The mountains were beautiful, but the real high point of the AFS-USA Community Summit was the energy in the room.
Twenty-two AFS volunteers and three staff members gathered in Denver for a day focused on one big question:
How do we create AFS communities where people feel welcomed, connected, and excited to contribute?
The answer? Belonging. And judging by the evaluations, Denver delivered.
Overall Summit Satisfaction: 4.6 out of 5
One participant called the experience “reinvigorating!” Another described it as an opportunity to meet “my people.”
THE BIG STORY: BELONGING DRIVES IMPACT
The Summit focused on three key goals: strengthening local volunteer teams, building community and belonging, and promoting AFS in the community. Rather than simply listening to presentations, participants talked, practiced, reflected, laughed, and shared ideas they could take home to their own AFS teams.
BUILDING TEAMS WHERE BELONGING DRIVES IMPACT
The first session explored a fundamental question: How do we create a team and culture that people actually want to be part of? Through conversation, reflection, and even a little improv, volunteers explored ways to:
- Create clearer volunteer roles
- Strengthen communication
- Build a healthier team climate
- Make participation more welcoming
- Share responsibilities rather than relying on one or two people
The goal wasn’t just a team that gets things done. It was a team where people want to show up, contribute, and stay involved.
BUILDING AN AFS COMMUNITY FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Who is already part of our AFS community? Participants looked beyond the current volunteer roster and explored ways to engage returnees, existing volunteers, schools, host families, and potential future volunteers.
Ideas included mentoring young returnees, creating meaningful volunteer roles, strengthening community relationships, and developing new outreach strategies.
The result? New ideas — and new volunteers ready to help meet team needs.
PROMOTING AFS: BUILDING COMMUNITY TRUST
The third session turned the spotlight outward: How do we make someone say, “Tell me more!”? Volunteers explored practical ways to promote AFS, including outreach tables, social media, everyday conversations, and simple ways to explain what AFS does.
They practiced elevator pitches and learned to recognize opportunities to start conversations. Because sometimes the hardest part isn’t knowing what AFS does. It’s simply knowing how to start the conversation.
YOUR AFS JOURNEY CAN GO BEYOND YOUR LOCAL TEAM
The Summit also introduced participants to national volunteer and leadership opportunities, including:
- AFS Advisory Groups
- National Interviewer opportunities
- Other ways to contribute at the national level
The message was clear: Your AFS journey doesn’t have to stop at your local team. There are opportunities throughout the AFS network to connect, lead, contribute, and grow.
DENVER’S SECRET INGREDIENT: CONNECTION
No AFS gathering would be complete without time to simply be together. The content mattered, but so did the conversations, laughter, shared experiences, and new connections. Sometimes a community is built during a session. And sometimes it’s built over a conversation, a laugh, or a shared photo.
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
If one message echoed through the Denver Summit, it was this: BELONGING DOESN’T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT.
You don’t have to attend a summit to put this lesson into practice. Here are five ways to strengthen belonging in your own AFS volunteer team:
- WELCOME people.
- COMMUNICATE with people.
- INVITE people to participate.
- RECOGNIZE contributions.
- MAKE ROOM for people to grow.
At your next team meeting, ask one question: What’s one thing we could do differently to help everyone feel more connected and valued? Choose one idea and put it into action.
That’s how belonging becomes more than a goal. It becomes part of your team’s culture.
NEXT STOP: MILWAUKEE!
Saturday, November 7 • Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The AFS-USA Community Summit is heading east! The next Summit will bring together AFS volunteers and alumni from Wisconsin and Illinois for another day of learning, connecting, and building stronger AFS communities.
Sessions will focus on:
- Building and strengthening your local AFS team
- Promoting AFS in the community
- Participant support
If Denver was any indication, Milwaukee attendees should come ready to connect, participate, share ideas — and get reinvigorated!
If you have a question about the AFS Community Summits, please reach out to afssummit@afsusa.org.