experience did that. And that will make my case for urging us to aggressively seek the Indonesian Student program.
Mary Lou and I attended the FF King Arthur Festival in England several years ago. It was a wonderful event, but the most poignant memory is two young Korean girls, probably ten or twelve years old, who were in tears when we all said goodbye. I believe they will carry a positive impression of the English, Australians, Americans, and all the others who were there. They will remember foreigners as good people. We probably made a difference.
Several years ago Paula and Pete were the Exchange Directors for a South African group. Their ages ranged from an elderly gentleman (who loved to sing and dance) to several teenagers. They were terrified when they discovered that they were to stay with white people. One even gave Carol Ford all her money because she knew it would be stolen. Ask Carol about her response! They left with a different opinion on how things can be. I think we made a difference.
Dave Purcell headed our Open World Project. We put on a week long series of seminars on economic development for promising up-and-coming Russian entrepreneurs. It was exhausting. But those young Russians were so enthusiastic and so surprised to find that we can and do operate in an open and relatively corrupt free business environment (as compared to theirs). I think they left with a different appreciation for free enterprise. I hope we made a difference.
Our club hosted, on short notice, a group of English teachers from Indonesia. They came expecting to find a “super power” inhabited by Michael Jackson clones, who all lived in apartments in large cities, and were involved in their third or fourth marriages. They believed we practiced apartheid. They were shocked to find out that we live in country settings, that we cherish our families, and that in many ways “we’re just like them”. I’m sure they are giving their students a more realistic view of the USA. Now one of them wants to return to show her students what she saw. I know we made a difference.
The common theme in the above experiences is that they involved young people. They have their life ahead of them and they may be able to use their experiences in ways that we can not even imagine. When they do, we will have made a difference.
That’s why I firmly believe that we need aggressively pursue Indonesian Student Exchange!
Friendship Force Pledge
Members of the Friendship Force subscribe to the following pledge:
As a member of The Friendship Force,
I recognise that I have a mission.
I recognise that I can make a difference
That mission is to be a friend to the people of the world.
As I embark on this adventure,
I know that others will be watching me.
I know that through my example to my fellow citizens
and the people of other nations,
the cause of friendship, love and peace can be further
I can make a difference!
What's in a name? By Wayne Smith Periodically I receive inquiries from our member regarding the name of our organization. In particular, they ask about the use of two words that, in the English language, are not usually associated with each other: the universally acceptable and pleasing concept of friendship with the more aggressive word force. Since names are important to all of us, it is good to reflect on our name, The Friendship Force. When The Friendship Force was established in 1977, the name was carefully selected. Friendship, rather than peace, would be the primary concept. As individuals, we may not be able to create peace single-handedly, but we certainly know how to make friends. Furthermore, the underlying philosophy of our organization is that friendships across international barriers can be a powerful force in creating a more peaceful world. Hence our motto, "a world of friends is a world of peace." Think about it: the force of friendship. Over the centuries, people of the world have dealt with their enemies by conquering or killing them - using what we call in English "armed forces." We in The Friendship Force know that it is possible to deal with strangers and their differences - not through arms that shoot and kill, but through the arms of friends that embrace. Can we live in each other's homes, share each other's meals, play with each other's children, and still be enemies? Therefore, one reason for using force in our name is to convey the power of friendship. But there is another reason. Force, in English, is also used as a synonym for army. Here again the association is accurate. Don't we want to be a friendship army . . . a friendship force? When thought of in these terms, we see that the use of the word force can help convey that what we do as individuals does not stand in isolation but is part of a worldwide movement ... an army or force for friendship whose goal is to use friendship as the means to achieve a better world. So you see, I like the second word in our name, force, almost as much as I do the first one, friendship. By combining the two, we are able to create the image, and the reality, of the power of friendship - the force of friendship - but only if we are willing to be part of a global army, or force for friendship. We call it The Friendship Force.
Former President, The Friendship Force International
