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Halle-Saale and Herne, Germany
June 6 – 20, 2008
Cost: about $ 1,800 including air from Portland; $500 land.
Contact: Dick Van Ingen at: plantvan@comcast.net,
Phone: 503-654-3116

Don't miss this opportunity! Make new friends in Germany when you travel with The Friendship Force next June as we fly to Leipzig and then go by bus for our first week’s homestay in Halle-Saale, over 1000 years old city with two castles, many museums and musical and educational institutions. It lies on the Romanesque Trail where visitors can find castles, fortresses and churches of times gone-by. Among them are Naumburg Cathedral and Quedlinburg Cathedral with its famous treasures. We will spend our second week in Herne. Our week there will include activities with our host families, tour through the city castle, visit to one of the world's largest coal mining museums,tour through an Opel car manufacturing plant or one of Germany's largest power plants run by coal as well as day trips to Münster and Cologne, with an excursion on the Rhine.

Moscow, Russia and Lugansk, Ukraine

June 15 – July 4, 2008
Estimated Cost: $ 4,000 (including airfare)
Contact: Ruby Reviere rubyreviere@earthlink.net,
Phone: 281-482-2464

Enjoy a seven-day homestay with new friends in Moscow, Russia and Lugansk, Ukraine.

Explore some of the great wonders of Eastern Europe including Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, the Kremlin, Sergiev Passad. Join us on several visits to art galleries and museums. After you bid your new friends good-bye, you will be bound for Lugansk. Here you will visit several attrations not only limited to world famous salt mine located 130 meters below the ground or greatest wine and champagne producers’s cellar at Artemovst

All of this is grand but what you will most enjoy is the people. A communal spirit is felt throughout the Russian culture. You will feel this when you visit local establishments and Russians do not hesitate to join a table full of strangers rather than dining alone.
Russians have always had time for each other. Walks with friends, long conversations on the phone and meals together are of great importance.

Vilnius, Lithuania
June 25 - July 9
Join Us for this Summer 2008 Exchange to Vilnius
and Tour of Baltic Lithuania and Riga, Latvia
Departure: Hartford, Connecticut

Cost: $2455/ person (Approx.) including round trip air fare, home hosting and program, six day bus tour, hotel, guide and most meals

Contact Bruce Wazorko at: bcwazorko@comcast.net
Phone: 860 589-2509

This will be the first exchange for our friends in Vilnius as this club has recently been organized. They promise to give us a week full of fun, food and sightseeing in their beautiful city. The exchange will be followed by a two nights stay along the Baltic coast to view Midevil castles and beautiful seascapes know for its birds and wildlife. The tour will continue with a three nights stay in the architecturally spectacular city of Riga, the jewel of the North. We will participate in the annual Riga summer music and folk festival. Don’t miss this trip. It will be the high light of your summer activities.

Global Youth Institute
June 29 to July 18, 2008 in Des Moines,Iowa
Cost: $600 tuition plus transportation costs to and from
Des Moines, Iowa
Registration deadline: April 4, 2008
Contact: Tom Forsgren gyidsm@mac.com
Phone: 515-235-4692

We invite students who will have completed 10th grade by 2008 to take advantage of this unique opportunity to spend three weeks interacting with young people from around the world. Teachers in the Des Moines Public Schools and from teachers from other countries have been working hard to design an excellent program of interactive academic activities and enriching cultural experiences

We believe this program is one of the most interesting and rewarding learning experiences for students. Student evaluations from previous years include: “Helped me get rid of prejudices.” “Most worthwhile thing I have ever been involved in." “The best experience of my life so far."

Below is the link to the GYI with new features on this year's web site. From the homepage you can now view an Orientation slideshow describing the GYI program and you can also access the program schedules for our last three programs inAustralia,Taiwan, andCanada. Click here Global Youth Institute for further information.

