Written by: Jennifer Grace, Silver & Gold Area Team, National Council Communications Committee Member
The Participant Support Advisory Group (SAG) works behind the scenes to ensure that every exchange student and host family has the support they need to thrive. Made up of experienced volunteers from across the country—including Allison Barton of Camarillo, California, and Gayle Jordan of Omaha, Nebraska—the SAG serves as a resource for support coordinators, a sounding board for AFS-USA staff, and a champion for the well-being of participants and families at every stage of the exchange experience.
Tackling Challenges: Mental Health in a Post-COVID World
The most pressing challenge the SAG is navigating right now is the rise of mental health struggles among both hosted students and host families—a trend shaped in large part by the lasting effects of the pandemic and increasingly complicated by technology use. “Use of technology and mental health issues often form a vicious cycle,” notes Gayle Jordan, “and it isn’t always black or white.” The group works with support coordinators to develop practical strategies and to build the confidence needed to have tough, honest conversations on both topics with students and families.
Goals for the Year
In 2026, the Participant Support Advisory Group is focused on two overarching priorities: recruiting new members and strengthening collaboration across advisory groups.
- Deepen collaboration with the Orientation Advisory Group and Compliance Advisory Group on shared projects that benefit volunteers and participants alike.
- Expand outreach to support coordinators beyond the monthly support meet-ups, exploring new ways to reach and provide resources to volunteers.
Achievements from Last Year
In a year of exploration and transition, the SAG delivered consistent value to the AFS-USA community:
- Maintained regular monthly support leader sessions that give support coordinators a space to connect, debrief, and grow.
- Contributed volunteer perspective to the ongoing work of AFS-USA support staff, helping bridge the gap between national direction and local reality.
- Collaborated with the Orientation Advisory Group to strengthen orientations, which directly support the mentoring and relationship-building that make the exchange experience meaningful.
- Contributed to a number of Help and Learning Articles, improving the guidance available to volunteers navigating complex support situations.
- Helped develop pre-screened emergency host family processes, giving volunteers a faster, safer option when students need to be moved quickly.
- Developed strategies for supporting participants during natural disasters, adding a critical tool to the support coordinator’s toolkit.
As Allison Barton reflected, “We continue to support monthly support leader sessions and advise support staff.”
The Support Experience
One of the SAG’s most distinctive contributions is less about process and more about culture. The group actively models the supportive and collaborative behavior it hopes to see in volunteers nationwide. “We support one another,” Gayle Jordan shared, “modeling the behavior we want to see in volunteers.” That spirit—of listening, showing up, and trusting one another—runs through everything the SAG does, from how they run their own meetings to how they advise staff and coordinators.
Opportunities for Volunteers
The SAG is actively recruiting members. Volunteers come from a range of personal and professional backgrounds, and the group values diversity of geography, experience, and perspective above all. Ideal candidates are experienced support volunteers with a track record of handling conflict thoughtfully, a genuine ease with teenagers, and the ability to truly listen.
Our group has flexible participation options—including project-based involvement—meaning there’s a way to contribute when it works with your schedule and commitments. If you’re ready to help contribute and shape how AFS-USA supports its students and families, reach out to join the Participant Support Advisory Group. Your experience and perspective are exactly what this group needs.
Fill out the National Council Volunteer Interest Form to learn more about volunteer opportunities and how you can contribute to the AFS mission at a national level.