Friends for the Future

Our goal is to help promote wholesome and sustainable groups and communities where all members experience a sense of belonging, feel free to engage in the activities of the group, and share rights and responsibilities without regard to physical characteristics or social background.

To achieve this, we do the following:
(a) lead retreats and webinars and make presentations on building wholesome relationships, especially across ethnocultural differences,
(b) demonstrate the differences between words and behaviors that unite us and those that divide us,
(c) help participants understand that building successful relationships across ethnocultural and other societal categorizations is not a "one-and-done" activity that can be achieved simply by reading a book or going to a lecture, and
(d) engage in formal and informal assessments to continuously improve our presentations and processes.

A cadre of volunteers with formal training in various specialties, including counseling, education, mediation, and psychology, designed our approach. These volunteers participate in our work and the evaluation processes we use.
Our services are free, though donations are encouraged. Hence, we are selective in where and when we work rather than being compelled to make compromises to meet payroll or other financial obligations.

With limited advertising and resources, our work has expanded as those who have received our services have spread the word. Formal evaluations have resulted in high ratings and exceptionally positive comments. We have made presentations to groups of more than 350 and as small as six. Each activity has resulted in more requests for information and opportunities to do our work, particularly in the mid-Atlantic region where many of our volunteers live. As a result, visits to our Website and social media entries, time spent responding to inquiries, and the receipt of donations have increased substantially.