Eligibility
Program Description
Visa and Travel Documents
Getting There
AFS Orientations and Activities
Eligibility
To be eligible you must:
- Be between 15 years 8 months and 18 years 8 months old at the start of the program
- Be in good mental, physical, and emotional health in accordance with the AFS Medical Evaluation Policy
- Have an open mind, willingness to be flexible, and the ability to adapt to a new culture, school, and environment
- Be in possession of a valid United States passport
Program Description
Imagine having six weeks in this beautiful country during summer to enjoy daily life with your host family. The country is predominantly an unspoiled natural playground with vast forests and almost two hundred thousand lakes. Many host families will take their student to visit their summer cottage by the lake. There is an arrival orientation in Helsinki and an End-of-Stay Orientation including a cruise to Tallinn, Estonia that is paid for by AFS Finland.
As with all AFS homestay programs, you will be placed with a volunteer host family who will provide you with lodging, meals, and guidance while abroad.
Day-to-day activities during your time abroad are largely unstructured so that your schedule is flexible and you are free to spend as much time as possible engaging with your host family and host community.
Students may be placed throughout Finland, including Lapland. Most placements (about 80%) are in small cities or in rural areas.
Even though you will be placed with a Finnish-speaking host families, you do not need to speak Finnish in order to participate in the program. In fact, many Finnish host families can speak or understand some English.
Often, your host family will want to share their culture with you by taking trips to museums, festivals, different cities, and other parts of Finland. In order to take advantage of these opportunities, we suggest that you bring at least 300 euros (approx. $400) for spending money.
The program duration is 6 weeks. The first 5 weeks will be spent with your host family in your host community. The final week will consist of end-of-stay activities including a 1 day cruise to Tallinn, Estonia, and a final evaluation camp to reflect on your stay and prepare for your return home.
Please note that although the typical Finnish diet is varied, vegetarians are difficult to place and may not be accepted.
You will be provided with additional information such as a welcome booklet, safety tips, and travel permission forms, prior to departure.
Program details are subject to change.
Learn more about life in Finland.
Visa and Travel Documents
You will not need a student visa in order to participate in this program.
However, in order to travel internationally, you must have a United States passport that is valid for six months longer than your intended stay.
Getting There
You and your fellow AFSers will travel together between New York and Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Upon arrival at Helsinki-Vantaa airport and after collecting your baggage and passing through customs, you will be met by staff and volunteers from AFS Finland. They will escort you to the arrival orientation site, a comfortable youth hostel outside Helsinki, where you will take part in a 1-day arrival orientation.
The following day, you will be picked up by your host family (if you are placed in southern Finland). Or, if you are hosted in the central or northern parts of Finland, you will travel by train or bus to your host community where you will be met by your host family.
AFS Orientations and Activities
In addition to the orientations that you will have domestically (the local Pre-Departure Orientation, Culture Trek, and the Gateway Orientation), you and your fellow AFSers will have multiple orientations while abroad.
The first orientation, in the days after your arrival, will introduce you to the country, Finnish life and various aspects of the AFS experience. It will last for 1 day and conclude when you are picked up by your host family or when you depart to your host community.
At the end of your time abroad there will be a final evaluation camp. 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.
These required orientations are intended to help you maximize the AFS experience, reduce culture shock and to gain knowledge, skills and a global understanding.
In addition to the orientations, some local chapters organize activities for students and host families throughout the summer. These will vary from chapter to chapter but may include parties or excursions to other cities or regions in Finland. Unlike the orientations, these activities are optional and are at the student’s expense.
