(2018 – present)
Noteworthy transitional personnel
- Linda Ziglar, CFP Board Chair
- Tamra Haas, CFP Executive Director
- Rebecca Stirn, CFP San Francisco Area Coordinator
U.S. Program
- 4-week homestay program with American families
- Included teens aged 15 to 17.
- One Greek-speaking Cypriot and one Turkish-speaking Cypriot teen share a room.
- Two Middle East teens paired by differences in religion or ethnicity share a room.
Cyprus Friendship Program
- Continues as described before.
- In 2020, the CY Program became a 2-year program, with Year 1 being the Cypriot Camp and Year 2 being the U.S. Residency. A Year 2 Camp has been created to include those Year 2 teens not able to travel to the U.S.
Middle East Friendship Program
- ME Coordinators promote the program and select the teens.
- During a series of events and workshops, the ME Coordinators identify pairing of the teens.
- The teens and their families agree to participate in pre- and post-cross-cultural activities.
- ME Coordinators provide an annual graduation for all the teens and their families where the teens actively participate in the entertainment.
- From 2018 -2019, a 2-year pilot program was conducted through a partnership with Jerusalem Peacebuilders to begin the program in Israel/Palestine.
Impact Statistics
- Cyprus Friendship Program
- As of January, 2024, just over 1,300 have participated.
- Middle East Friendship Program
- As of January, 2024, 68 teens have participated.