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The Friendship Force of Belo Horizonte  With a rapidly growing membership, a busy club agenda and a dynamic exchange program, FF Belo Horizonte is attracting the attention of Friendship Force clubs around the world. The Friendship Force of Belo Horizonte in southeast Brazil has much to offer visitors – a modern city rich in art and culture, historic towns, and beautiful national parks nearby. But this club has a lot to offer its members, as well. Maria Clea Borges was appointed club president in 2005 when club members told her, “We have the feet, arms and body. We just need someone to be the head of the team.” Since then, her leadership has helped the whole organization grow strong. Maria Clea says FF Belo Horizonte’s membership has grown over 200% in recent years. One of the keys, she says, is creating opportunities for members to be involved. Each of FF Belo Horizonte’s monthly meetings is organized by a different volunteer. This volunteer invites new people and arranges for a speech or presentation to be given on a topic of interest to club members, sometimes travel related and sometimes not. This way, each meeting is different, and each meeting brings new people. The Belo Horizonte club often invites its members to go on day trips together between exchanges. Then the members give their feedback on whether the activities they try should become part of their hosting program. A dynamic hosting program appeals to both hosts and ambassadors. In addition to the club’s day trips, Maria Clea also incorporates ideas from the outbound exchanges her club participates in. One such idea came from the club’s recent exchange to Japan, where their hosts, the Friendship Force of Nara, held a small welcome reception at the airport upon their arrival. This gave the ambassadors an opportunity to meet all their hosts, and a picture was taken of each ambassador-host pairing. The Nara club printed the photos and passed them out to everyone. A strong, active membership and an interesting hosting experience help make successful exchanges, and Maria Clea says both outbound and inbound exchanges usually bring new members. More than its numbers, the club’s success can be measured by its members’ attitudes. Members of FF Belo Horizonte are passionate about hosting. They love to show ambassadors the way of life of the mineiros, a term for the people of the Minas Gerais state in which Belo Horizonte is located. The region’s cultural emphasis on welcoming guests doesn’t hurt, either. “The best reason to visit Belo Horizonte is to see why the mineira hospitality is our traditional characteristic,” Maria Clea said. “If you are curious to know more about our mineira hospitality, come to visit and explore Belo Horizonte with us!”
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