Make a friend and make a difference on annual World Friendship Day March 1; Friendship Force International urges building bridges of understanding through friendships

ATLANTA, Feb. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On March 1, the 15^th anniversary of the founding of World Friendship Day, Atlanta-based Friendship Force International again encourages citizens of Georgia and the world to “Make a friend and make a difference.”

“Our world today is more divided than ever,” said Jeremi Snook, President and CEO of Atlanta-based Friendship Force International. “This year’s theme to ‘Make a friend and make a difference’ asks people around the world to recognize the power of a united humanity, and extend a hand of friendship. That seemingly small act, multiplied millions of times around the world, will indeed make a difference!”

World Friendship Day was founded by Friendship Force International and is officially recognized annually by the United States Senate and other governing bodies around the world that encourage people to get to know one another better. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter once said, “International friendship is a powerful antidote to war.”

The value of friendships in making the world a more peaceful place:

• A study by The Ohio State University in 2017 found that war and international conflicts are less likely between two countries when the people know each other and/or have business, academic, or cultural ties.   
   
• Friendship on a global scale has a direct impact on world peace and matters to the survival of humanity. The core idea is that friendship can inspire people to build bridges between economic classes, neighborhoods, cultures, interest groups, and anywhere else there's division or doubt. (Source: The United Nations).
   
• A study of Israeli and Palestinian teens interacting in the Seeds of Peace Camp found that regardless of their initial attitudes, the campers who were able to form just one close relationship with someone from the other group were the ones who developed the most positive attitudes toward the other group. (Schroeder and Risen, University of Chicago, writing in the New York Times).

Today, Journeys of exploration, education, service or cultural immersion can be arranged in more than 60 countries around the world, where more than 15,000 Friendship Force members open their hearts, homes, and communities to world travelers eager to immerse themselves in local cultures to build bridges across the barriers that separate people.