Program Description | Host Family & Community | Community Service Placement | Travel | Orientations | Eligibility
Program Description
In Belgium, you will find modern meets medieval. The country, historically influenced by the French, Dutch, Austrian, and Spanish, is a unique combination of cutting edge and traditional cultures. The country consists of three regions: Flanders in the north, where most people speak Flemish; Wallonia in the south, where most people speak French; and Brussels, the bilingual capital located in the center of the country, also home to the European Union and NATO.
Our participants are young people between 18-30 who come to Belgium-Flanders to get to know the culture, while being active as volunteers and lending a helping hand to society. You will receive a community service placement in the sphere of education, society, environment, or culture. The community service placement will most likely be a non-profit organization or part of the public sector.
Accommodations will be either in housing provided by the community-based organization or with a host family.
Your local AFS chapter may organize activities throughout the year, which include parties or excursions to other cities or regions in Belgium. Also, over the course of the program, AFS staff and volunteers will hold orientations and evaluate your experience to help with your cultural adjustment.
Language
Belgium has three official languages – Flemish, French, and German. Flemish is the national variety of Dutch spoken in Belgium and is used in the north, French is spoken in the south, and a small population in the east speaks German. In Brussels, the capital of Belgium, both Flemish and French can be heard in the streets.
Host Family & Community
Belgium family life is a unique integration of strong family ties while encouraging maturity and independence in their children. Both parents usually work and you will be expected to do your share of the housework and daily chores like the other children in your host family. This reflects the particularly Belgian style of working out compromises and “pragmatic anarchism.” Despite the dislike for imposed discipline, the Belgians are well-organized and self-disciplined people.
Participants are placed throughout Belgium. Most families are in suburban (40%) or rural (40%) areas, although urban placements are not uncommon (20%). Public transportation is well organized and safe. The country itself is very small and no matter where you are placed, you will always be within a two hour train ride from Brussels, the coast, and neighboring countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg).
Host families in Belgium, like all AFS host families worldwide, are volunteers and are not paid. They open their homes to participants in order to share their community and culture as well as to enrich their own family lives.
The Belgians
Belgians are tolerant, flexible, modest, sincere, warm, friendly and open-minded. Belgians value privacy, enjoy a safe and comfortable life, work hard and are self-disciplined. People will be glad to know you, but you may have to make the first steps toward establishing contact. By showing enthusiasm and interest, by using your charm, tact and openness, you will build real bonds with your new family and friends.
Meals
Belgian cuisine is much more than good chocolate and beer. Some say that it is actually one of the best in the world. Certainly, Belgian people enjoy eating (they are said to be real connoisseurs) and families get together regularly for the evening meal, while during the midday meal everyone is either at work or in school.
Meat and seafood are common staples, accompanied by bread and potatoes, and often cooked with oil or broth. One of the things Belgians are particularly proud of are frites (french fries), which they claim to have invented. Some other traditional Belgian foods are the stoofvlees (stewed meat in a sauce prepared with brown beer) or the famous waffles now eaten all around the world.
Community Service Placement
Our participants are young people between 18-30 who come to Belgium-Flanders to get to know the culture, while being active as volunteers and lending a helping hand to society. You will receive a community service placement in the sphere of education, society, environment, or culture. Your community service placement will most likely be a non-profit organization or part of the public sector.
Accommodations will be either in housing provided by the community-based organization or with a host family.
Past Placements
Here are some examples of past community service placements. The list shows possible placements, but not all projects will be available each year:
Circus School- Helped with the children’s circus lessons, kept an eye on safety
- Learned circus skills including juggling, acrobatics and unicycling
- Traveled to different locations to help with circus workshops
- Equipment maintenance (painting, repairing) and administrative help in the office
- The Refugee Center takes care of accommodations, meals, medical services, and social activities for refugees, as well as provides an explanation for the political asylum procedure in Belgium
- Volunteers assisted in many capacities with the day to day activities in the center
Other examples of past community service placements:
- An officially recognized press agency that works exclusively with young people
- Art education through projects and workshops. Participants will help teach workshops, organize participation projects, or develop an arts product that stands between and explains art to the public
Travel
You will receive a Travel Notification email about 6 weeks prior to international departure with your international flight itinerary and detailed instructions for when to arrive at the Gateway Orientation site in New York City. At that point, you may arrange your domestic travel. In New York City, you will join other AFS-USA participants for an overnight Gateway Orientation before you travel together to Brussels, the capital city of Belgium.
International airfare is included as part of the tuition, but it is your responsibility to get from your home town to the Gateway Orientation site.
Your Arrival
AFS staff and volunteers will be waiting for you at the airport in Brussels. Your group will then be taken to a 3-day welcome orientation outside of the city, where you will get a chance to meet other international AFSers and learn important safety tips and cultural etiquette. After the orientation, you will travel to your host community. If your host family lives far away, you will travel by bus or train to your host community.
Your Return
Before your departure, there will be a final AFS orientation to prepare you for the return home. This will be a great opportunity to reflect on your time in Belgium and share your experience with your AFS friends.
Orientations
In addition to the orientations that you will participate in domestically (the locally held Pre-Departure Orientation, the Culture Trek online orientation, and the national Gateway Orientation), you and your fellow AFSers will have several orientations while abroad. These orientations give you a chance to gather important information about your host country, to meet other AFS teens from around the world, to share experiences and make friends.
Arrival Orientation
The first orientation will take place upon your arrival in Brussels. This will be a 3 day orientation that is intended to prepare you for your first weeks abroad. This will be an international orientation and your opportunity to meet participants from around the world. In addition to covering the rules and safety tips, there will be an emphasis on approaching your experience from an intercultural learning perspective.
Mid-Stay Orientation
If you are participating in a year program, you will also be offered a 2 day mid-stay orientation about 5 months in to your stay. Once again, this will be a time to meet with staff and volunteers, evaluate the first part of your experience, and gain more tips to aid your cultural adjustment.
End-of-Stay Orientation
Finally, there will be an evaluation camp in the weeks prior to departure. This is your chance to reflect on your experience and to share with other AFSers. You will also prepare for the cultural readjustment that is a part of returning home.
Optional Activities
In addition to the orientations, many local chapters organize activities for participants throughout the year. These will vary from chapter to chapter but may include parties or excursions to other cities or regions in Belgium. Unlike the orientations, these activities are optional and are at the participant’s expense.
Eligibility
To participate in this program, you must:
- Be within the age range upon departure (located in the ‘read more’ drop-down)
- Be mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy in accordance with AFS Medical Evaluation Policies
- Have a U.S. passport at the time of application. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the program end date
- Have an open mind, willingness to be flexible, and the ability to adapt to new a culture, school, and environment
