Since 1947, AFS has evolved from a traditional student exchange organization to embrace a more robust agenda that prepares and empowers global citizens. As a result, AFSers are making a huge impact around the world in significant ways. Their contributions—big and small—encourage and inspire us to make AFS even stronger going forward.

As cultural, religious and other differences continue to fuel conflicts, AFS remains committed to foster intercultural exchanges, learning and understanding as a powerful and productive way to help create a more just and peaceful world. The 2015 AFS Annual Report reflects five fundamental strategies that help us achieve this critical mission.

1. AFS offers structured intercultural learning and global citizenship education. After almost 70 years in study abroad, we know that immersive cultural experiences are not enough. So AFS has developed comprehensive learning programs specifically designed for students, host families, volunteers, staff and others.
2. AFS volunteer training develops a range of skills that last a lifetime: Supporting students and families, facilitating intercultural learning, changemaking and helping manage a dynamic international organization provide AFS volunteers with meaningful personal growth and professional development opportunities.
3. AFS programs help students and volunteers build critical leadership skills. We prepare today's and tomorrow's leaders to collaborate and lead across cultural differences—all essential 21st-century skills needed in a global world.
4. AFS encourages students, volunteers and families to embrace changemaking and social impact projects to improve local, national and global communities. We also support and value initiatives that extend our “learning to live together” philosophy to make a real difference in the world as a volunteer, in our professional lives or working for governments, nonprofits and NGOs.
5. AFS creates strong global partnerships. As an international nonprofit and intercultural learning organization, we encourage all AFSers to connect and work with schools, universities, humanitarian and peace groups, governments and other NGOs on the issues that reflect our mission. In 2015, we were particularly proud to be designated an official partner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Thank you to the AFS global community for helping to make our mission become a reality on so many levels. And congratulations to AFS Argentina, AFS Costa Rica, AFS Latvia, AFS Hungary and AFS India for celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2015.

Students commemorate World War I and AFS Centennial at From Trenches to Bridges Youth Forum

In November 2015, 200 young people from 43 countries attended the the international youth forum From Trenches to Bridges held in Strasbourg, France to learn about volunteerism and active global citizenship from World War I to the present day. Access Alsace, AFS France, AFS Germany, and AFS Switzerland with the assistance of AFS International, organized visits to historical sites, lectures, and educational workshops facilitated by volunteer trainers. On the final day of the forum, participants submitted their multimedia Peace Charter to a representative of the European Parliament. The Peace Charter identifies challenges and offers concrete steps for learning to live together peacefully as part of this World War I Centennial event.

AFS convenes intercultural education conference in Asia

Perspectives, challenges and solutions for promoting and expanding intercultural and global citizenship education throughout the Asia Pacific region dominated discussions at the Learning to Live Together—Intercultural Education: From Ideas to Action international conference held in Bali, Indonesia in April 2015. This regional event brought together 80 researchers, policy makers, experts, practitioners, teachers, university students and administrators with AFSers to explore the importance of intercultural and global citizenship education. AFS Indonesia, Bina Antarbudaya (The Indonesian Foundation for Intercultural Learning) hosted this two-day educational event, which was organized by them together with AFS Asia Pacific Initiative (AAI), AFS International and Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR) Indonesia.

New partnership and scholarships strengthen AFS in Africa

The AFS organizations in Africa were pleased to announce the formation of a new partnership in October 2015. AFS in Africa (AIA) will enable AFSers in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Tunisia to better support and work with each other, as well as grow and develop their intercultural learning programs. In celebration of this new partnership, AFS President Vincenzo Morlini launched the Investing in Africa’s Future Leaders initiative. The effort helped raise more than 50 scholarships for African students to go on programs in the next two years.

Study tour offers new insights to AFS experiences in China

In May 2015, the AFS International Programs and Risk Management Department organized a study tour to China to help AFS Network Organizations learn more about the country, address challenges faced  together, and plan for future collaboration and program growth. The study tour introduced 17 AFS volunteers and staff from 10 AFS Partners to the history, culture, education system, daily life, study abroad opportunities, and realities in this fascinating country. Study tour participants also enjoyed an overnight stay with a host family. More study tours are being planned to encourage and facilitate AFS organizations expanding and diversifying the programs and destinations they offer.

UNESCO recognizes AFS as an official partner

“There is a clear relevance of AFS’ work to the current programs and activities of UNESCO, particularly in the fields of education, youth, and intercultural dialogue. Indeed, cooperation between UNESCO and AFS has a solid foundation based on many areas of common interest, synergies and previous collaborations.”  

—Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCO

AFS achieved a major milestone in April 2015 when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced its official partnership with the 100-year-old nonprofit organization.

