Operation Friendship
Operation Friendship is an international youth exchange organization. It was founded in 1964 by Rev. Wallace A. Shaw, an American pastor at Margaret Church of Scotland in Glenrothes ( Scotland , County Five). He wanted to develop a youth exchange, which should enable young people to get to know other countries and cultures as well as to make friends all over the world. The youth encounters take place every two years. In the first year the participants are hosts in a member country and in the following year travelers to the respective partner country. There is cooperation with the United Nations (UN).
History - International
The first youngsters traveled from Scotland to America to Palmer in Massachusetts , USA , in 1965 . The following year young people from New Jersey and Massachusetts visited Glenrothes in Scotland. That was the beginning of the OF.
The organization grew very quickly. In the spring of 1974 the first international meeting with delegates from all participating countries took place in Scotland. The first international constitution was written in Ireland in August 1974.
History - Bavaria / Germany
While looking for an exchange partner in Great Britain, district youth worker Gerd Näger found the address of Operation Friendship in Scotland in a prospectus in 1971. In response to a request, an invitation followed and so 30 young people went to Edinburgh in August 1972 . You stayed in a youth hostel but participated in the OF Scotland summer program.
In 1973 16 young people were invited to the USA.
Since this year, the district youth council has also been a voting member of the OF and can thus participate with three delegates at the annual international conference, which takes place alternately in one of the member countries.
Operation Friendship Bayern was a working group in the district youth ring Neustadt / WN until September 30, 2013, it was founded in autumn 1978. In the last 30 years over 100 youth encounters at home and abroad have been carried out with Operation Friendship. On November 17, 2013, former employees of the working group founded the Operation Friendship Bayern eV association based in Neustadt ad Waldnaab. The chairman is Gerhard Steiner. The association continues the international youth exchange measures.
aims
The organization aims to bring young people from different countries together, to promote international friendship and understanding between young people and adults, both from foreign countries and from their own country, and to give them the opportunity to get to know other cultures and to make friendships all over the world conclude.
Member countries
Bavaria ( Germany ), England , Estonia , Netherlands , Northern Ireland , Scotland , Sweden , Crimea , Hungary , USA ( Indiana , Massachusetts ), Wales