AFS Intercultural Programs

AFS Intercultural Programs is a non-profit international student exchange organisation dedicated to helping young people reach out to the world.

With the help of our fantastic volunteers, we’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of motivated youngsters who live to make a difference in the world for over sixty years. Giving them the opportunity to go overseas and connect with other cultures is our way of helping them fulfill their dreams and realise their own potential to foster peace in the world.

We value the role young people play in society – they are the ultimate peace-mongering generation with vision, heart and hope. An exchange program is just one way we help them find their voice and dream out loud!

Our history

The AFS legacy is a great source of inspiration for this organisation. During World War I & II, young Americans served overseas as volunteer ambulance drivers in the American Field Service, evacuating the wounded from the battlefields and helping to liberate concentration camp survivors; regardless of race, gender or nationality. When they returned home, they founded a movement to promote peace through international student exchange, known today as AFS Intercultural Programs. They knew what we also know: Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders.

Our core values

• AFS enables people to act as responsible global citizens working for peace and understanding in a diverse world.
• AFS seeks to affirm faith in the dignity and worth of every human being and of all nations and cultures. It encourages respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms without distinction as to race, sex, language, religion or social status.
• AFS activities are based on our core values of dignity, respect for differences, harmony, sensitivity and tolerance.

AFS offers more scholarships than any other exchange organisation and is supported by over 40 organisations and individuals. Thanks to their support, over 60 scholarships are awarded each year to young Australians from all walks of life and from all areas of the country to do their bit for world peace.

High school exchange programs can range from 2 weeks to a year, with over 50 destinations available! Our special community service programs allow active youth to go overseas and work at a grassroots level with disadvantaged communities to make a difference.

Every year, Australians young and old commit themselves to go overseas solely with the purpose of helping disadvantaged people, environmental groups or human rights organisations to name a few. When they return, they realise just how much they have learnt from these people. People who seem to be so different, and yet with whom we share the common bonds of humanity and avid hopes for the future.

Over the years, AFS has cultivated a vibrant youth community around the world who have all been involved with, or been touched by the AFS spirit of cultural reconciliation. Here’s how you can get involved with our project for peace:

• Live an exchange experience on a partial or full scholarship!
• Become an AFS volunteer!
• Network with us and share your thoughts about peace, diversity and youth!
• Get involved with our community events across Australia!

It’s all about young people with vision for our organisation – we’d be incredibly proud and happy if you just found the energy and inspiration to spread the infectious spirit of peacemaking in your blogs, everyday conversations and Facebook updates!

The people who do get the opportunity to go overseas, despite being hindered by language barriers or perhaps chronic “I can’t read a map without Navman” syndrome ( there’s a Facebook group you can join for a bit of chicken soup social-networking!), do find that they have indeed made a difference. They have empowered their own cognitive abilities and cultural awareness, learn another language, found home and heart with another family; or perhaps helped a developing community empower themselves. But more importantly, each and every individual has moved us one step closer to creating a world without prejudice. And without the prejudice that often moves human beings to violence and negative thinking, we have the opportunity to work in solidarity to create a more peaceful and tolerant society.

Fear not the differences between your world and the world a thousand miles or perhaps a few paces away from you, for these differences are what enable us to learn from each other. As long as we remain wary of the different way people speak, eat, dress, walk or sit; we deprive ourselves of creating an enduring human experience by exchanging knowledge. For more information on how to get involved with AFS or to apply for scholarships, please visit www.afs.org.au