Specifically, AFS was granted “consultative status,” which enables both organizations to collaborate on initiatives of mutual interest and social good.

In 2015, three AFS Network Organizations sponsored events under UNESCO’s patronage:

AFS Costa Rica hosted the Regional Forum for Intercultural Learning and Global Citizenship in June 2015. Participants of the event concluded that intercultural learning is a transformative tool to increase global citizenship in Latin American communities. AFS organizations from the Caribbean region cooperated with the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education and Ministry of Culture and Youth, and the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights to organize the Forum.

AFS Belgium French conducted a seminar, Bouge ta Culture, in October 2015 in Namur, Belgium to help educators facilitate intercultural learning in schools. The seminar was also supported by Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (FWB), the Confederation of Youth (COJ) and the European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL), the umbrella organization for AFS Network Organizations in Europe.

Participants in the AFS Philippines YES Alumni Assembly 2015 attended a workshop in August on Global Citizenship Education given by the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines.

1. Develop a customized intercultural learning curriculum for AFS students. Facilitated by trained volunteers and staff, the AFS Student Learning Journey & Curriculum will enhance their exchange experience and build intercultural skills that will last a lifetime. 

2. Turn the host family experience into a facilitated intercultural learning adventure for the entire family. The AFS Host Family Intercultural Learning Journey will help family members and hosted students develop tangible skills through fun educational activities and discussions.

3. Expand the AFS Intercultural Link Learning Program for volunteers and staff. Increasing the intercultural competency of our facilitators and the number of trainers improves the quality of AFS programs and the transformative learning of our students, families and others we touch.

4. Create an Educators & Schools Relations community and handbook. Well-researched guidelines, resources and tools will help local AFS organizations develop or improve partnerships with educational institutions and ministries.

Volunteers serve as the driving force of AFS by helping students, host families and schools learn to live together. They facilitate the transformative AFS experience—what we call the #AFSeffect—in others.  And volunteers help keep our organization strong by serving on boards, work groups and task forces to constantly drive improvement.

Although rethinking our volunteer experience required questioning assumptions, the ultimate role of AFS volunteers remains true: Bringing people together to promote intercultural understanding is more important than ever. 

Keeping this in mind, the AFS International Organizational Development team also explored what volunteers want to gain personally and professionally while supporting students, host families and schools. The answer was loud and clear: As they help others, volunteers believe their AFS experience should help them learn, grow and make a difference too.

The new AFS Strategic Framework for Volunteer Development introduced in October 2015 sets the foundation to make this happen. 

Empowering young AFS volunteers

How can young volunteers have a bigger voice in AFS? That was the focus of the AFS Youth Volunteer Forum held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in April 2015, sponsored by AFS Argentina & Uruguay and organized with AFS International. Fifty young AFSers from 24 countries brainstormed ways to involve more young people in AFS governance, decision-making and planning for the future. Forum outcomes reinforced discussions that were already taking place among young AFS volunteers, which then resulted in the AFS Green Paper: Empowering Young People for a Bigger, Better, Stronger AFS submitted to the AFS Board of Trustees. Their suggestions also informed the AFS Strategic Framework for Volunteer Development.

AFS Malaysia and AFS International forum highlights the importance of volunteerism to civil society

The Volunteering & Growing Impact Forum, organized by Yayasan AFS Antarabudaya Malaysia (AFS Malaysia) and AFS International in October 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, explored how active volunteerism in the region contributes to a stronger civil society in the age of global citizenship. This essential conversation came on the heels of the 2015 UN General Assembly meeting where volunteerism was declared “vital” to the success of the post-2015 sustainable development goals (SDG), and an “integral component of the new development agenda.” Distinguished speakers represented four local nonprofits: 1Malaysia For Youth (iM4U), MERCY Malaysia—The Malaysian Medical Relief Society, Sols 24/7 Malaysia and AFS Malaysia. 

New certificate program targets critical 21st-century global skills

AFS encourages our students, volunteers and families to take on changemaking projects as part our commitment to improve local, national and global communities.

Many AFS Network Organizations have embraced changemaking and launched social impact projects to promote the importance of intercultural learning and the power of cultural understanding within local communities. In 2015, the AFS Intercultural Learning (ICL) in Our Own Backyard Awards and the new AFS Volunteers Changemakers Awards honored these efforts. This is the third year for the ICL Awards, which were selected by an international panel of judges representing UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the European Federation of Intercultural Learning (EFIL) and AFS. Using crowdsourcing methods, the AFS global community chose the winning Changemakers projects.

The AFS Intercultural Learning (ICL) in Our Own Backyard Awards

The AFS Volunteer Changemakers Awards