About Us
Creating Friendships for Peace, Inc. is a volunteer grassroots organization whose mission is to promote and strengthen friendships between teens from divided communities and extend those friendships to their families and friends. The friendships are developed through home stays with American families. Each family hosts two teens – one from each side of a conflict. The teen pair shares a bedroom and learns about each other, understanding their different perspectives and realizing that friendships can develop despite significant political and cultural differences. With friendship, an atmosphere is created that allows for mutual respect and understanding – a key ingredient for peace.
CFP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in the United States. Our volunteers were active in Northern Ireland from 1987 until 2007. We are currently active in Cyprus since 2009 and Israel/Palestine since 2018.
In our efforts to maintain neutrality, we do not accept government funding and rely solely on gifts from individuals, charitable foundations and businesses who wish to make a difference for peace in the world.
2019 US Cypriot Teens
Have arrived at the West River Camp and Retreat Center near Annapolis, Maryland for the beginning of their U.S. Residency month. Following a week of group workshops and team building activities, they will go to live with their American host families in areas across the country.
Ambassador Susan Elliott joins CFP Board
President and CEO, National Committee for American Foreign Policy
We are pleased to announce that Ambassador Susan M. Elliott, whose distinguished career has included serving as Consul General in Northern Ireland, has joined the CFP board. Ambassador Elliott also brings a deep understanding of the conflicts in Cyprus and the Middle East as a result of her broad career in a wide variety of roles in the Foreign Service that will be most helpful as we plan our future.
CFP Holds Second Camp in Cyprus
From August 1 to August 8, CFP will provide a second camp at the same Troodos camp site used in the past. This allows another 50 Cypriot teens to participate and was necessary to accommodate the record number of applications this year.
Welcome to our new campers!
Our Programs
Testimonials
Archbishop Desmond TutuThe Elders Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu to 2012 CFP Graduation
“Sometimes you might feel that you are alone in this kind of work. Today, take a look around and realise that you are all part of something much bigger – bound together by a shared commitment to our common
humanity. Remember that the sea is just drops of water that have come together. And together you can do extraordinary things.”
Institute of PeaceWashington, DC 2015 Peacebuilding Through Education Conference
“For peacebuilding to succeed it must take root at the community level. Communities working together to find common ground, support and communications. It must move beyond governmental action to individuals and community leaders to succeed long term.”
2018 Jerusalem TeenIsrael/Palestine “I feel as though my pairing was the best out of them all, honestly I couldn’t be happier with whom I paired with and whom also came in the picture out of unfortunate circumstances. It’s also great that we all come from different cultural background which will and has led us to in a way experience the other side and perspective of things. And I
believe that that is the best tool for peace building and the first step which is to gain an understanding and form a connection with the one who differs from you. And this
program has led me to achieve exactly that.”
2018 TeenCyprus “My experience with my pair was rewarding, valuable, meaningful, enriching, fun, worthwhile, useful, helpful, productive and so on. I am not trying to exaggerate, I am trying to explain my experience. So, words are not
enough as we are now more than friends. We trust each other, we listen to each other, we share our ideas together and discuss them, improve them, we are now confidants. We respect and love each other. We are more than friends and/or besties. We are family. This means a lot to me. Both as a human and a Cypriot
peacebuilder. I now know that I have someone who will help me whenever I have a need or a problem and I will also stand by him whatever happens. We will always stay as a family. This showed me that the new
generation is ready for peace.”