Friendship Stories
At our recent Why Do You Fear Me web event, we announced a new, global initiative called “I Will Be a Friend.” The initiative encourages people to make a commitment to be a friend to someone from another culture in 2010. Participants can register on the I Will Be a Friend website (www.iwillbeafriend.com), giving them access to the stories of others who have made a similar commitment, as well as providing them a place to share their own stories and receive encouragement and inspiration from others.
Though barely a month has passed since we launched this initiative, we’ve already seen a tremendous response. People from all over the world are eager to reach out in friendship to those around them, and to create connections of new understanding and courageous love. It is amazing and inspiring to see so many people actively participating in this revolutionary cause.
I Will Be a Friend is a unique initiative in that it challenges participants to make new connections within their own communities. It is a practical, affordable and attainable way for anyone who has a desire to promote peace and increase understanding to do so. By signing up with I Will Be a Friend, you are taking the first step toward change. I Will Be a Friend will be there to support you through the shared experiences of others as you continue your journey of peace and friendship.
Friendship is a powerful thing. By engaging with another person in genuine friendship, you are stepping out of your own world and willingly participating in someone else’s—and you’re doing so without selfish motivations or the desire to change them. That is what I Will Be a Friend hopes to encourage: genuine, selfless friendship that results in two people learning more about one another without ulterior motives or façade. As your lives are changed by the friendships you make, we hope you will share your stories and encourage others in their own journeys.
In these early stages of the I Will Be a Friend initiative, we have spent some time researching other friendship-based initiatives that are happening around the world. Hopefully you’ll be inspired by one such program below, and you’ll recognize the unique opportunities of friendship you have in your own communities.
Friendship Force International (FFI) is another program that is working to promote peace and friendship across borders. Their program is vastly different than I Will Be a Friend, as you’ll see, but their goals are very similar to ours: to see bridges of friendship built between peoples of different cultures, and to increase understanding and promote peace. FFI members travel to one another’s homes in different countries, experiencing life in unfamiliar cultures and building genuine friendships with those whom they meet.
We weren’t able to embed videos from FFI into this blog, but we are happy to share the links of a few YouTube FFI videos for you to check out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUWqNyYi02g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnJiCzRae34