MyAFS News

News you can use.

Welcome to the Hosting Volunteer Newsletter!

Congratulations to Western PA, Western Iowa & Nebraska, Michigan, Missouri Gateway, and Capital for making Spring Semester Placements (SH27)! Thank you to all the teams for working with families, sharing our available students, and helping make exchange possible.

We currently have students from Egypt, Kosovo, Austria, Czech Republic, Argentina, Malaysia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina available for placement, with approximately 10 more students expected to be released soon. Let’s keep the momentum going! 

Area Teams in The Community

Silver & Gold Area Team hosted an AFS Night at a Sacramento Kings NBA game! The team needed to sell 30 tickets to have a table at the game and ended up bringing together approximately 80 people! What a great way to have fun, connect with the community, and spread awareness of AFS! These events help plant the seed for future hosting families and students interested in going abroad. Share your ideas and upcoming events with your Field Specialist or Regional Director! We’d love to hear what your team is planning and celebrate your efforts in future newsletters.

Building the AFS Placement Puzzle

We are looking forward to a successful November as we work together to place all of our Spring Semester students by December 17!  To support our efforts, we are building several resources to make it easier to promote AFS, highlight our students, and spread the word about hosting opportunities in our communities. 

Here are a few of the upcoming promotional resources and activities: 

News from the Hosting Advisory Group 

The Hosting Advisory Group brings together AFS-USA staff and volunteers from across the country, representing different types of Area Teams and hosting experiences. Together, we are working on ways to strengthen volunteer engagement and support hosting efforts throughout the year. 

  • Creating Hosting Volunteer Communities: Building small, interconnected groups where volunteers can share ideas, celebrate milestones, and find encouragement throughout the hosting season.  Join the Hosting Volunteer WhatsApp Community. 
  • Promoting Active Community Presence: Encouraging volunteers to stay visible in their local communities through events, partnerships, and social media outreach, keeping the spirit of AFS hosting alive year-round. 
  • Reviewing and Developing Best Practices: strengthening the Host Family Interview process and creating more opportunities for host families and volunteers to connect before student arrivals. Our goal is to foster deeper relationships, understanding, and integration into the AFS community. 

Do you have best practices, suggestions, or ideas for the Hosting Advisory Group? We’d love to hear from you! Please email co-chairs Sara Roberts, sroberts@afsusa.org and/or Heather Stertz, heatherstertz@gmail.com.

National Volunteer Hosting Call – Thursday, December 3

Join us on Thursday, December 3, at 8 PM EST for our next National Volunteer Hosting Call! We will share an update on the SH27 Placement Cycle and officially kick off the NH27 Placement Cycle. We look forward to bringing volunteers and AFS staff together to celebrate our successes in 2026 and prepare for an exciting 2027! All AFS volunteers are encouraged to attend! Register here for the National Volunteer Hosting Call. 

Calendar Items – Looking & Planning Ahead 

Here are some upcoming dates to keep in mind as you plan AFS events, community outreach, and recruitment activities for your Area Team. How can your team get involved? 

If you have questions or want more information on anything related to hosting, please reach out to your Field Specialist.  If you aren’t sure who to reach out to on your area 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.