May 25th Summer Programs Update to Applicants and Parents

May 25th Summer Programs Update to Applicants and Parents

Dear Participants and Families,

Thank you for your continued patience as we move closer to summer and evaluate available information. We’re reaching out to keep you informed regarding the status of our short-term programs. This email contains:

  • Summer Program Updates
  • A Policy and Condition Review
  • Alternative Summer Opportunities

Summer Program Updates:

  • In light of recent news concerning prospective changes to the European Union’s entry requirements, we have decided to wait an additional week before making a final decision about our programs in Denmark, France, and Spain, as we expect to receive new information in the next week that can inform our understanding about the viability of these programs. It is important to note that positive changes may not result in our ability to run each program, as overall conditions are being evaluated. We will plan to provide another update next week.
  • Unfortunately, after careful review, we will be suspending our programs to Colombia and Kenya due to unstable conditions and an inability to freely travel, in addition to risk assessments made by our in-country partners.
  • As always, deposits made to this program will be returned in full as part of our Return Policy guarantee. 
  • For those whose program has been cancelled, we do have space available on our Denmark program and are able to switch your application to that program if you are eligible and interested. Eligible applicants must have birthdays that fall between June 27th, 2003 and June 27th, 2006. 

Policy and Condition Review:

Conditions and policies in the U.S. and our remaining partner countries have continued to marginally improve. No entry requirements have officially changed since our last update, although it is anticipated that the European Union (E.U.) will publish new entry requirements shortly. We continue to anticipate that vaccinations may be required by governmental bodies in the E.U. and that PCR tests taken 72-hours prior to international departure will be required for entry into the country. We continue to evaluate a holistic view of all conditions, but two basic conditions will need to formally improve in order for the programs to operate:

  • Can someone traveling from the United States enter the country as a tourist?
  • Currently, the following countries allow entry by U.S. tourists: None
  • Currently, the following countries do not allow entry by U.S. tourists: Denmark, France, and Spain
  • Is a quarantine required for more than 15% of a program?
  • Currently, the following countries do not require quarantines that meet this threshold: Spain (0%)
  • Currently, the following countries require quarantines over this threshold: Denmark (38%), France (33%)

Alternative Summer Opportunities:

We know this has been a challenging summer to plan for, and because of your interest in our summer programs, we would like to extend the below opportunities should you wish to withdraw from in-person considerations.

50% Off AFS Global You Adventurer Virtual Programming:

  • AFS is providing a 50% discount on AFS’ Global You Adventurer virtual programming to Summer Participants through the coupon code SUMMER21 when you sign up here. Global You Adventurer is a 5-week interactive virtual exchange program, open to teens (aged 14-17) anywhere in the world, to develop key 21st-century global skills and build bridges across cultures. Earn the AFS Global Competence Certificate and meet new global peers along the way. New cohorts start every two weeks. Learn more here or email global.you@afs.org with any questions.

Free Virtual Transatlantic Media Camp with AFS-Germany:

  • This free online program connects 24 students from Germany and the United States to learn about each other’s cultures and connect on common workshops and discussions on media and journalism. AFS-USA and AFS-Germany are looking for 12 motivated individuals who are interested in gaining experiences in Media Literacy and online journalism and who want to know more about life in the U.S. and in Germany or who are planning to live abroad in the future! More information is available here and you can sign up here. As this program is limited to 12 U.S. students, AFS-Germany will admit those based on the time of your sign-up.

We look forward to keeping you updated, and as always, please feel free to reach out to us at StudyAbroad@afsusa.org.

Sincerely,

The Study Abroad Team at AFS-USA