Friendship Force International is a non-profit corporation chartered in the USA in 1977. It is governed by a Board of Trustees which sets policy and guarantees that legal requirements and fiscal responsi­bilities are met. The founders envisioned that friendships among people of different nations and cultures would not only be personally enriching for participants, but would contribute to world peace on a broad scale.

The Friendship Force of Edmonton and Area is a chartered chapter of Friendship Force International. It is managed by an elected Board of Directors which is responsible for upholding the policies and managing the affairs of the club in accordance with by-laws approved by Freindship Force International.

There are over 350 Clubs in 55 Countries Worldwide!
The Friendship Force of Edmonton and Area provides the structure and leadership to conduct exchanges between clubs as requested through Friendship Force International. It also provides year-round opportunities to develop friendship among its members through participation in cultural and social events at the local level.

The Friendship Force achieves its goals by arranging for ordinary citizen Ambassadors to share the lives of Host Families in another country for one week.

How It Works

Host families receive no payment for opening their homes to friendship Ambassadors... Ambassadors pay their own travel expenses plus an administration fee which covers most of the operating cost of Friendship Force International.

The Friendship Force of Edmonton and Area appoints Exchange Committees which are led by volunteer Exchange Directors and are organized to conduct Inbound (Host) or Outbound (Ambassador) Exchanges.

Inbound Exchange Committee

The Host Club is responsible for recruiting members and citizens from the community who will open their homes to the visiting Ambassadors. The Inbound Exchange Committee will arrange local tours and group activities that reflect community life and local culture, with time for the Hosts to share their everyday lives with their guests.

Outbound Exchange Committee

The Club is responsible for recruiting and preparing Ambassadors for the Friendship Force homestay experience. Ambassadors may be members of any club in Canada. Edmonton members may also apply to join any Outbound Exchange being conducted by another Canadian Club. After the homestay, members may choose independent travel in the region, participation in a group tour organized by the Exchange Committee or a direct return home.

CLUB PROFILE 

Official Club Name The Friendship Force of Edmonton and Area

 

Transportation Access

Edmonton International Airport is a 20-minute drive south of Edmonton on Highway 2 [Queen Elizabeth 2].  For Inbounds, our members usually meet the Inbound Ambassadors at the Airport.

Sky Shuttle Airport Service cost: $15. 

http://www.edmontontaxiservicegroup.com/skyshuttle/schedules.html  

Edmonton is situated on the east-west Yellowhead Highway and on the north-south Highway 2 [Queen Elizabeth 2] to Calgary

Approximate Driving Time to:

Calgary – 3 hours south

Banff/Lake Louise – 4-½ hours southwest

Jasper/Rocky Mountains – 4-½ hours west

Vancouver – 14 hours southwest

All of Alberta’s highways, including through the Rocky Mountains, are paved and in excellent condition.

About the Region

Edmonton is the capital of the province of Alberta, situated on the North Saskatchewan River in the geographic centre of the province, approximately 500 km [320 miles] north of the US border. It is a prairie city surrounded by smaller cities and towns within less than an hour’s driving distance. The area includes a multitude of lakes and diverse natural areas, large farms, market gardens and a vast oil and gas reserve.

Visitors most often remark upon the beauty, cleanliness and spaciousness of the urban areas. Less obvious is that Edmonton is the most ethnically diverse city in Canada, home to more than 50 ethnic backgrounds living in harmony. Edmonton is noted for the richness of its intellectual and cultural life, including world-class music, theatre and sports venues and training institutions.

The Edmonton Area has a perfect blend of metropolitan amenities and entrepreneurial spirit, with cultural flair and a tight-knit community feel. Edmonton has the largest expanse of urban parkland in North America – 22 times larger than New York’s Central Park. The city boasts more green space per capita than any other North American city, including the spectacular North Saskatchewan River Valley -- an escape to nature that contains more than 100 kilometers [60 miles] of multi-use trails. There are over 70 golf courses within an hour’s drive of the city centre.