Discover Slovakia
July 9 – 22
Estimated Cost: $2,400 (without international airfare)
Contact: Dave Kalan, davekalan@sbcglobal.net,
Phone: 414-766-6056

This summer we invite you to become an explorer of Central Europe, experiencing the scenic beauty of its mountains, castles and vineyards as well as the hospitality of the Friendship Force Clubs of Bratislava, Slovakia and Pecs,Hungary. The exchange will begin inVienna and amble down to Maribor,Sloveniawhere the ambassadors will stay at wine farm inns. OntoHungary, where we will visit the friendly people in the city of Pecs as well as touring the fascinating city ofBudapest. Traveling north toSlovakia, we will meet with people in two cities where new clubs may be formed. The exchange ends in the great city ofBratislavawhere the members of the local club will sadly wave us goodbye.That will make Discovering Slovakia a beautiful place to meet new faces. An optional extension to Praguewill be available.

Discover Finland
July 18 – 31, 2008
Estimated Cost: $3,295 (not including international airfare)
Aila Erman ailaerman@yahoo.com
Phone: 727-521-1671

During the long, sun-filled days of summer, we will embark on another expedition to DiscoverFinland, a mix of cultures that makes it unique among Scandinavian countries. We will meet in Helsinki, and begin our program there.Helsinki, also known as the “European City of Culture”, with its alluring contrasts, offers the best of both worlds, big and small. Its modest size makes it easy to get around. Some of the places of interest that we will visit include Turku, and Kultaranta where the President of Finland resides in the summertime, Old Rauma and Lahti, day cruises and visits to medieval royal castles believed to have been built at the end of the 13th century. The highlight of our journey will be the enjoyment of a cozy dinner with the Finns, as we renew our friendships and make new ones.

Lima, Peru
July 8-25
Estimated Price: $ 3,558 ( including land and airfare from Greensboro, NC )
$ 2,858 ( land only )
Lundee Amos, ED, sarahamos@earthlink.net,
Phone: 336-288-2654

Join the Friendship Force of Central North Carolina and enjoy a One-week Homestay with the Friendship Force members of Lima. They are waiting to give you an inside look into one of the jewels of South America.

Your homestay will be followed by a seven-day guided tour of Peru, the majestic land of the ancient Incas! You can not miss this auspicious opportunity to learn about and experience the people, culture and history of this magnificent and picturesque land. You will have a chance to visit Cusco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu.

On July 21, you will have the opportunity to go for an optional excursion to Lake Titicaca, a sacred lake that lies on the border between Peru and Bolivia. According to Incan mythology, it was from this lake that the creator god Viracoca rose up to create the sun, moon, stars, and first human beings. Recently, a large temple was discovered submerged in the lake, adding to its mystery and fascination.

A $100 deposit is required along with your completed application.

Wolfsburg, Germany
September 5 - 20 Optional Tour on Rhine River from September 20 – 27
Estimated Cost: $ 2205 land only
Additional expense for cruise depends on number of participants.
Contact: Sandy Hartley, hartleyrs@cox.net,
Phone: 805-637-2935

Join us on a trip to some of the most exiting cities in Western Europe. We will start our trip with two days in the heart of modern Germany, Berlin. On September 8 we will depart for a home stay program in Wolfsburg, the "town of the KdF-car" (the "strength through joy" car - later to become known as the Volkswagen) on a green-field site in 1938, the town on the Mittellandkanal that developed in an orderly way from the worker settlement of those days into a modern city. The 700-year-old castle Wolfsburg, after which, in 1945, the town was eventually named, is historically the focus of the city. Our trip will continue with city tours in Munich, Salzburg (with a visit in Castle Neuschwanstein), Innsbruck, Lucerne and Basel. We will also offer an additional Rhine River cruise from September 20 - 27.

