Dear AFS-USA Volunteers and Host Families,

Friday’s news of the tragic school shooting in Santa Fe, TX, has reached all corners of our world. Ten victims—nine students and a teacher, are being mourned by people not only in the U.S., but in countries around the world. For all of us at AFS, we are especially mourning the loss of Sabika Sheikh, one of the students killed in Santa Fe. Sabika was a Department of State Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) Exchange Student from Pakistan and while she was not hosted through AFS, she was a member of our exchange community and several AFS Students knew Sabika personally.

Some of our AFS Students, especially our YES Students, had spent time with Sabika, knew her, and loved her. Those of us who did not know Sabika now feel as though we did. Through media reports, we learned that Sabika was an excellent student with a kind heart who, with great courage and determination, came to study in the U.S. through the YES Program, and we also learned that she was supported by a loving family who understood the benefits of an international education and how global citizens make the world a better place. Some AFS Students are gathering to remember Sabika in their own way. Others are expressing their feelings on social media and in other ways.

As mentioned in a communication recently that was also posted on MyAFS, if your participants need extra support during this time, please contact your Support Team.  In addition, our Intercultural Learning Materials (ICL) and Support Team are working on new contents for End of Stay (EoS) orientation, talking points for dialogues with current students and families to enable an opportunity for students and host families to reflect on this loss and the impact of the shooting, and for students to think about how to answer questions upon their return to their home countries. This ICL content, talking points, and questions for reflection will be shared with orientation volunteers within the next week so that they can prepare to include it in orientation plans.

With events such as memorial gatherings taking place in various areas this week and likely next, please make certain that your students understand the inherent risks of attending any large gatherings. There is never any guarantee of how such events, while well-intended, could turn and become violent, nor is there any guarantee of how events will be policed. AFS-USA highly advises students to avoid large gatherings.

We understand that students and others want to share their feelings in different ways. AFS-USA recommends that participants, host families, and volunteers discuss any requests or opportunities with us first, before contacting media, including local media. We are glad to provide guidance and recommendations. Ultimately, speaking to media is a personal decision, but there can be unintended consequences, including being misinterpreted and attracting unwanted attention from other media and the public. Anyone who chooses to speak to the media must make it clear that they are speaking in a personal capacity and not as a representative of AFS. Should a participant, host family, or volunteer be contacted for an official statement refer the reporter to Marlene Baker at MBaker@afsusa.org and Edith Yang at EYang@afsusa.org for a response.

AFS-USA Staff will be gathering this afternoon in New York for a memorial tribute to the people who lost their lives in the Santa Fe shooting, especially Sabika Sheikh. We will record the tribute and share it with you all shortly. We will send out a notification when the video is posted and we hope that you will choose to have a moment of silence for all victims, as we will.

AFS-USA Staff are here to support you in ways that you or your participants may need. This is a very sad time for every person who works with or volunteers for exchange organizations worldwide. Educational exchanges DO make the world a better place. For AFSers, that means working together towards building a more just and peaceful world.  We greatly appreciate you today and every day.

Thank you,

Marlene Baker

Chief, Development, Communications and Alumni Relations Officer

AFS-USA