Edmonton also has one of the sunniest climates in the country, professional sports teams and an annual circuit of 30+ festivals--that's why the city is known as "Canada's Festival City”. Just a few hours' drive west are Canada's majestic Rocky Mountains, deemed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

 

About the Club

Founded in 1999, we now have approximately 75 members, many retired and living throughout the metropolitan area. We can accommodate 25 ambassadors and prefer to host 2 exchanges between the end of May and early September. Because of our wonderful summer weather [average temperature of 23 C or 73F] and sunny skies, Edmonton boasts a continuous succession of summer festivals – River City Shakespeare Festival, Jazz City International, The Works Visual Arts, Canada Day [July 1] International Street Performers, Capital EX Exposition, Heritage Festival, Folk Music Festival, International Fringe Festival Theatre [one of the largest in the world], Blues and Symphony Under the Skies and several others – during this period.

 

We also like to highlight some of our history through visits to Edmonton City Hall, Chinatown and the downtown area, the Alberta Legislature Building, the Royal Alberta Museum, Fort Edmonton Heritage Park, the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village or other attractions as time permits.

Our hosting program focuses on personal interactions through dinners in private homes, picnics, and free time with hosts and informal gatherings. Ambassador’s personal interests are taken into account and usually include visits to the world famous - West Edmonton Mall, for a tour or shopping and to the largest open-air Farmer’s Market in Western Canada in St. Albert.

We invite you to come to Edmonton for an exciting, fun-filled week and look forward to making new friends and lasting friendships with your club’s ambassadors.

Little Known Interesting Facts About Edmonton and Area

The original inhabitants of Alberta were nomadic Plains Indians, notably Cree and Blackfoot and many smaller tribes who lived by hunting, fishing, trapping and harvesting wild berries and plants for food and medicines. Their story is beautifully told in a permanent gallery at the Royan Alberta Museum.

The territory of Western Canada was explored and mapped by British and French adventurers, aided by native guides, in the 17th and early 18th centuries.

In the late 1800’s settlers were brought in, mainly from Britain, France, other European countries and Eastern Canada to break the land for farming. Canada is a bi-lingual country founded by the British and the French and there were a number of French settlements established in the Edmonton area during this period. There is also a large Ukrainian population in and around Edmonton settling here about the same time.  Entrepreneurs established businesses, trades and the professions to serve the growing communities.

Edmonton’s population boomed after the gold Rush to the Klondike in 1898 when thousands of prospectors were outfitted here and then returned, often empty-handed, to settle here.

Alberta entered Confederation in 1905 and Edmonton was chosen as its capital. The first Premier, A.C.Rutherford, established the University of Alberta in 1908 in Edmonton.

In 1926 the City of Edmonton created the first municipal airport in Canada and earned the title “Gateway to the North” by becoming the ‘hub’ for the delivery of food, supplies, mail and medicines for the remote northern communities. “Bush pilots” became legend for their skill and daring in flying over the densely wooded area, dotted with thousands of lakes, in all kinds of weather.

In 1942 construction of the Alaska Highway solidifies Edmonton’s role as a major transportation and supply centre to the north.

In 1947 the discovery of oil near Edmonton transformed the city into the Oil Capital of Canada overnight and more than doubled its population in 2 years.

Edmonton is now a city of over 750,000 in population and that of Greater Edmonton is over 1,000,000. It is the 6th largest city in Canada with an area of 270 square miles [metro area – 1700 square miles].

The University of Alberta [in Edmonton] now comprises over 90 buildings, housing some of the most advanced medical and research facilities in the world, with an international reputation in many fields.

Canadian National Railway’s operational headquarters in Edmonton is the rail-nerve centre for Canada and the Illinois Central Line in the USA, marshalling people and goods to every major centre in North America

The world’s longest crude oil pipeline runs from Edmonton to Buffalo, New York, a distance of 2856 km [1775 miles]. Edmonton has over 1800 restaurants mirroring the city’s ethnic and cultural diversity. Its Culinary Team Canada has won gold in several major international competitions since 1996.

Revised: July, 2009