Tarapoto, Peru
September 15-22
Estimated Price: $1,600 including air from Birmingham/Lima/Tarapoto/Lima
Or $3,050 Sep 15- 30, including optional tour extension with air to Trujillo, Cusco & Lima
Contact: Jane Lewis, ED, jal2305@aol.com,
Phone: 205-822-5118

Join the Friendship Force of Birmingham, Alabama for one week in Tarapoto, Peru. Located in the high Amazon Jungle of Northeastern Peru, Tarapoto is one hour north by plane from Lima. Our Peruvian hosts will take us to visit famous attractions in Tarapoto such as Venecia Lagoon, Ahuashiyacu Waterfall, Blue Lagoon and the neighboring cities of Moyobamba, Lamas and Rioja.

We plan to include visits to the ruins in Trujillo and Cusco, as well as attending the annual Spring Festival in Trujillo, and touring Macchu Picchu, with an overnight stay in Aguas Calientes. We are also planning a city tour of Lima before returning to the States. Hurry and sign up now. Only a few places available!

A $500 deposit for the homestay and a $300 deposit for the extension is required along with your completed application

Olsztyn, Poland
Mid-September
Estimated Cost: $ 2,300
Contact: Nancy Murry, hhsmurry@yahoo.com,
Phone: 620-665-7054

Olsztyn is a particularly picturesque city situated among hills and surrounded by woods and lakes. Warmia and Mazury region, of which Olsztyn is the capital, is famous for its splendid landscape attributes and unique natural surroundings. The region has been nicknamed "the Country of a Thousand Lakes" because of several big and small lakes that provide the perfect environment for rare plants and animals living in rich forests. After a week of great Polish hospitality with members of Olsztyn club we will continue with a private touring in Warszawa - Poland’s capital city, in Krakow, the oldest city and in Zakopane, tourist city in the Tatras.

Discover Croatia
September 15 – October 2
Cost: TBD
Joanne Schuetz a_schuetz@msn.com
Phone: 865-521-9937

Welcome to Croatia! “the Pearl of the Adriatic”
Begin your adventure this fall with a four-day visit to Slovenia, dubbed by many as "Europe in Miniature" and "the Sunny Side of the Alps." Stay on wine farms, visit the ancient city of Ptuj, and spend time at Lake Bled.

For 13 days we will journey together, discovering Croatian lifestyle. We will share the hospitality and rich heritage of Croatia with Friendship Force of Zagreb members as our day hosts. “Embrace the World” is the theme of the workshop where our hosts invite us to participate in a fun artwork of painting. We will learn about the typical Croatian family and lifestyle, visit castles, Old City quarters, villas, stone houses, and cities protected under UNESCO. The program includes a stay in Opatija, and experiencing "the Mediterranean as it once was." Tour includes visits to Plitvice Lakes National Park and Split (famous for Diocletian's Palace), and more. Overnight in hotels and pensions in Croatia, travel along the picturesque Dalmatian coastline to enjoy the beauty and spirit that has inspired poets, writer, and artists, ending with a city tour and stay in Dubrovnik.

Discover Hokkaido
September 19 – 29
Estimated Cost: $2,100 (without international airfare)
Contact: Sandra Larson slworksco@hotmail.com
Phone: 661-746-6056

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost and second largest island, yet it is largely undiscovered in spite of its lush mountain scenery and incredible natural hot springs. Both are features in this program which starts off with a short homestay in the capital with the Friendship Force of Sapporo. Another highlight of the program is visiting the quaint town of Otaru in the western part of Hokkaido. This town’s nostalgic, old-fashioned mood is enhanced by its architecture and layout which compliments a beautiful canal which runs through it. Otaru has become known as "the sea entrance of Hokkaido". This discover program both begins and ends in Sapporo so please make your flight arrangements to this city. Those wishing to extend their time in Japan will find a number of domestic flight options to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and other visitor meccas! This program is also being planned to end in time to participate in the international conference in Australia. Overview:~ September 19 – meet the group in Sapporo at a time to be announced, and then meet the members of the host club~ September 22 – depart on bus tour visiting national parks and hot springs with lodging in traditional Japanese Inns~ September 29 – return to Sapporo NOTE: Ambassadors arrange their own transportation to and from Sapporo. Click here to find out more!

