afsusa.orgExchange Cultures - Be a Global Citizen - Pass Peace Forward - AFS-USA

AFS-USA AFS AFS-USA Primary Navigation COVID-19 Study Abroad Host a Student Volunteer Educators Donate Create Account &vert Login More Search Search Primary Navigation COVID-19 Study Abroad Host a Student Volunteer Educators Donate Create Account &vert Login Search Search Other Resources About AFS-USA Explore the World from Home Diversity For Parents & Guardians Alumni Make a Donation Faces of America AFS Blog Contact Us AFS-USA Live without borders Join a Global Community of over 500,000 Get Started Donate Mission & Impact Explore from Home AFS-USA Statement on Racial Justice AFS Intercultural Programs began as the American Ambulance Field Service, a volunteer ambulance corps created in April 1915 by A. Piatt Andrew. In 1947, AFS was transformed from a wartime humanitarian aid organization into a groundbreaking international secondary school exchange, volunteer, and intercultural learning organization with a noble vision: to help build a more just and peaceful world by promoting understanding across cultures. However, while our founders returned to the U.S. as heroes, the Black veterans of the war returned home to a country that continued to disenfranchise them, cause them harm, and overlook their critical sacrifices to our country. Unfortunately, the racism that existed then still exists now – and we are committed to our participation and responsibility toward reducing inequalities, promoting social justice, and dismantling white supremacy. AFS-USA joins the people of our nation and the world who are outraged by the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Oluwatoyin Salau, and far too many others. We strongly support protests across our nation, and we support individuals and movements such as Black Lives Matter who call for change…for action, now. We echo you: Black Lives Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter. We need to support Black communities through meaningful and appropriate funding from the state and federal level. Our organization has important and past due work in front of us. Intercultural education and volunteerism are at the heart of all that we do at AFS-USA. We bear witness every single day at how, by opening peoples’ minds and exposing them to new people, cultures, and experiences, we can change our perspectives and respect and embrace our differences as we foster lifelong friendships. One person can make a difference. We are grateful to all people in our nation and around the world who are peacefully protesting, speaking out, talking with their neighbors, and sharing their thoughts in the wake of brutality. Our organizational mission calls upon us to make the world a more just and peaceful home for everyone. It is precisely in a moment such as this one where each of us, united and determined, can move us closer to the peace and justice that we value and uphold over all else. Exchange your perspective Study Abroad Host a Student Volunteer in the U.S. AFS-USA in Action: The COVID-19 Response Fund AFSers are made for times like these, but we need your help. As we support thousands of students, families, and volunteers, we are also delivering virtual learning tools and online explorations to create more global citizens. Help us go above and beyond the call of duty as we follow in the footsteps of our founders. DONATE TODAY Our Mission and Impact 100 years of volunteerism. 70 years of exchange. AFS-USA honors the legacy of its founders—volunteer WWI and WWII American Field Service ambulance drivers—who emerged from the wars with a bold mission: to help prevent future conflict through cultural exchange and understanding. As a partner in the global AFS network, AFS-USA offers international exchange and education opportunities in over 45 countries and hosts exchange students from 90 countries. True to the spirit of our founders, these intercultural programs are made possible by the dedicated work of AFS Volunteers—more than 4,400 in the U.S. and over 50,000 worldwide. Our diverse study abroad programs vary in length from a year to a few weeks and cover timely and timeless topics such as sustainability and language learning. What every program has in common is a commitment to fostering intercultural and global competence in our students, host families, schools, and communities. This cultural exchange helps us come together, across typical divides, to make a more peaceful and just world. That’s the #AFSEffect. Read our Mission & Values Study abroad, host an international exchange student, or volunteer. Connect across cultures, be a global citizen, and promote peace. Explore the World from Home Quarantine is temporary, but curiosity and wonder about the world is endless. As we’re social distancing, we can still continue international exchange online, become global citizens, and plan our next adventures. Explore more Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Secondary Navigation COVID-19 Study Abroad Host a Student Volunteer Educators Donate Create Account &vert Login Contact Us Telephone: 1 800 AFS-INFO Address: 120 Wall Street Floor 4 New York, NY 10005 About AFS AFS programs foster transformation that lasts a lifetime. Today’s exchange students are tomorrow’s changemakers: diplomats; thought leaders; influencers in the international business and non-profit communities. Every new exchange student is another global citizen in progress—an individual primed to help build a more just and peaceful world. And the impact doesn’t stop with the students. Host families’ lives are transformed by new members from across the globe and host communities gain greater cultural diversity. That’s THE AFS EFFECT. © AFS AFS-USA 2020 Legal Navigation Privacy Policy Equity and Inclusion Statement Public Diplomacy Initiatives Contact Us Terms of Use Blog Merchandise Careers...