Southwest Conference – Houston, 2015
Notes: Mary Williams – mwilliamstxtravel@yahoo.com
Opening Session and Leadership Workshop
Ana Smulski and Cinda Clark
Joy Huntington
Cinda Clark
Charles Bennett and Cinda Clark
Wayne Smith service medal –awarded to Baton Rouge member presented by
President Keith Corkern to Charles Bennett (with Frances – a previous winner)
Ana Smulski
9 year with FFI – from Brazil. Speaks Portuguese, Spanish, English.
Promo movie for FFI. 2 minutes
Leadership – Overview
365 clubs – concentration in US
16,000 members. 5000 travel every year. What are the rest of the people doing? Hosting, other activities with
the clubs.
Not as many requests for the US – more domestic, global, themed exchanges here.
Looking at new ways to have exchanges.
In the US there are 97 active clubs, 6031 FF members, Strong field rep system
119 weeks of hosting offered, with 44 requests
Some new exchanges:
Explore India
Explore Taiwan
For this fall – need EDs for these exchanges
Other proposals welcomed – need EDs
SW Conference
10 clubs, 612 members
John Heard field rep; list of field reps in other regions
Field Rep
- Volunteer for experienced FF leader
- Support and assist clubs in the regions with
o Communication with FFI. Clubs
o Exchanges
o Club development – training for clubs and exchange directors
o Regional conferences / president’s meeting
o New ideas
Good leaders propose new ideas - get help from FFI, field reps
How to do various things – budgets, training, etc.
Will set up video calls, for discussion, dialogue
Have videos online available
News from FFI
- New fee for 2016: $10 per night for domestic exchanges
- Developing cruise programs with Grand Circle – river cruises in Europe / educational; FFI may get own
cruise ship
- Pioneer Exchanges – with 6 people to explore possibilities
- Discover exchanges (to develop a club; 5 nights in hotel, 2 in homes)
o Want club in Italy; 6-10 people will meet with contacts we already have (who has additional
contacts) – in Rome, Milan and Venice
- Anniversary Exchanges
o Ex: 30 year anniversary – invite other clubs we have ties with – visit them
- Language Learning Exchanges
o Guadaloupe – Global exchange in French
o Spanish – Columbia
o Quebec – French
o Home stays for 2-3 weeks
o Want more language opportunities to complement our exchanges
-
-
-
FFI in Action – service projects/ humanitarian
o Jamaica – more opportunities in June
New club in Georgetown TX – May 30 kickoff
New partners:
o Homestay.com – headquarters in Dublin (2 years) 30,000 members
 Purpose is to Increase host capacity, especially in Europe, bring their members to us
 Book hotel for extra people who want to go on an exchange – do the day activities
 With homestay.com – book homestay for you if extra people want to go
 52% of requests are to Europe; homestay.com would complement what we offer for extra
families
 Additional fee if they stay with these people; less than hotel, but extra fee
Vancouver conference – FULL – 400; more capacity may open up
Board of Directors Nominations (deadline May 15)
2015-2018 Strategic Plan (Jan 29)
Fill the Seat Policy – 100 days out – put under-subscribed exchanges on FFI catalog e-mail
o 9/9 - OK to Somerset and Leuven
o 10/6 - KS to Cairns, North Moreton, Tweed Valley and Melbourne
o Austin to Sao Paulo and Maringa, Brazil
Vetting Process – not automatic to become member/host – need to interview, recommendations
New website to take e-memberships
Vetting committee – Laurie Ann Scott; will report in Vancouver
Brainstorming
Ideas of success from your club
- Chairs for various activities – exchanges, meetings, President only conducts Board meetings
- Membership
o More Presentations, bring a friend
o Membership recruitment
 Have a meeting with interesting program – invite people to attend.
 Ex: Dr. Matthew Perry – FW. Great-great-grandfather was Matthew Perry who
opened up Japan to West. Donations received from interested people to pay for
transportation to bring him; sister cities gave him 2 free nights in hotel; home dinner
with members; breakfast to member party. Invited those groups – some attended,
exposed to FF.
