Art Fundraiser
If you have an eye for design… Many stores (i.e. Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, etc.) offer photo services where you…
Author: AFS USA
How Studying Abroad Can Make You Brave
Studying abroad can seem a little scary. You’re far from home in unfamiliar surroundings. You’re dealing with the language barrier…
Chain of Diversity
Goal: Participants will discover and recognize the many ways in which they are similar and are different from others in…
Building Global Competency in the Intercultural Classroom
Overview: The purpose of this activity is to introduce U.S. students to the world beyond their classroom borders through the…
14 Ways to Say Thank You Internationally
Goal: Known as the official start of the holiday season to many, the American secular holiday of Thanksgiving has been…
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Sourced from the UN: Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology – are crucial to…
Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
Sourced from the UN: Roughly half the world’s population still lives on the equivalent of about US$2 a day with…
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy
Sourced from the UN: Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it…
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Sourced from the UN: Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live…
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Sourced from the UN: While the world has achieved progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Millennium Development Goals (including…
Goal 4: Quality Education
Sourced from the UN: Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to creating sustainable development. In addition to improving quality…
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Sourced from the UN: Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Significant…
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
Sourced from the UN: It is time to rethink how we grow, share and consume our food. If done right,…
Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
While global poverty rates have been cut by more than half since 2000, one in ten people in developing regions…
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Sourced from the UN: Sustainable consumption and production is about promoting resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and providing access…
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources
Sourced from the UN: The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive global systems that make…
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Sourced from the UN: Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and…
Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss
Sourced from the UN: Forests cover 30.7 percent of the Earth’s surface and, in addition to providing food security and…
Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
Sourced from the UN: The threats of international homicide, violence against children, human trafficking and sexual violence are important to…
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Sourced from the UN: The international community has made significant strides towards lifting people out of poverty. The most vulnerable…
Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Sourced from the UN: Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more. At their…
Aussie Kiwi Haere Scholarship
The Aussie Kiwi Haere Scholarship is now available for students interested in studying abroad to Australia or New Zealand.
AFS Robbie Robinson Scholarship
Local scholarships for students attending The Barea Midpark High School in Ohio.
Maine Global Explorers Scholarship
Local scholarship for students from Maine.
DelMarPA Year Scholarship
Local scholarships for students from DelMarPa Area Team
DelMarPA Global Prep Scholarship
Local scholarships for students from DelMarPa Area Team
The Felicia Buell Study Abroad with AFS Scholarship
The Felicia Buell Study Abroad Scholarship will award one (1) student from any high school in Washington County, Ohio or…
Helen “Peggie” Miller Scholarship
$5,000 need and merit-based scholarship for semester and year program students
True Peace Scholarship
Local scholarships for students from Nevada and California
Greater Los Angeles Area Team Scholarship
The Greater Los Angeles Area Team Scholarship is made possible by the generosity of volunteers, individual donors, and foundations in…
Bonnie Jernigan Memorial Scholarship
Local scholarships for students from the Massachusetts Bay Area Team.
Michigan Area Team Scholarship
Students living in Michigan, applying for any of AFS’s study abroad programs, are eligible to apply for a local need- or merit-based partial scholarship.
Catherine Scully Scholarship
Students living in the capital city of Springfield, Illinois are encouraged to apply for this merit-based scholarship.
AFS Foundation of Greater Milwaukee Scholarship
Local scholarships for students from Wisconsin.
Orca Scholarship
Up to $2,500 study abroad scholarships for students of Washington.
Friends of Greater Cincinnati Scholarship
Local study abroad scholarships for students from the Greater Cincinnati area.
Linda Jackson Straus Scholarship
Up to $2,500 study abroad scholarships for Talawanda High School students from Oxford, Ohio.
Finland-U.S. Future Leaders Scholarship
Full study abroad scholarships for students from Washington, D.C. to study abroad in Finland.
Kirby Capen Study Abroad Scholarship
$1000 study abroad scholarships for students from Connecticut and New York.
Sharon Lage Study Abroad Scholarship
$1000 or more study abroad scholarships for students from Connecticut and New York.
