O_Garro
Area Team Articles

New Sponsored Programs Coordinator

The California Central Coast Area Team of AFS Intercultural Programs announces that Santa Clarita, Calif., resident Tracy O’Garro has accepted the volunteer position of Sponsored Programs Cluster Coordinator. In this…

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Area Team Articles

Meet Our Newest Volunteer

The California Central Coast Area Team of AFS Intercultural Programs is pleased to announce that Justine Tuncan, a Valencia High School junior, has become the team’s newest registered volunteer. As…

369×556-Whanganui-High-School
Global Choice

Whanganui High School

Whanganui High School is a modern, co-educational school of approximately 1,500 students and over 160 staff. Their International Department has about 65 international students, which make up five percent of…

369×556-Western-Heights-High-School
Global Choice

Western Heights High School

Western Heights is a state, coeducational school with a student body of 1,550. It is Rotorua’s most popular and largest high school, offering excellent pastoral care and student safety. Academically,…

369×556-Whakatane-High-School
Global Choice

Whakatane High School

Unfortunately, enrollment for this school is FULL for the 2020 school year. Check out other New Zealand Global Choice schools that are still accepting new students for 2020. Whakatane High…

369×556-Hillmorton-High-School
Global Choice

Hillmorton High School

Hillmorton High School is a coeducational school with approximately 750 students, including 20 to 25 international students. With a diverse student body, students come from over 40 ethnic backgrounds contributing…

369×556-Papanui-High-School
Global Choice

Papanui High School

Papanui High School is a coeducational, uniform school located in suburban Christchurch, which is ten minutes from both the city center and the airport. It has the benefit of being…

369×556-Te-Puke-High-School
Global Choice

Te Puke High School

Te Puke High School is a semi-rural, uniform, coeducational secondary school located in the township of Te Puke, approximately 10 minutes from the coast. Te Puke High School has a…

369×556-Aotea-College
Global Choice

Aotea College

Aotea College is a multicultural, co-educational school of 930 students, located in the beautiful Porirua Basin. The college has a long-standing tradition of welcoming international students and offering them an…

369×556-Rangitoto-College
Global Choice

Rangitoto College

Rangitoto College is renowned nationally and internationally for offering students a kind environment in which they can develop academically and personally. With 40 different kinds of sports to choose from…

NZL-HS-new-zealand-landscape
Blog, Study Abroad Articles

New Zealand Travel Tips

New Zealand is a wonderland of incredibly beautiful, diverse ecosystems and geography. It’s an otherworldly, exciting destination that’s home to turquoise waters and sandy beaches, lush forests and gorges, glaciers…

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Global Choice

Western Springs College

Western Springs College is a co-educational, uniform school located in central Auckland. Western Springs is known for the friendliness of its students, high quality of its education, as well as…

Walk-Apart-Walk-Together
Lesson Plans

Walk Apart, Walk Together

This activity is appropriate for a wide variety of ages, ranging from elementary school to adult. Since it requires no special materials, it can be conducted in almost any setting.…

What-do-you-know-of-what-you-heard
Lesson Plans

Non-Verbal Communication

Overview: This lesson plan is designed for students to consider the many ways in which people communicate non-verbally, identify their own preferences, and begin to think about the importance of…

Active Listening
Lesson Plans

Active Listening

Active Listening Lesson Plan Overview: Effective communication requires an understanding that not everyone prefers to communicate in the same way. It also requires a person to be an active observer/listener.…

Learning Styles
Lesson Plans

Learning Styles

Overview: Use this lesson plan to gauge student learning preferences in the classroom, and help students become more aware of the strengths and challenges of each style. Activity (Methodology): Self-Inventory…

Understanding-Your-Identity
Lesson Plans

Identity Flower

Overview: In this lesson students will be prompted to think deeply about the various elements of their individual identity. Using the identity flower model as a guide, students will explore…

The-Effects-of-Nuclear-Weapons
Lesson Plans

The Effects of Nuclear Weapons

Overview: The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed the course of history and have had a significant long term effects on the victims. Students will get the opportunity to…

Taking-Action-for-the-Environment
Lesson Plans

Taking Action for the Environment

Overview: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) declared June 5 as World Environmental Day in order to create awareness on issues surrounding the planet, encouraging citizens to take global action. The purpose…

Exploring-Refugees
Lesson Plans

The Potato Activity

Goal: To help youth eliminate stereotypes and to recognize the uniqueness of each individual Time: 20-30 minutes Materials: A brown paper bag, one potato for each student in the class,…

Where do you Stand
Lesson Plans

Where do you Stand

Overview: People’s values, norms and assumptions can often influence and explain their behaviors. This activity offers the opportunity to self-reflect on one’s own values and how these are reflected in…

Observations-VS-Judgements1
Lesson Plans

Conflict Styles

Overview: Use this lesson plan to gauge students’ preferred conflict styles (based on the Thomas-Kilman Model) and open a discussion around how this knowledge might be used to help navigate…

I Am…
Lesson Plans

I Am…

Overview: Use this lesson plan to gauge students’ individual tendencies and prompt rich discussion on how cultural tendencies in societies are reflected in the ways that people describe themselves. Activity…