 Bento Box dinner - $5 – Japanese presenter (FW) – invite Japanese/American club
 Chair should be outgoing, leader, proactive
 Get information when they visit – send meeting flyer for next 3 months
 List new members’ info in next newsletter; supplement to yearbook
 Get them involved soon
 Have someone take new member or guest around to meet people at meetings
 New member luncheon-orientation – Dallas / dessert reception KS
 Invite everyone new since last one (one per year in spring)
 Invite new members, interested guests – those who have visited, suggestions of
interested people from members
 Ask people to join
o Travel section announcement of meetings (Dallas)
o Get attention in the newspaper from trips; put contact in newspaper (Dallas)
- Officers recruitment
o Bigger pool of members (DLS)
o Incentives – Farewell dinner for hosts free; gas card to drive to FW (Dallas)
o Ask: How would you like to help out our club? (Dallas)
- Exchange Director recruitment
o Training every few years for being an ED; be an incoming ED before an outbound ED (some
experience working with FFI, manuals, forms)
o Reimburse ED (NM - $1500 toward outbound expenses; OK – airfare or inbound – credit for a
net fee $500 from club/$250 from ambassadors)
o
-
Domestic exchange with San Francisco Bay Area. Do something different in SF because we
have all been there – went to biker bar, Mission District – murals (Dallas)
o Two places back to back: Columbia Cascade and Olympia – 2 weeks; had 20 people for each
(Dallas)
How to get people to go on exchanges:
o Endowment – for a scholarship with some talent – musical, perform, artist, etc. (Baton Rouge)
Save an Exchange
o Invited Cincinnati who didn’t have an exchange – had only 8 from Australia, added 8 from
Cincinnati (Dallas)
o Invited SW clubs – had 8 from SW clubs / 8 from Gold Coast club (Dallas)
What Does FFI Do?
Ana Smulski and Cinda Clark
See handout.
What is FF?
- A philosophy and a way of life
- Network of 365 clubs across 60 years
- Depends on local and central organization
- Clubs are chartered by FF International
- We are all members of FF
- Strong international organization
- Develops, maintains and supports global club system and its exchanges
- Develops new programs
- Conducts partnership programs
- Promotes FF globally
38 years of continuity – Wayne Smith founder
5 presidents
Once up to 25 staff, now 16
FFI structure
- Board of Directors: not a representative body; does not act like a parliament, rather represents the global
interests of or ourganization; support politics; don’t represent clubs; continuity, new programs, integrate
globally;
- Joy – CEO
Staff list
- Finance – Ebony Rogers, Joy Fitzgerald, Hap Petty
- Programs/planning – most staff
- Communications – Jillian Walters, Maggie Smith
- Conferences – Pallie Savoie
- Clubs - 1980 Clubs, FFI develops, maintains and supports the global club system and its exchanges.
Charter for each club – own officers and activities
- Members
- FF exchanges
- Ambassadors and hosts
- Community at large
- Field Reps
- Regional cooperation
FFI organization
- Supports clubs and partnerships.
- Create more partnerships to grow; make contact with like-minded organizations – increase variety, ability to
host, new experiences. Ex: In China, Myanmar FF doesn’t work with culture – have partnerships there.
New clubs:
- newest is Georgetown TX
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Victoria/Vancouver Island
- Sao Luis, Brazil
- Osher Life Long Learning Institute - FL
- Sochi, Russia
Exchanges
- Surveys all clubs
- Exchange matching
- Exchange monitoring / support (dates not established, problems, canceling)
- Techniques to prevent cancellation
- Evaluation - followup
Domestic Exchanges – contact Kristin Harrison to tell you when your exchanges will take place so you can
plan when to have domestic exchanges
Communications
- International FFI Staff
- Monthly FFI Communique – feature 4 exchanges
- Exchanges Catalog
- Email alerts
- Club Resource Website– information about clubs
- Social Media
Leadership Development and Training
Participation in National and regional Conferences
Global field rep system:
- Brazil
- Japan
- Europe
- Australia
- NZ
- Canada
- US
Field Rep – volunteer position for experience FF leaders. Each region unique in terms of geographic
challenges and number of clubs. Field Rep brings personal strengths and styles to the program to help,
support, and assist clubs in their region. No direct link to Board members.
