This is an exciting time for the NH22 departure cycle; programs are filling up and many area teams are planning their local Pre-Departure Orientations for the first time in a couple of years. It will be a great opportunity to connect with your outbound students and prepare them for their AFS experience abroad!
AFS will once again offer a series of National Virtual Pre-Departure Orientations (PDOs). Given the larger number of in-person team PDOs taking place, we will offer fewer national events, but they will be available to students and their parents who are not able to attend an in-person local orientation event.
Led by staff and volunteers, the National PDO webinars will focus on the intercultural learning aspects of students’ preparation and complement the concepts covered in the Student Learning Journey.
Content for the national PDOs will be the same as the local PDO presentation delivered by volunteers, which is focused on setting realistic expectations, sharing hopes and concerns, brainstorming coping strategies, the AFS Support Structure, and intercultural learning tools such as the D.I.V.E. model.
Please note staff will not be inviting participants to attend the national PDO events, we leave it to volunteers to inform students and their parents of this option only if they cannot attend a local PDO. This prevents participants from ‘choosing’ the national virtual event over the local one.
Volunteers can provide the following registration links to any participants who will not be attending their local event:
- Thurs, 15-Jun, 8pm EST, Meeting link
- Thurs, 14-Jul, 8pm EST, Meeting link
- Thurs, 16-Aug, 8pm EST, Meeting link
To check whether students from your area have registered for a National PDO, please contact mfriend@afsusa.org.
Click here for more information about Pre-Departure Orientations and how to find a list of students going abroad in your area to invite to your PDO.
A Note about Travel and Logistics: As was the case with NH21/SH22 departures, Gateway Orientations will not take place in the NH22 cycle. Travel and logistic webinars will be held that include a detailed review of international flights, logistics for the day of travel, and travel safety protocols. Students will continue to receive their travel notification anywhere from 4 – 8 weeks prior to departure.