Humanitarian Exchange to Central Tanzania
October 1 – 17, 2008
Cost: $2,250 land only including 2 day safari
Contact: Lyn Hargreave lhargreave@charter.net,
Phone: 269-344-7091

Come join us in the central highlands of Tanzaniawhere the Friendship Force of Iringa has asked that we come and share in the work of one of their rural schools. There will be an opportunity to work and share with secondary school students and faculty in such topics as English, math and music. There may also be an opportunity for health care professionals to use the book "Where There Is No Doctor" and work with village health workers.

We will be staying and eating in the city ofIringa from where we will be commuting to the school. In addition there will be an opportunity to spend a day at thevillage of Mtitu, http://www.mtitu.org.uk where we hope to again discuss health issues with the village health workers. We also plan to visit English Medium Primary School and visit an "off the beaten path" Maasai village.

Following this week of activities with our Iringa friends we will travel to Ruaha National Park for two nights and 1 ½ days of safari adventures. Ruaha, approximately the size of Belgium, is the second largest National Park inTanzaniabut is one of the least visited. Unlike the northern parks, the famous Baobab tree is seen throughout this area helping to create an entirely different environment for the park. Ruaha is noted for large numbers of kudu, sable and roan antelope. Cape buffalo, lion, zebra, giraffe, wart hog, and large herds of elephant are also to be found here, along with more than four hundred species of birds.

Airfare from U.S. can be arranged, as a group, 15 Sept. out of Washington Dulles to Graz

Queanbeyan-Canberra, Mount Barker and Murray Bridge, Australia
Oct 7- Nov 5
Approximate cost: $4000 including airfare from Denver, CO
Contact: Nancy Brigden, brigden@comcast.net,
Phone: 970.352.3829

Want to make some new 'mates' in the land Down under? Come and join our exchange to Australia! Visit with new friends in FF Queanbeyan-Canberra a rural city with city benefits being located only 15 minutes drive from the National Capital, Canberra; FF Mount Barker, situated in the picturesque Mt Lofty Ranges of South Australia and only 30 minutes from Adelaide's central business district; and FF Murray Bridge, South Australia's largest 'river town' located only an hour away from the Barossa Valley a world renowned wine growing region of Australia. Not only will you enjoy these three rewarding weeks of home hosting but you will also see the natural and spectacular beauty of the Great Ocean Road one of Australia's premier scenic drives; Port Campbell, a sleepy fishing village nestled in the cliffs of Victoria's stunning coastline; and a two day tour of Kangaroo Island, a haven of wildlife, bushland and pristine beaches-you won't be disappointed. Don't wait-apply now as some of the additional activities listed have limited space available. Don't forget that an added benefit of joining this exchange is that you are in Australia at the perfect time to extend your visit in Australia by attending the Friendship Force International Conference on the Gold Coast in sunny Queensland. For more information please see the conference details by clicking the conference info link at the top of the page.

Discover Morocco
Oct 17 - 31
Approximate cost: $2920
Contact: Cinda Clark, clarksmail@msn.com,
Phone: 970.635.0720

Come and explore Morocco for fourteen exciting days! Morocco blends African, European and Middle Eastern delicacies, rhythms and style into an intricately woven country with a mysterious air. From Casablanca to Marrakesh, the tastes will intrigue you and the people will entice you to stay forever. Your journey will begin in Casablanca but you will move quickly on to Marrakesh the southern pearl of Morocco. In Marrakesh you will discover the history of a region where politics and religion have been shaping a nation for centuries. Moroccans are as diverse and stimulating as the land on which they live. Get to the heart of the country through home and day hosting in Azrou/Ifrane. Widen your knowledge of the local people by enjoying a 'day in the life of a Berber'. Live an adventure of a lifetime by taking a camel trek into the desert to watch the sunset. End your exchange in Fez, the grand imperial city, otherwise known as the 'city of endless mosques' and home to some of the country's most notable architectural structures. This is but a taste of the wonders that await you.