Develop New Programs
- Friendship in Action
- NextGen – younger participants, more freedom
- Pioneer
- Anniversaries
- Leadership – Dave Kalan (how to become leaders, some cultural activities)
- Explore
- Discover
- Language
- Professional – teachers, hospitals – doctors, nurses
Partnership programs
- Cruises
- FF languages
- F in Action
-
NextGen Exchanges
Pioneer
Leadership
Promotes FF Globally
- Branding and Marketing
- International PaintPals
- Meetup
- Facebook page
- Catalog
- Signup
- Google – help to choose key words to promote FF so when Homestay put into Search – Friendship Force
comes up (now it doesn’t or is way back); when we get these inquiries, we don’t know who is applying; we
need to get references when someone applies for an exchange
Special Exchanges Panel
edward perez, Dallas
Geneva Hancock, Oklahoma
Judith Mead, New Mexico
Geneva Hancock – Planning and conducting one – already done one, planning another with one more club
Judith Mead– Considering having one, planning one, and conducting one – for next year
edward perez– participant’s experience in attending one
Types:
- Themed – shared interests, education, humanitarian, language
- Global – specific theme or cultural understanding
- Discovery – short homestay with travel – help to form new club
- Partnership and Contract – cruise, tour, etc.
Participate or have your club do one – reasons:
- Homestays going down, special exchanges going up
- Big revenue getters for FFI
Geneva - Taming America’s Great Plains – overall title
- Unique topic; activities depicted what was happening in early American history; Did one similar in 2013 –
but only Omaha in Neb; Won Club of the Year award
- This exchange had an Executive ED – who was in charge of organizing a global themed exchange with 3
states and 4 clubs; each club also had an ED to arrange activities/hosts for that segment.
- Participants in new exchange: 2 clubs in Neb – Omaha and Lincoln, 1 club in OK, 1 club in KS
- Different locations/clubs - topics included:
OK – Cowboys and Indians
KS - Home on the Range
Lincoln – Neb territory, new land, new people
Omaha – Iron horse on the Plains
“Doubtful Handshake” painting – shows homesteader making friends with Indians who lived there.
Choose something unique in your area to showcase.
Very popular – 30 ambassadors and waiting list
o
o
o
o
-
Planning:
o Each club appointed an ED and a treasurer
o Executive Committee treasurer collected exchange fees and distributed money to clubs
o Activities planned early for advertising and avoiding duplication
o One person arranged all bus transportation
o Executive ED represented all ambassadors during exchange
o Opening – ice cream social, cakewalk.
-
Successes – Tips
o Began planning early – 1 ½ years
o First night in a hotel in 2013
o Deciding which club would focus on what
o Trains came in to move beef. Cattle drives through Indian Territory – built trains, cattle walked to rail
– Abilene KS.
o Start with the trains – Omaha; fly into Omaha.
o Each club had ED and treasurer.
o Stay with theme so activities not repeated in another club.
o Coordinate activities. 4 nights in each club + one extra night on arrival day.
o Advertised exchange at FF Conference
o Sent special invitation via FFI’s e-mail list
o Advertised in Catalogue – 1st of Aug for spring trip Set max # of ambassadors at capacity +2 in case
of cancellations - 21 ambassadors
o Treasurer handles all the money in and out. FFI handles all exchange fees.
o Not regular application form – special form sent to ambassadors.
o Follow FFI guidelines; applicants need recommendation from person (usually President) in their
club.
o Did not put them on ambassador list until fee paid.
o 300 brochures printed. People took them from Intl Conf and back to clubs.
o Respond promptly to inquiries
o Special invitation on email from FFI – received 39 requests for applications; 5 countries
represented: 5; also inquiries from other places.
o Now maximum 20-21 ambassadors booked this year.
o Conference call once a month for clubs involved – every club represented; discuss progress and
any problems.
-
Difficulties
o Planning 8 months out hard – get it ready for International Conference – necessary.
o Things happen – be Flexible Force.
o Local event changed their date to one week before the exchange started – found comparable
replacement.
o Fort Sill – (Geronimo kept there) changed the rules about visiting there – needed special approval
for each person. Had to have an application with an original signature – mailed back.
o Treasurer put all budgets together to determine exchange fee.
edward perez – participant in Jamaica Friendship Force in Action service project
- Built greenhouse, bathroom
- With partner One Love One Foundation at Montego Bay
- Director there knew Joy diBenedetto – partnering; goal listed specific needs.
