SH27 Placement Puzzle – Take ONE Piece!
The SH27 Placement Puzzle is officially underway! We are asking all volunteers to help us complete the puzzle by promoting the opportunity to host with AFS for the Spring Semester.
SH Students arrive in mid-January 2027 and depart with yearlong students in June. To help us complete the AFS Placement Puzzle, we are putting together 12 puzzle pieces with weekly themes, and we would love for all of you to team up with your Area Team Hosting Volunteers and help continue building visibility for AFS in your community.
Be a Part of the Puzzle
As we kick off October, our first puzzle piece is “Get Into the Community.” Take a look at your schools, libraries, community events and other local spaces and think about where your Area Team could have an AFS table between now and May. This is a great way to get the word out about AFS, but it is also a fun way to get your AFS students, families and volunteers out in the community together. Sometimes just being out there and having a conversation is all it takes to introduce someone new to AFS!
The week of October 12, we will move on to our second puzzle piece, “Invite a Friend to Host.” Think about your friends, neighbors, coworkers and family members. Who might be interested in learning more about hosting? October is a great time to start those conversations and get families connected with your area team.
The Spring Semester is extra special because we will have YES students along with our Core students. Our Core students are coming from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland and Slovakia. Our YES students are coming from Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kosovo, Malaysia, North Macedonia and Pakistan. Students will be released on Mondays and Thursdays at 2 PM ET. We will continue to see Core students released throughout October, with our YES students expected closer to Thanksgiving.
If you have a family interested in hosting, please contact your Field Specialist! We want to get families started on their Host Family Application now so they can be screened and ready to go as students are released throughout October and November. Remember, families who complete their Host Family Application after October 1 will be screened to host in Spring 2027 and/or the 2027–28 school year. So, let’s get those families connected with AFS now!
Take ONE piece to the Puzzle
We have put together a Google Drive with student bios, promotional materials and talking points to make it easy for you to share AFS in your community, school or neighborhood. Use what is there, share it with a friend, post it on social media, take it to your next community event! You never know when that one simple ask or conversation will connect us with a new AFS family.
If you would like to be part of the Hosting Team in your area, please reach out to your Field Specialist or your Area Team’s Hosting Coordinator. We also have opportunities to get involved at the National Level through the Hosting Advisory Group. Learn more here about the Hosting AG.
Be Connected
We will continue to build out ideas, themes, and recruitment activities so that we can successfully complete the SH Placement Puzzle by December 17. As an AFS Community, we want to ensure all students have an AFS Family and School prior to the Holiday Season.
If you aren’t sure who to reach out to on your team or the staff team, please contact, Sara Roberts, West Regional Director at sroberts@afsusa.org or Kate Sullivan, East Regional Director at ksullivan@afsusa.org.