WELCOME

Friendship Force of Wisconsin-Madison is part of Friendship Force International which has more than 360 clubs, with over 16,000 members in more than 60 countries worldwide. Our Mission is to promote global understanding across the barriers that separate people. We do this by connecting to people from other countries and cultures at a personal level. We Explore, Serve & Understand.

Off to France or is it Tahiti!Japanese people welcomes all!Go on one of our Biking Journeys along the fantastic Wisconsin Biking Trails.The locals are easy to meet in Australia!Guess what game we are playing in Australia?Volunteering for Second Harvest.Showing a new friend from Medicine Hat, Canada, our Wisconsin cheeseMaking friends is easy when you're helping othersWelcome to Oita, Japan!Wearing Traditional Clothes in JapanWearing Kimonos, too. They feel as good as they look!Trying New Foods in Japan.We planted trees in AustraliaVisitors from Republic of Georgia become Cheese Heads!Russian Journalists visit the University of Wisconsin, Channel 12 and us!
Our members travel the world with a sense of adventure. When we enter a new friend’s home or invite them into ours, we are changed. Through this, we begin to understand the world and thus ourselves. We promote peace through friendship. Seek Friendship – Enjoy Diversity!
EVENTS

Annual Membership Meeting

Our annual membership meeting will be held at the Fitchburg Library.  The meeting will begin at 2:00.  We will enjoy a brief program and elect our officers for the coming year.  Please join us for this important meeting!

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Outbound Journey to Harrisburg

Still in the planning process.

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Board Meeting

Monthly board meeting:  The Zoom link opens at 3:30.  The meeting begins at 4:00.  Contact Doug Johnson for a Zoom link if you wish to attend.

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CLUB ACTIVITIES

Local Events We gather each month on the 6th of the month for an activity. In addition, we have active outdoor groups, a book club, an annual business meeting, an annual picnic, regular service activities, opportunities to dine together and monthly cultural programing.

Inbound Journey We host ambassadors from other countries or areas of the U.S. We arrange parties and tours for our guests, and many of our local members participate in the events. Volunteer home hosts provide a place to stay for the guests. We also have dinners or pot lucks that are arranged for small groups so that more members can participate.

Outbound Journeys We serve as ambassadors to other countries, stay as guests in someone’s home, and experience the daily lives of the local area as well as tour their local communities and experience their cultural activities. We travel as a group and are hosted by a local club of Friendship Force International. There may be optional tours or opportunities for ambassadors to travel as a group before or after a journey.

Read more about our journeys.

2024 Journeys

Inbound

  • Toronto Canada June 6 – 13  We will need home hosts, dinner hosts and committee members to develop a program

Outbound –  

  • Harrisburg PA  — May 1 – 9  This is now combined with other clubs.  Contact Stephanie Sorensen for more information
  • Ghana –  August/September -Two weeks  We will be home hosted by two clubs in Ghana. We have openings for ambassadors.

Learn About Our New Individual Journeys 

Friendship Force Individual Journeys offer opportunities for members to host and travel in addition to our Club-to-Club and Special Journeys. The same guidelines apply:

Hosts and ambassadors adhere to the Friendship Force Code of Conduct and keep in mind the Friendship Force Ambassador pledge.

For complete Guidelines and FAQs, click here.

BECOME A MEMBER

Meet people, join in on the fun. Eat in the local restaurants with locals, who might happen to be your hosts. Stay with them in their homes, not in mindless Hotels. Remember that they are as interested in you as you are in them,

Visit many new countries, cultures, and places that most people dream of going to. Or stay closer to home and visit the wonders of our great United States!

Our members love to travel and can’t wait to meet you. We get together for many types of events. Share your travels, your stories with us. We are just like you in so many ways…

JOIN US NOW! Our parent organization: Friendship Force International

TRIP TO LAOS IN 2019

One of the speakers for our past Hmong cultural program, Xue Vang, sent us an essay written by her daughter after visiting Laos in 2019. She was already born in the US, so she looks at the past and the present from a different angle than her parents do. This is just the first page. To see the whole pdf file click on TRIP TO LAOS 2019.

MYZOOM VANG’S TRIP TO LAOS 2019

Hmong American. What does it mean to be Hmong American? That was the big question I kept reflecting on and struggled with as I went to Laos for a week, with my brother, during my winter vacation.

This trip was definitely eye-opening for me. I’ve traveled to so many countries, but this was the first time I’ve felt so emotionally connected to a place and felt the need to come back. This was my parents’ homeland. Where they grew up. Where they escaped. Where my people lived and still do. I usually don’t write long posts about my trips, but for this one, I feel the need to share my thoughts. As a Social Studies teacher, the essential questions I posed to my students kept replaying in my mind: Why are names important? Why is culture important? When is war justified? And, how much power should the government have? As a Science teacher, I wonder what will happen to all the natural resources when the powerful, richer countries continue to exploit and take them over, the impact plastic will have on this country, and i h the advancement in technology in the US, why we don’t readily share that with other countries.

Growing up, I was upset that my parents didn’t give me a ‘white’ name. Myzoom. Two English words put together. Americanized to help Americans be able to pronounce Maivzoo. Yet, so many people still struggled with it. I was envious of kids who didn’t have a weird name. Growing up, my parents pushed my siblings and I to assimilate to white culture, to speak only English so we wouldn’t be put in ESL, and to follow the ‘American’ way. Growing up, I wished I was born white. Wished to be have the same things as my white peers. Wished that I didn’t need to add “Hmong” or “Asian” in front American. That I was simply just an American. However, since college, I started to embrace my Hmong culture and my identity. Now, I’m embarrassed at how basic my Hmong is. Embarrassed at how late it took me to feel pride in my own culture and identity. Embarrassed at the lack of representation we have in US history.

This trip opened my eyes to how ignorant I was about the struggles and travesty people faced during the Vietnam War and the aftermath. I’ve heard stories, seen pictures, watched videos, but none of that prepared me to see it in person. To see how far my parents had to travel, on foot, to escape.

To see the whole story click on TRIP TO LAOS 2019.

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