Taking AFS to the People: A Look Back at a 1977–78 Hosting Campaign
This week, we’re launching our #ThrowbackThursday Series: Bringing AFS History to Life, where we’ll revisit moments from AFS’s past that helped shape the community we know today.
Our first stop takes us back to 1977–78, when AFS launched a national public service advertising campaign encouraging families across the United States to open their homes to exchange students. With the memorable message “Host an AFS Student – it could make all the difference in the world,” the campaign highlighted the powerful connections that form when families and students share everyday life.
At the time, AFS partnered with the Advertising Council to distribute the campaign widely. The ads appeared on television, radio, and in newspapers and magazines nationwide. Local volunteers played a critical role in the effort – contacting media outlets, encouraging stations to air public service announcements, and helping ensure that the message reached families who might be ready to say “yes” to hosting.
The campaign reflected something that remains true today: AFS has always been powered by people. While national outreach helped spread the word, it was volunteers, alumni, and host families in local communities who turned interest into real intercultural experiences.
Nearly 50 years later, the message still resonates. Hosting an exchange student continues to create meaningful connections, broaden perspectives, and build bridges across cultures, one family at a time.
As we continue this series, we’ll explore more moments, stories, and artifacts from AFS history that remind us how far our community has come, and how the spirit behind our work remains the same.
Do you have an AFS memory, photo, or artifact from years past? Share it with us at marketing@afsusa.org – we’d love to feature it in a future #ThrowbackThursday post!
