Experience Different Views. Discover Common Ground.
Friendship Force is a non-profit cultural organization focused on promoting understanding, cultural education and citizen diplomacy through homestay Journeys and personal friendships.
Through these exciting personal encounters, strangers become friends and we know that by experiencing different views, you can discover common ground.
Our programs bring diverse people together into each other’s cultures and homes to share one-of-a-kind experiences not available to regular tourists.
The Friendship Force is a worldwide organization active in more than 60 countries. This non-profit program was founded in 1977 by Wayne Smith and Rosalyn Carter. In 1992 FF was nominated for the Peace Nobel Prize.
The Friendship Force International (FFI) operates via clubs spread over 5 continents. All clubs are in contact with main office in Atlanta, USA. Jeremi Snook is the current president.
Stories of friendship
FF ambassadors and hosts are people who like new experiences and believe that friendship is a catalyst for a better understanding in the world. The main requirements are the wish to make friends worldwide, an adventurous mind and a flexible approach of unknown situations.
FF-members travel for a short or longer period in groups of 20 or less to a hosting club.
There is always a homestay.
You decide yourself whether you want to be a hosting family. As a member you are not obliged to host ambassadors in your home. Of course it is important for a club to have enough host families to make a program possible. Experience learns us that ‘hosting’ is inspiring and pleasant and gives a lot of ‘friendship’.
Since 1977 FF has involved 2 million ambassadors and hosts in 60 countries in international programs. A FF-ambassador stays in the house of a host and participates in the family life. Maybe they don’t speak the same language or belong to a different culture, yet the power of friendship goes beyond these differences.
Changing the way you see the world
Friendship Force isn’t a travel agency. Sightseeing is part of the programs but the main goal always is mutual understanding and friendship.
The Leuven club was founded at the end of 2007 and already is a very active club with every year at least 4 journeys : 2 outbounds and 2 inbounds.