International Day of Friendship (July, 30th) and Friendship Day (August, 3rd)

Friendship day was originally founded by Hallmark in 1919. In April 2011 the United Nations officially recognised 30th July as International Friendship Day but many countries celebrate it on the first Sunday of August.

"On this International Day of Friendship, let us cultivate warm ties that strengthen our common humanity 

and promote the well-being of the human family. "

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

"The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

To mark the International Day of Friendship the UN encourages governments, international organizations and civil society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community towards promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation".

Surf the following sites for more information:

http://www.un.org/en/events/friendshipday/

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/friendship-day

SOME CLASS ACTIVITIES

ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

READING AND WRITING

• How could you define friendship? Have a look at the following website: http://friends.com/definition-of-friendship. Then write your own definition of  "friendship".

• Read this article at http://friends.com/rules-of-friendship about the rules of friendship and add your own rules to the list.

LISTENING

Some songs on friendship

"Count on me" - Bruno Mars

"I'll be your friend" - Amy Grant

"Friends are friends forever" - Michael W. Smith

"Any time you need a friend" - Mariah Carey

"I'll be there" - Mariah Carey

"I turn to you" - Christina Aguilera

"That's what friends are for" - Dionne Warwick

"You've got a friend" - James Taylor

"You're my best friend" - Queen

"You've got a friend in me" - Randy Newman

 SPEAKING 

Talking about friends

A conversation about friendship

Friendship Soup Recipe

After having watched the above videos, prepare an oral presentation about your best friend. Tell:

• how long you have known him/her,
• what you have in common,
• which are the things you like about him/her,
• what is you personal "friendship soup" recipe.