Over the past year, AFS-USA sponsored six local/regional Community Summits across the US. With a theme of “Where Belonging Meets Impact,” the Community Summits were an opportunity to bring together volunteers, host families, and alumni to make connections, learn together, and inspire enthusiasm for the AFS mission.

Here are a couple of testimonials from our previous Community Summits:

“I thought getting together with my team and the adjacent teams was very valuable. We got to know each other and share common problems, brainstorm for solutions, and encourage collaboration.”

“This was phenomenal. The sense of belonging facets were especially intriguing and rewarding.”

Beginning this fall, we will be hosting additional Community Summits around the US. These will be one-day events with content that can be adapted to meet your team’s needs and interests. Previous topics have included increasing volunteer impact by strengthening our volunteer teams, creating belonging and connections in our communities, and participant support.

This is where you come in. Last week, Area Team Chairs were sent a link to an interest form that they can submit if their team is interested in the possibility of hosting a Community Summit. If you think this is something your team should have, please encourage your Area Team Chair to submit the interest form for your team by midnight Alaska time on July 7.

If your team is selected for a Community Summit, AFS-USA staff will collaborate with you and other leaders in your team to plan the details. If there are other teams near you, we can also invite them to attend and to be a part of the planning process.

We expect to make decisions on the locations of the next round of Community Summits by mid-to-late August. If you have questions, please contact us at afssummit@afsusa.org!

Thank you,

AFS-USA National Council