AFS is once again making available a series of re-entry materials to offer guidance and tools to volunteers to engage directly with returnees in their local teams.
Returnees currently receive 3 emails from AFS after they return:
- An Invitation to Volunteer
- A Welcome Home Message
- A Returnee Happy Birthday Email
In addition, AFS believes that engaging students locally will create the most impact in keeping them involved with AFS. We hope that engaging returnees in the weeks and months after they arrive home will encourage them to get involved with AFS and further their Intercultural Learning Journey. Returnees often like to help by preparing other students to go abroad; at an orientation, assisting with interviews or acting as a mentor. In addition, encourage them to register as an AFS Hosting Volunteer, and to complete the appropriate training, so that they are fully qualified to assist with your team’s hosting orientations.
Looking more long term we hope engaging returnees will encourage them to become host families, sending families and possibly donors.
Once students have returned home, we suggest Area Teams have a Welcome Home event and/or a Re-entry Orientation. Volunteers can now access a Re-Entry Orientation presentation and other helpful materials in Help & Learning here
The materials will help you to:
- Connect with your local returnees
- Organizing a Welcome Home event
- Organize a Re-entry Orientation
Additional suggestions to engage returnees that involve less planning are:
- Invite them to become a registered Volunteer
- Suggest they start out as a Study Abroad Interviewer
- Invite returnees to join your team’s social media groups
- Invite returnees to participate in your Pre-Departure Orientation
- Invite returnees to hosting team events; pool party, pumpkin carving, orientations etc.
If you have any questions about the materials mentioned above, please contact Martha mfriend@afsusa.org for any other questions contact AskAFS@afsusa.org