AFS Intercultural Programs/USA

Summer Programs
Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and Latin America

For More Information, Contact
AFS Info Center
506 SW Sixth Avenue, Second Floor
Portland, Oregon 97204
800-AFS-INFO (toll-free)
Fax: 503-229-0753
http://www.afs.org/usa
E-mail: afsinfo@afs.org

Type of Program: Summer Homestay: Language Study, Homestay Plus, Soccer, or Community Service/Team Mission
Participants: Coeducational, ages 15–18
Enrollment: Varies, depending on program
Program Dates: Four- to eight-week sessions

Location

AFS offers summer exchange programs for young people, ages 15–18 in more than twenty countries, such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, France, Ghana, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Background and Philosophy

With sixty years of proven success, AFS Intercultural Programs has been leading international high school student exchange as a worldwide, volunteer-based, nonprofit organization. In the U.S., AFS-USA provides summer, semester, and year-long study-abroad opportunities to high school students and young adults in more than forty countries around the world. The mission of AFS is to help build a more just and peaceful world by providing international and intercultural learning experiences to individuals, families, schools, and communities through a global volunteer partnership. Each year, more than 11,000 young people are exchanged throughout the world with AFS Intercultural Programs.
The international exchange program was founded in 1947 by volunteer ambulance drivers from World Wars I and II, who believed that the way to ensure future peace among nations was to educate a generation of enlightened future world leaders through international student exchanges.

Program Offerings

Nothing compares to the life-changing experience of living and studying abroad with AFS. Students discover a world of new experiences and gain self-confidence, resourcefulness, and self-reliance. AFS programs are, above all, about learning through active participation and immersion in the culture. Most students live with host families to learn what it is like to live as a member of a family, school, and community in another country and culture. Previous foreign language experience is desirable but not required for all programs. Many AFS programs offer some language training as part of orientation.
Summer Homestay As members of AFS host families and communities, participants, ages 15–18, discover what it really means to live in another culture. Students make new friends, learn a second language or improve their language skills, and discover firsthand what it is like to live as a member of a family in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Finland, Paraguay, Thailand, or Turkey.
Summer Homestay: Language Study This program offers students, ages 15–18, at all language levels, a total immersion experience through formal instruction and daily informal conversation with the host family or dorm mates. Students are placed in small classes according to their proficiency. Programs last four to eight weeks and are offered in Costa Rica, Japan, Latvia, and Panama.
Summer Homestay Plus Participants, ages 15–18, enjoy all the benefits of a homestay. In addition, they participate in group activities, such as studying the arts in Hungary, mountain hiking in New Zealand, playing soccer in Paraguay, or studying the Amazon in Brazil. Programs are offered in Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, and Paraguay.
Summer Community Service and Team Mission Participants make a difference and learn new skills through four weeks of volunteer work that might include helping physically challenged children in Argentina or working in an orphanage and learning about tribal culture in Ghana. Community Service programs are for students aged 15–21. Team Mission students in China and Ghana travel in groups with adult leaders for three to four weeks. Community Service programs are available in Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

Staff

The AFS network includes more than 4,500 experienced, international volunteers in the U.S. and more than 30,000 worldwide, making AFS one of the largest community-based volunteer organizations of its kind in the world. Local volunteers recruit and screen host families and student candidates. They also provide orientation, counseling, and enrichment for AFS exchange students and their natural and host families.

Costs

Program fees range from $4000 to $6000. All fees include international travel with the AFS group and transportation to and from the host family, placement with a carefully selected family who provides room and board, predeparture and post-arrival orientations, 24-hour worldwide emergency numbers, a tuition waiver from the host school, and visa information.

Financial Aid

AFS is actively committed to making its programs available to all qualified students, irrespective of their financial situation, with many need-based and merit-based scholarships available. Examples of some of the financial aid and scholarships awarded nationally are Local AFS Chapter Awards, DeWitt Scholars Diversity Award, AFS Awards for Excellence, and Global Scholars.
To qualify for financial aid, candidates must demonstrate strong financial need, a willingness to allow AFS to help select country placements, interest in community service, and/or a strong academic record. Financial aid is limited; applicants are advised to apply early. Merit scholarships are awarded to applicants who exemplify the qualities promoted and valued by AFS. These include, but are not limited to, academic excellence, strong community involvement, and an interest in intercultural learning.
AFS staff members and volunteers can help participants with financial planning for study abroad. Ways to raise funds to cover remaining program costs are described in Financing Your AFS Experience, a free booklet.

Transportation

International transportation is provided with the participation fee, and students fly together through a gateway city. Transportation to and from the host community is also provided. AFS volunteers and staff members meet students at the airport upon arrival in the host country and upon their return to the U.S. Assistance in arranging affordable domestic flights to gateway cities is available from AFS Travel.