Friendship Force, as the motto on the home page says, is about “changing the way you see the world”.

We travel in the company of fellow Ottawans to visit other people, and not simply to visit places.

A Friendship Force Ottawa group in a famous place

We have found from  experience, that the best guides to the understanding of another culture are the people who live it, and who are prepared to invite others to live it with them for a while, sharing insights, experiences, fun, and friendships, many long lasting.  These are called “Homestays”.

It is also travel with a purpose: to promote understanding across the barriers that can separate people, toward the acceptance of a common humanity.

It appears to have worked.  The Friendship Force was nominated in 1992 for the Nobel Peace Prize for its initiatives between the United States and the Soviet Union.

A Friendship Force club doesn’t just promote friendships with people in other places.  Interactions within the club, especially working together on exchanges, develops a network of local friendships.

 Apart from exchanges, friendships can also develop from participation in the club’s social activities.  In the Ottawa Club these include art appreciation, a walking group, a bridge group, a dinner group, a friendly wanderers group, as well as club-wide social events including Friendship Day activities, an annual Golf Day and a Christmas Party.

The central activity for the Ottawa Club, as with the others, is nonetheless the “Exchange” and the “Homestay”.  On all Exchanges inbound from elsewhere, “Ambassadors”, as they are called, live with their “Hosts”, and the Host Club provides a program for a typical 6 or 7 day sojourn.  Home hospitality is coupled with cultural exploration.  Many club members participate to support the hosts, spelling them off in the day, hosting dinners, and preparing the program, among other activities, and making new friends in the process.

Ottawa Hosts Making Music with the Russian folk group Zabava at a welcome party for an inbound Exchange from Moscow, October 2010

As Friendship Force Ottawa is the largest of the 18 Canadian clubs, and with about 180 members, one of the largest in the world, it normally hosts four “Inbound” exchanges each year and runs four “Outbound” exchanges.

Exchanges can have from about 15 to about 30 ambassadors, and Outbounds, like Inbounds, require a commitment from many toward the exchange organization before departure and after arrival.

Outbound exchange opportunities exist apart from those of the local club’s exchanges.  Some global exchanges are organized by Friendship Force International in Atlanta, Georgia and members can also join exchanges from other clubs where exchange numbers are low, the so-called “Undersubscribed Exchange”.

By way of some history, The Friendship Force was founded by Wayne Smith and introduced March 1, 1977, by U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Early exchanges involved large groups of 150 to 400 people travelling by chartered aircraft.

In 1982, smaller groups began exchanges by commercial carriers, permitting a major expansion world wide.  Friendship Force Ottawa began in 1995, and the first exchange was with New Zealand. For information on on the international organization, visit the website at http://friendshipforce.org/ .

The Ottawa Club is a voluntary, non-profit organization, managed by a Board consisting of five officers and six directors, elected for one-year terms, and responsible to the membership at General Meetings.