I had just arrived in Germany and after being awake for many, many hours, I was almost at the end of my journey. I was riding a train from Frankfurt Airport to Berlin with two very kind AFS Germany Volunteers and two exchange students, both nervous to meet their host families for the first time […]
Back in the fall, my school hosted a special day where all of the classes sold food or handicrafts to other students to raise money for class trips and other activities. My class decided to sell moo bing, or grilled flavored pork on a stick. I joined many of my classmates the day before to […]
I’ve always been interested in other cultures, but never thought much about my own. Prior to coming on exchange, I had a hard time identifying American culture. I saw culture as presentable things such as traditional dress, foods, dance, holidays, etc. Of course we do have holidays, but they were just “normal” holidays to me. Thus, when […]
Congratulations to the Compton Family and Andrey of Brazil (of the Michigan Area Team), the winners of the 3rd annual Reel Life contest! The family has been awarded with a trip to one of four cities, joined by their hosted student, Andrey. With over 60,000 votes cast for all of the entries combined, the contest […]
You’re the experts — let your voice be heard! The U.S. Department of State, which designates organizations such as AFS to administer exchange visitor programs, will be engaging in a review of the regulations governing some of our programs this summer. Specifically with regard to the J-1 Secondary School Program (under which most AFS-USA students […]
The arrival of this year’s AFS Exchange Students is just around the corner. That means we have a great opportunity this summer to encourage new families to join our global community! To help kick this year’s “hosting season” into high gear, we’re bringing back our popular campaign, the 10 for 10 Challenge. Starting Tuesday, June […]
Have you seen the re-designed “Meet the Students” page? It’s easier than ever to find bios of students coming to your area, and it now includes lots of new student audio introductions. We can’t wait to share it with potential host families! Want to share on Facebook? Highlight and copy one of these sample captions below, […]
Periodically, AFS International will update our brand guidelines (also sometimes referred to as our “visual identity”) to ensure that the organization remains modern and accessible to the public. While aspects like the logo and mission statement don’t often change, other parts of the overall look-and-feel of our marketing materials and website may shift. It’s important […]
Did you know that in order to conduct and enter a monthly contact you are only required to have your HSA trainings and DoS certifications? That means if you have contact with a student or host family, even if you are not their assigned liaison, your contact can count for that month’s requirement. This can […]
Now that the school year is coming to an end, we would like to thank you for the support you have given to all AFS students who have studied and lived in your community. After school ends, as you are most likely aware, some students can fall into the trap of engaging in unsafe behaviors […]