Discover China and Tibet
October 18 – November 2
Estimated cost: $3,500 (without international airfare)
Contact: Cathy Cameron catherine@ccameron.net
Phone: 773-334-1869

Come with us on a special trip which combines opportunities to meet people, explore their neighborhoods and experience local life as well as touring cultural and scenic highlights in each city we visit. Our adventure begins in Shanghai, China’s largest city, where old meets new. We’ll visit ancient gardens and a state-of-the-art museum which houses the country’s foremost collection of paintings, bronzes and sculptures. A whole day is free to explore and meet people. In Guilin we’ll visit the ancient market town of Yangshuo, enjoy a cruise on the awesomely beautiful Li River and see rock formations made famous by Chinese painters and poets. There are four full days of sightseeing in Tibet to visit the Potala Palace, ancient monasteries, Barkhor Market, and more. Plus free time to explore or shop on your own.

In Guangzhou, formerly Canton, we leave the tourist routine to be hosted by members of Servas China. Hosts will meet us at our centrally located hotel and take us to see local markets or schools, ride the subway or go to places of particular interest to us. We’ll spend an evening visiting neighborhood places where young professionals enjoy an evening out. And we’ll check out a restaurant serving famous Cantonese food.

Our optional three day Hong Kong extension will be hosted by The Hong Kong-America Center. Highlights include a visit to a university, House of Innovation, Confucius Institute and an afternoon and evening with a host family. We’ll end our trip with a farewell dinner and a professionally-led Reflection Period to consolidate the meaning of our trip experiences. There will be free time to shop, or visit the world’s largest casino in Macao, or whatever interests you. Estimated cost of extension: $500 (includes all activities and meals).

Raanana, Israel
Oct 21
Approximate cost: $2700 pending confirmation
Contact: Harriet Weidenbaum, eubios2@aol.com
Phone: 561-482-3980 until 3/17 ...Thereafter: 631 673-6116

Your adventure to the Holy Land begins in Tel Aviv. Don’t miss your chance to be hosted by new friends in Raanana and share the experience of seeing beautiful Israel. The exchange includes an optional extension week from October 28 – November 11. This tour will include 5 days in Jerusalem, one day in Petra, as well as many other sights including Galilee, Nazareth, the ancient Synagogues of Israel, the Dead Sea, Masada, Eliat and Kibbutzes including Kfar Ruppin a kibbutz know for its fish farming and the Kfar Ruppin International Bird Watching Center. This center was established in 1996 to promote multi-national interaction for wildlife and habitat distribution and demographics throughout the area.

Limburg, Belgium
October 16- 30, 2008
Cost: $1,360 (Including international airfare from Omaha)
Contact: Nancy Comer comer1234@windstream.net
Phone: 402-488-9209
Co-ED: Erica Birky Rios lpd1547@cjis.lincoln.ne.gov
Phone: 402-610-3107

For seven days in October, members of the Friendship Force of Lincoln will be home hosted by the Friendship of Limburg, in Hasselt, home of the 2006 Limburg Festival that celebrated the club’s 20th anniversary.

Our mission on this trip will be to“Create new friendships and increase cultural understanding”,and our hosts and new friends in Limburg will give us a real treat that one will find hard to resist. We will be introduced to the products that make our friends proud of their region: chocolates, champagne, beer, gin, pastry and other gastronomical treats of the Limburg Province, including a guided visit to Bruges, 13th century, medieval fairy tale city, Battleof the Ardennesmuseum, the Abbey, and more.

After saying our goodbye to our friends, we will continue our Europe venture with a six days optional extension to the Ardennes in Germany and Amsterdam, Holland. The cost of the optional tour is $1,420 and includes very interesting tours of Amsterdam, Van Gogh and windmills, a cruise through the canals ofAmsterdam, a Tour of Flower Auction Aalsmeer, the world’s largest flower auction, Frans Hals museum Haarle and more. *Prices subject to change due to the fluctuation of the Euro-Dollar exchange.