- Survey show need for new opportunities – Friendship in Action
- Themed – humanitarian
One Love mission:
- Peace, Prosperity, Understanding – Soil, Soul, Society
- Get young adults back to gardening and farming – grow food, chickens, get produce and feed people.
- Feed 800 kids a day with produce from their farm in Africa.
- Teach their culture – videos of their own culture, singing, dancing. Drumming
- Farm has contract to deliver food to nearby resort.
Accommodations at Highland House – Oscar Hammerstein owned the house
Brenda Isaac and Tonya Moses – owners; Mary Mwambay, ED
Canadian and US Ambassadors
OLOF Farm - view of Montego Bay
- Gardening: 7 acres of 20 acres owned for vegetables and trees (banana, palm, etc.)
- Lead farmer – hired to work the farm, also going to college, learning about business, live there and work
there.
- Insecticides – organic; learning
- Seeds had been out in the open - disappeared in elements
- Built greenhouse, signs, place to put seedlings.
- Two guys live in a treehouse; no storage
- Framed bathroom/shower; can go there and not to top of the hill to the house
- Canadians bought a fridge for them
- Edward, Dale Klosterman, Paula Rose bought a lawnmower for them, drill
School visit: Ivy Hall Basic School
- Lot of kids there; bring supplies to kids – personalize with their name on the book.
- Pre-K – coloring books.
- Drumming with the kids – energy building.
- Kids dancing, involved. Talked to little kids.
People/drumming:
- Mama Ita, daughter. Mama Ita and daughter
- Dale participated in drumming. Learned about that culture.
- One young man taught the other boys drumming; dancing; singing.
- All learned gardening.
- Like an exchange, a holiday, a service project.
New exchanges coming up: June 10-16; sign up now – or it will cancel. Only 3 signed up so far. Need 20.
Need to be physically fit to do manual labor.
Judith Mead – Ancestral Puebloan and Contemporary Pueblo Societies – New Mexico
- Asked - what could we do in our area that is unique – old pueblos, abandonment, resettlement; Compare
Anasazi / Ancestral Pueblo to contemporary. Ex: Kiva at Chaco Canyon - outliers; grinding stone – at
yucca house. Lowery ruin – was a great house; moved when drought set in. Chaco Canyon – great ruins.
Petroglyphs.
- Now working on it for 2017
Plan:
- Global exchange or NextGen exchange
- Two weeks long
-
Include significant travel within NM
Requires overnights away from host
Activities (with lead archeologist):
- Intro to theme of exchange – schedule of activities
- Lectures by local archeologist – with expert on Field trips – Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, Aztec and
Salmon ruins, Salinas Pueblo Missions – Abo, Gran quivera, Quarai
- Lectures by Contemporary Pueblo leaders
- Visits to Contemporary pueblos – Taos, Acoma, Jemez – tribes migrated to the pueblos; visits to some
- Jemez Visitor Center – one will be visited. (one of NM members has a family she sponsors there)
- Help ambassadors understand the cultures of the ancestral Pueblo people and how the cultures related to
contemporary Pueblo
- Appreciate art
- Indian Pueblo Cultural Center – Albuquerque – art and history along Rio Grande + 2 others
- Issues –
o Status as sovereign nation
o Education, youth and demographics
o Assimilation into general population
o Problems with drugs and alcohol
o Casinos and gambling
o Employment
Plan details:
- Set date – no summer – 2 weeks – early May or late September
- Determine number of ambassadors – how many can be accommodated; not more than 20
- Put the word out
- Screen applicants according to FFI guidelines
- Select speakers – both ancestral and contemporary
- Logistics for field trips
- Visit venues for art and artisans
- Home and day hosts – 2 weeks
- Arrange for venues for lectures and activities
Map of New Mexico – itinerary:
- Albuquerque
o Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
o Acoma Contemporary Pueblo
- Chaco Canyon lecture (stay in Grants)
o Chaco canyon National Historic park – lecture/guide
o Hike; visit pueblos there – Chaco Canyon
o Julia Garrett – archeologist for CC
- Back to Albuquerque and Petroglyph National Monument – ties stories together
- Santa Fe – Palace of the Governors, NM History Museum; stay a night in SF – tie in 1500s
- Bandelier Natl Monument – Tsankawi Ruins – not as old; self guided tour
- Puye ruins and Santa Clara Cont Pueblo – old/new same people
- Contemporary Pueblo Leaders lecture
- Coronado State Monument – Jemez – contact with conquistadors – mission church – influx of Spanish
- Salinas Natl Monument
- Contemporary Pueblo visit – mission churches – may be Isleta
Free day and Farewell dinner
Other languages? May be Spanish/English
Handout of contacts – for questions, ideas, comments
Will offer instruction, specialty of the region
Get information out on FFI list.
