Club Contacts
President: Anna Rochon, presidentffo@gmail.com
VP Membership: membershipffo@gmail.com
VP Journeys: journeysffo@gmail.com
Club Info
Friendship Force Ottawa was founded in 1995 with about 30 members. At present, the club has 100 members. Over the past 20 years+ we have hosted and sent out our members to more clubs than we can mention here. Annually, the Ottawa club generally hosts two or three inbound Journeys and usually participates in two to three outbound Journeys, for a total of four to six Journeys per year.
Area Info
Approximately 1 million Canadians live and work in Ottawa, Canada’s National Capital. Our city is located on the border of Canada’s two largest provinces, Ontario and Quebec, at the heart of a bilingual region of English- and French-speaking residents. Our Parliament Buildings sit high on Parliament Hill, surrounded by national museums, vibrant neighbourhoods, and scenic parks and bikeways.
Ottawa has four distinct seasons: Spring, when literally thousands of tulips bloom; Summer, when the city is alive with outdoor music and theatre festivals; Fall, when the maple leaves turn majestic colours; and Winter, with ice skating on the historic Rideau and Winterlude with international ice carving competitions.
Typical Journey
An Friendship Force ambassador to Ottawa can expect to interact directly with many members who act as Night Hosts, Day Hosts and Dinner Hosts. Many members who participate in the many social functions. Traveling can be arduous; therefore, the arrival day is usually spent relaxing and getting to know the host family. Activities are planned for the second day and they usually begin with a welcome party. Program opportunities, which offer a mix of culture, nature, politics, and entertainment, are organized for the week in consultation with the incoming club. Some free time allows our guests to choose a preferred activity. Every Journey involves visits to some National Capital showcases. Particularly popular are: The Canadian Museum of History; The National Gallery of Canada; The Parliament Buildings with ceremonial pageantry; Rideau Hall (Governor General’s residence); The Canadian Museum of Nature and Gatineau Park.
Because our region is made up of two cities, Ottawa (Ontario) and Gatineau (Quebec) our guests are introduced to at least two cultural experiences. The week culminates in a fun-filled farewell dinner on the last evening of the Journey. Ambassadors are escorted by hosts the next day to their points of departure. Closest major airport is the Ottawa International Airport. (MacDonald/Cartier) is about a 20-minute drive to downtown Ottawa. Ottawa is about a 2-hour drive to Montreal, Quebec and a 5-hour drive to Toronto, Ontario. Buses and trains are available to these destinations as well. Ottawa is also about a 5-hour flight to Vancouver, British Columbia and 1 ½ hour flight from New York City, New York (USA).