NYC Metro & Hudson Valley Area Team Scholarship
$1000 or more study abroad scholarships to study abroad for students from Connecticut and New York.
Colorado Rockies Area Team Scholarships
Scholarship to study abroad for a year or semester for residents of Colorado.
CBYX
Full, merit-based scholarship program of the U.S. Department of State to serve as a “youth ambassador” for an academic year home-stay program in Germany.
NSLI-Y
Full, merit-based scholarship program of the U.S. Department of State to study critical languages in an overseas immersion environment.
AFS Returnee Maggie Kane founds pay-what-you-can cafe, A Place at the Table
Many AFS Exchange Students lead impactful lives after their time abroad opened their minds and taught them to collaborate across…
Q&A With AFS-USA’s Alumni Relations Intern: Molly Kisner
Molly Kisner is AFS-USA’s Alumni Relations intern, an AFS Returnee (U.S. to France, 2010), and she is completing our fall…
Studying Abroad in the 1960s
Thanks to the generosity of George Gabb, the AFS Archives recently acquired an oversized scrapbook filled with black and white…
Snow Tubing Fun
Sparkling, sunny, snow tubing fun! Pacific Cascades Douglas County Chapter organized a day of winter sports fun at Diamond Lake…
An update on AFS-USA’s Leadership Initiative for Teams (LIFT) Workshop
December 5, 2018 – Over the weekend, AFS-USA conducted a leadership development workshop at Trinity College’s new Action Lab. Among the attendees…
4 Wonders of Argentina
With Latin American and European influences, Argentina is a multifaceted country with so much to offer. There’s the romantic tango,…
Sky Camp!
Fun times at Pacific Cascades’s post-arrival orientation, Sky Camp! Mixing up deep discussions with a good dose of fun. Parents…
Redwoods Meet-Up
A group of students from AFS Pacific Cascades met together late September in California for a visit to the Redwoods. …
The Good Stuff about hosting…
This is the Good Stuff about hosting………… The Steagall Family from NW Portland shared this: “You get to visit places…
Fall Festival Meet-Up
Denmark, France, Brazil, Switzerland, Dominican Republic, Chile and Germany represented AFS at the Fall Festival meet-up!
Top 25 Benefits of Studying Abroad
Our friends at TakeLessons provided us with this great blog post of the Top 25 Benefits of Studying Abroad! Let’s be…
Second Arrivals
A few family photos of the first meeting between students and families at September arrivals.
Q&A With Board Vice Chair: Jed Hepworth
Jed Hepworth is our new Board Vice Chair and has been a member of AFS-USA’s Board of Directors since 2015.…
Say “Yes!” to Hosting: The Lounibos Family
The AFS 2018 Reel Life Winners, The Lounibos Family, share their thoughts on how Lison, their host daughter, changed their lives!
6 Resume-Building Reasons to Study Abroad in France
With over seventeen thousand students studying abroad in France each year, it’s no surprise that the country is one of…
AFS Volunteer Awards Season is Here!