Microfinance
Lesson Plans

Microfinance: A Poverty-Fighting Tool

Overview: In September 2000 society’s attention was drawn to certain social and economic issues impacting us on a global scale through the development of the United Nations’ Millennium Goals (MDG).…

Exploring-Refugees
Lesson Plans

Exploring Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Overview: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees defines a refugee as person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality,…

Examining-Humanitarianism
Lesson Plans

Examining Humanitarianism

Overview: The United Nations declared August 19 as World Humanitarian Day, as a way to commemorate the 2003 bombing of the U.N in Baghdad, Iraq, as well as a way to…

Education-for-All
Lesson Plans

Education for All #BringBackOurGirls

Overview: Several countries have banded together in order to promote gender equality in education with the goal of eradicating gender disparity in the classroom. Even still, there are several social,…

Examining-Current-Social-Movements
Lesson Plans

Exploring Cultural Values

Goal: Exploring what students consider to be typical U.S. cultural values while comparing them to their perceptions. Objectives: Students will be able to: Become aware of what are considered typical…

Observations-VS-Judgements
Lesson Plans

Cultural Influence on Judgments

Overview: Use this lesson to help students become more aware of their own culture and recognize its influence on their thoughts, behaviors, and how they view the world. Activity (Methodology):…

Understanding-Your-Identity
Lesson Plans

Connect the Dots

Overview: In this lesson students will explore the notion of how people often subconsciously limit their perspective. By engaging in a short puzzle task students will be challenged to think…

Keith Stock
Leadership

Keith Stock

Chair Keith Stock U.S. to Panama, 1969 Mr. Stock is an international strategist, private markets investment manager and financial services executive in his roles as Chairman and CEO of First…

Co-Chair John T. Colas
Leadership

Co-Chair John T. Colas

Co-Chair John T. Colas U.S. to Belgium, 1979-80 John T. Colas serves as Partner and Vice Chairman of Oliver Wyman Financial Services Americas. He has worked in each of the…

Richard Engel
Leadership

Richard Engel

Richard Engel U.S. to Italy, 1990-91 Richard Engel serves as NBC News’s chief foreign correspondent. He previously served as the network’s Middle East correspondent and Beirut Bureau chief. Engel was…

Carson Gleberman
Leadership

Carson Gleberman

Carson Gleberman U.S. to Switzerland, 1976 Carson Gleberman has worked for McKinsey & Company, Citibank and The Viral Hepatitis & Liver Disease Foundation, and most recently served as the Executive…

Christine Plews
Leadership

Christine Plews

Christine Plews AFS Returnee, U.S. to Ecuador, SP 1969 Host Sibling, 1974-75 One World Area Team Volunteer, 2008-2010 AFS Host Family Teachers Exchange Program, 1984 Siri Saisang Thailand Hosting of…

Wim Wiewel
Leadership

Wim Wiewel

President, Lewis & Clark College Returnee – Netherlands to the U.S., 1968-69; Volunteer Wim Wiewel, who came from the Netherlands to the U.S. as an AFS student in 1968, is…

Matthew van Steenwyck
Leadership

Matthew van Steenwyck

Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Longbow Technology Ventures Sending Parent Matthew van Steenwyck, known as Matt, is the Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer for Longbow Technology Ventures, a…

Krishen-Mehta-1400×790
Leadership

Krishen Mehta

Senior Adviser, Tax Justice Network and Former Partner, PwC AFS Sending Parent and Returnee Krishen Mehta is a writer, teacher, and speaker on issues of global tax justice. Prior to…

Debra-Maly-1400×790
Leadership

Debra Maly

Speech Pathologist Chair of the National Council; Host Parent Debra Maly, known as Deb, is the Chair of AFS-USA’s volunteer representative body, the National Council. Deb became involved with AFS…

Emre Evren
Leadership

Emre Evren

Senior Consultant, The Hartford Financial Services Returnee – Türkiye to the U.S., 1984-85 Emre Evren joined the AFS-USA National Council in 2013. He is an AFS Returnee from Türkiye to…

Marlene-Baker-1400×790
Leadership

Marlene Baker

Vice President, Development, Alumni Relations, & External Communications Marlene Baker spent the first 25 years of her career in senior management positions in marketing and communications. After 12 years with…

Steve Thrush
Leadership

Steve Thrush

Vice President, Hosting and Strategic Operations Steve Thrush leads AFS-USA’s core hosting operations and is responsible for oversight, strategic priorities, and operational implementation of AFS-USA’s hosted student admissions, field hosting…

Mary Jo Brock
Leadership

Mary Jo Brock

Vice President, Host Family Experience & Stakeholder Engagement Mary Jo Brock first experienced the transformative effect of exchange as a host sibling to AFS student Manuela from Peru in 1980.…

Willie Thompson
Leadership

Willie Thompson

Willie Thompson: Vice President, Digital Strategy & Business Intelligence Willie has over 17 years of experience with AFS Intercultural Programs. Having participated in a study abroad opportunity in Russia in…

Melvin Harmon
Leadership

Melvin Harmon

Vice President, Marketing, Study Abroad, and Participant Support & Learning International student exchange has been a part of Melvin Harmon’s life for more than 40 years, starting with his own…