We are excited to announce that AFS-USA, in partnership with the National Council, is organizing a series of six Community Summits across the US. Like the national AFS-USA Summit, the Community Summits are an opportunity for AFS volunteers to increase their connections to other volunteers and staff while learning new skills, sharing best practices, and being re-energized by AFS-USA’s mission.

We hope that by expanding to the Community Summit model, we will be able to impact a greater number of volunteers than those who are able to attend the national Summits.

Volunteers who live within a 3-4 hour drive of a Community Summit will be invited to attend. With the exception of the Community Summit being planned in Chicago, all will start at 10am on Saturday and end at approximately 4pm, giving attendees the ability to drive in that morning and drive home that evening. The locations and approximate dates for this year’s Community Summits are as follows:

• Southern California – October 11, 2025. Will include volunteers from San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, Orange County, California Central Coast Area Teams
• Minneapolis/ St Paul – October 11, 2025. Will include volunteers from East Metro, Greater Minneapolis, Lake Superior, Midland Central Area Teams
• Chicago – November 8-9, 2025. Will include volunteers from Greater Chicago, Greater Illinois, Greater Indiana, Milwaukee, World Flags, World Class, Northwoods Gateway, Michigan Area Teams.
• Phoenix – Winter 2026
• Washington DC – Spring 2026
• Boston – Spring 2026

Registration for this fall’s Community Summits will begin in early fall.

We will be resuming the national AFS-USA Summit in the fall of 2026. In the future, we plan to alternate the national Summit and the Community Summits every other year. Future Community Summits will be planned in locations we are not going to this year.

If you have any questions about the Community Summits, please contact Scott Hume at afssummit@afsusa.org.