Other special exchanges:
1. Anniversary of Wright Brothers in Dayton
2. Baton Rouge – Pick Your Passion global exchange to New Orleans - April 6-18, 2016
– French Quarter festival, entertainment
- hotel room – on your own, but people as support
- River cruise – to Chalmette – Andrew Jackson
- Voodoo, above ground burial, what to see in NO - architecture, Cajuns, Creole
- Day of gospel spiritual music
- Crawfish and rice – crawfish boil
- Dance hall – dance Zydeco – Cajun culture
- Petroleum – 30% comes in through LA – oil platform (30 years old – working real platform)
- Canoe Bayou Teche, or boat. First entry into bywaters designation
- Cotton plantation, tour of plantation (computerized cotton gin)
- Understand wetland areas
3. Joseph from Austin – led an exchange to bird watching in central Texas. Mainly US ambassadors, one
from Canada. Trained Austin hosts – state parks and different places. Also cultural activities in Austin.
Spring migration a good time. Not too strenuous.
4. Houston – quilters – Hosting ambassadors after quilt show.
Strategic Plan
Ana Smulski - ana@friendshipforce.org
See handout for specifics for each point. (at end of this document)
1. Enrich FF Exchanges
2. Maximize Exchange participants and hosting capacity
3. NextGen for everyone
4. Leadership Development
5. Branding and Marketing
6. Leverage Modern Technology
7. Initiate Partnerships
8. Enhance and Secure revenue streams
For next 3 years
- Work in progress
- Separate items but integrated
- NextGen component in every piece
- Goal – increase participation by 10% in all activities
o More people going on exchanges
- Global survey – members
-
Setting FFI on a sustainable course
Diversity, new clubs, thematic, partnerships
Meaning – Friendship in Action – humanitarian projects
Learning:
o professional development,
o education – more Road Scholar programs, Cuba,
o language schools where there are clubs.
o SERVAS (member based, no clubs).
o Homestay.com – more hosting
-
Fill the Seat Policy to fill under-subscribed exchanges – post 100 days before
Average 5000 ambassadors a year – not growing. 70% not traveling; exchanges not full.
Accept good ambassadors, get references
52% requests to go to Europe. Maximize Europe.
NextGen – for active people who want active component, more freedom
- Target active, existing FF participants as well as soon-to-be retirees and younger generation
- Dave Kalan – head of this outreach
- Newsletter for NextGen – what it is about, understand how to get involved
- Laura – 10 NextGen exchanges – with Youth council. Want flexibility, interesting activities, active
Leadership Development – ask clubs for ideas. 7 ideas:
- add field reps
- create task forces on a variety of topics
- encourage clubs to embrace a goal and report progress
- Offer frequent and accessible training – new models, tools
Branding/marketing
- New promotional video
- Global friendship campaign
- Include clubs and members in fun global and local community projects and events – like photo contests
and exhibits
Leverage Modern Tech
- Build information database – better member services
- Develop global online community platform and website
- Improve usability of website
Partnership
- Increase program variety and participation with partnerships with
- Like minded or
- Complimentary missions
Enhance revenue
- Fundraising – purpose – diverse donors
- Digital fundraising - more FFI exposure
- Explore potential for funding through grants
- Endowment fund
Artwork projects
- My Dream of Peace
Member decline
- Video: Friendshippromo – on YouTube
Morocco – Isabella Iverson and Gerry Arens
I did not attend this; ask for her notes. They went to Morocco with FF last year.
Iiverson12@sbcglobal.net