We are excited to announce the 2016 AFS Volunteer Awards! Once every year, a winner for each award is chosen…
5 Ways You Can Practice Hometown Diplomacy
Hometown Diplomacy is the process through which individual citizens facilitate lasting, positive relationships with citizens of other countries through sharing…
Spotlight On: Janne Harrelson and Patti Rounsevell
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? Patti is an AFS returnee (Costa Rica,…
Spotlight On: Stephanie Davidson
Meet Stephanie Davidson of Helotes, Texas. She’s an AFS returnee who participated in two AFS Summer Study Abroad programs: A…
Spotlight On: Danielle Tye
Meet Danielle Tye…This is her 11th year volunteering with AFS! When people ask what her hobbies are, she always says…
Spotlight On: Jill Goldsmith
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? I was involved in the AFS club…
Spotlight On: Paula McElroy
Meet Paula McElroy, of Silverwood Michigan. She’s a high school teacher, history buff, wife and parent who has made cultural…
Spotlight On: Bob Rushing
Meet Bob Rushing of Silverspring, Maryland. He’s a long-time AFSer who has worn numerous hats in the organization, from host…
Spotlight On: Sandra Caporossi
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? My daughter was in eighth grade and…
Spotlight On: Eric Mattlin
Meet Eric Mattlin of Chicago. A relative newcomer to AFS, Eric is an active member of the Greater Chicago team…
Spotlight On: Ann Sweet
Meet Ann Sweet of Williamsville, New York. Her energy for AFS is limitless. She has hosted 16 AFS students, been…
Spotlight On: Kathleen Broda
Meet Kathleen Broda. She first became aware of AFS in 7th grade from her English teacher whose son was studying…
Spotlight On: Christy Hedrick
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? In the late summer of 2012 a…
Spotlight On: Carol McCaulley
Meet Carol McCaulley of California’s Silver and Gold Team. In her countless years as an AFS volunteer, she has served…
Global Competency in Action: An AFS-USA Volunteer Fights Ebola in West Africa
March 3, 2015 – When Dr. Coleen Cunningham isn’t busy being a mother to her five children, an accomplished infectious disease…
Spotlight On: Hannah Brusewitz
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? I learned about AFS when I was…
Spotlight On: Allison Case Barton
Allison was enthralled by the AFS stories of her uncle who spent a year in Spain in the early 60s…
Spotlight On: Alison Colaluca
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? I grew up fifteen minutes away from…
True Stories of Outstanding Volunteers
April 16, 2015 – AFS has been a volunteer-driven organization for nearly 70 years. Volunteerism is at the core of…
Spotlight On: Lana Davis Boyle
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? I had a friend from Australia with…
Spotlight On: Michelle Brenner
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? My daughter’s dance teacher is a long…
Spotlight On: Ruth Blackstock
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? My friend, Agnes Matheson’s daughter, Marina, was…
Spotlight On: Kathleen Collins
For the month of March we are proud to feature Kathy Collins of the Lake Superior Team in our Volunteer…
Spotlight On: Janet Gaudet
Janet Gaudet became involved with the Greater Illinois Team after getting to know the hosted student of a close friend.…
How Local Volunteers Solidify New Global Friendships
August 4, 2015 – What does a small American town on the Oregon coast have to do with international diplomacy, anyway?…
Spotlight On: Stassa & Jay Phillips
This month we are excited to be spotlighting an AFS COUPLE! Jay and Stassa Phillips of the Ohio River Valley…
Spotlight On: Christine McGarvey
Meet Christine McGarvey of the Baltimore Team. She has been a host mom, a liaison, a hosting coordinator and a…
Spotlight On: Rio Orticio
Rio Orticio knows first-hand what it is like to come to a different country to study. Because of his experiences…
Spotlight On: Katherine Weber
This month AFS USA is pleased to spotlight Katherine (Kate) Weber of the Michigan Team. Kate is a relative newcomer…
Spotlight On: Nancy Bridges
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? A daughter of friends had been an…
Spotlight On: Marie Tonus
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? My son David was an alternate to…
Spotlight On: Kristin Svec
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? I heard about AFS as a teenager…
Spotlight On: Marla Gamble
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? I became aware or AFS as a…
Spotlight On: Jean Goecks
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? My daughter was a semi finalist for…
Spotlight On: Lynn Adams
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? I was a teacher at Washburn High…
Spotlight On: Rio Orticio
Rio Orticio knows first-hand what it is like to come to a different country to study. Because of his experiences…
Spotlight On: Kathleen Birkhimer
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved? I was an exchange student on the…
Welcome, World! Hosting Foreign Exchange Students
Thirteen Greater Charlotte families welcomed a new son or daughter this week into their homes. Not babies, however. They are…
7 Real AFS Returnees Review Our Study Abroad Programs
Read study abroad program reviews from real AFS Returnees about their formative experiences studying abroad on our programs! 1. Naomi,…
The Top AFS Welcome Signs!
Students from all over the world are arriving to the U.S. to meet their AFS Host Families. Over the years,…
How student exchange enriched a Bay Area school…with robotics!
Hosting international exchange students does more than bring diverse cultures into a community. For John O’Connell High School in San…