Today we’re kicking off Season 6 of The AFS Exchange podcast!

The first few episodes of this season will highlight the people who keep the AFS engine running: our incredible volunteers. In this premiere episode, we’re heading to Spain to follow two AFS-USA Volunteers, Abdullah and Ashe, who attended the 2025 International Volunteer Summit in Málaga, Spain.

We’ll hear about their unique backgrounds, the challenges of leading teams in the US, and how stepping out of their “local silos” to meet global counterparts changed their perspective on our mission.

In this episode, we explore:

• The “Engine Room” of AFS and the people behind the student experience.
• The struggle of operating in a “volunteer silo” and the cure for burnout.
• The impact of the first-ever Chapter Leadership Summit in Spain.
• How sharing ideas across borders reinvigorates local teams.

Listen now at afsusa.org/podcast and share this post!