2024 AFS-USA Summit

The 2024 AFS-USA Summit will be held at the Marriott Las Colinas hotel, in Irving, TX.

If you are invited to attend the Summit, you will receive additional information about the hotel with your registration information.

AFS-USA is excited to open this year’s conference to all current volunteers (age 21+) and to host parents from the 2023-24 program year. We hope by extending the opportunity to a broader audience that more people can benefit from the experience and more AFS-USA volunteers will be exposed to the ideas discussed at the Summit. If you are interested in possibly attending this year’s AFS-USA Summit, we invite you to complete the 2024 AFS-USA Summit Interest Form by July 8, 2024.

Summit participants have an opportunity to attend a pre-Summit Intercultural Learning workshop on Friday, November 1. The workshop is designed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools they will need as members of the AFS community, and of their own communities, to become culturally competent active global citizens. Topics include how AFS creates impact, tools to understand differences and suspend judgment, cultural dimensions and intercultural communication strategies, inclusivity at the local level, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

If you are selected to attend the 2024 AFS-USA Summit, the following expenses will be paid/ reimbursed by AFS-USA:

• Round-trip travel between your home and Dallas, TX (Economy class only)
  • Airport: Dallas/Ft Worth International Airport (DFW) and Love Field (DAL) are approximately equidistant from the hotel in Irving, so either option is fine.
• Public transportation between airport and hotel.
• Mileage reimbursement (67 cents per mile) for those who do not fly, provided that the mileage reimbursement is less than the cost of a round-trip plane ticket. For those who may drive to Dallas, the hotel has free onsite parking for Summit attendees.
• Hotel room for the Friday and Saturday night, shared with another volunteer of the same gender. In limited cases, AFS-USA will pay for the hotel for Thursday or Sunday evening, if flight availability is such that it would be impossible to travel on the preferred days. Volunteers who are unable or unwilling to share a room will be asked to pay for 50% of the cost of their room for the weekend. For two nights, the cost a volunteer would be asked to pay for their own room is approximately $139 (plus taxes and fees), paid directly to the hotel upon check-in.
• Meals (catered by hotel): dinner on Friday evening, breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

• Transportation to/from your home and local airport/train station
• Checked baggage fees
• Upgrades to business or first class
• Airport parking fees during the conference
• Incidentals in your hotel room
• Dinner on Saturday night
• Meals in-transit

We hope we can welcome everyone who is interested in attending the Summit. However, we have less than 100 volunteer spots and a set budget (and space limitations at the hotel). If the number of interested attendees exceeds the number of slots – we will prioritize selection on the following criteria:

• Those attending their first AFS Summit
• Those who haven’t attended the AFS Summit since 2019 or prior
• Ensuring as much geographical variety as possible among invited volunteers

Invitations and registration information will be emailed to Summit invitees in August.