AFS-USA Celebrates Youth Talk Program Success

AFS-USA Celebrates Youth Talk Program Success

We are proud to share recognition of and gratitude for the Colorado Rockies Area Team volunteers and key community partners whose dedication made the Youth Talk Program a reality.

About the Youth Talk Program

The Youth Talk Program is a volunteer and staff-led initiative made possible through the generous support of the Mineta Ambassador Program, administered by the U.S.-Japan Council, and facilitated by AFS-USA and AFS-Japan in partnership with the Colorado Rockies Volunteer Team. It brings together 10 young people from the United States and Japan in a structured, theme-based dialogue and homestay experience — centering AFS’s mission of building a more just and peaceful world through intercultural exchange.

The program specifically focuses on students from underserved and marginalized communities — young people who may never have had the opportunity to connect with global peers. These participants carry with them the potential to become global citizens, bridge-builders, and change-makers of tomorrow.

Recognizing Our Volunteers

Thanks to the efforts of the Colorado Rockies Area Team and their staff support, this program has achieved meaningful results:

  • Bringing in new host families for AFS-USA
  • Building stronger connections with AFS schools while rebuilding meaningful ties with schools that have not collaborated with AFS in a very long time.
  • Growing AFS’s local visibility through collaboration with various partners, including the Sakura Foundation, U.S.-Japan Council, National Sports Center for the Disabled, and the Consulate General of Japan.
  • Laying the foundation for an educational experience that will leave a lasting impression on every Youth Talk Scholar from both America and Japan

Looking Ahead

Programs like these are essential to nurturing the potential of the next generation of global citizens, laying the foundation for them to continue to build peace through relationships across cultures. We look forward to the next portion of this program which will see our 5 American Youth Talk scholars travel to Japan this July to be hosted for 10 days in the Tokyo chapter of AFS-Japan.

As AFS-USA looks ahead to future iterations of the Youth Talk Program, we do so with confidence — because of the model the Colorado Rockies Area Team and staff partners have helped build.

Thank you all!