From the AFS-USA President & CEO, Tara Boyce-Hofmann
Recently I had the honor to recognize two outstanding educators and their schools through the AFS-USA Global Awards. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Department of State for Professional and Cultural Exchanges at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Nicole Elkon, and I presented them with their awards in Alexandria, Virginia and heard passionate comments about the importance of global education and the current realities of US educators.
In this issue of the Global Educator Newsletter, enjoy the variety of exciting and meaningful opportunities for you and your students. These scholarships & experiences are well-suited for you because of your role in creating the leaders and global citizens of tomorrow who’ll help to ensure that our future has a greater potential for peace.
Thank you for all that you do toward helping create a more just and peaceful world.
Tara M. Hofmann
President & CEO
AFS-USA, Inc.
Opportunities for Educators – Scholarships, Global Meet-ups, & More!
We are so excited to offer MULTIPLE opportunities to connect with educators from abroad both virtually and in person in the coming months. Check out these great scholarship opportunities.
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Win one of 250 Scholarships to become an AFS Global STEM Educator! This online, interactive certificate program is designed for Educators to build the skills needed to become globally competent leaders and foster global competence in their school communities and beyond. Applications for the 2023 Global STEM Educators are open to in-service secondary-level STEM educators from anywhere in the world and they are due by April 16, 2023. Apply today! |
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India and USA are inviting seven educators to join us on a blended learning journey toward global competence. Learn about everything from culture & identity to spiritual diversity & globally competent teaching and do it jointly with educators from India! Educators will receive a certificate of global competence which indicates 20 hours of professional growth after successful completion of the program. Register now as the training launches on April 19, 2023! |
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AFS-USA has ten full scholarships to award to young educators who want to “Breakthrough to a Better Future” at the 28th Annual Youth Assembly. The scholarship winners will join 40 educators from around the world to network and engage in interactive learning about global citizenship education. The Youth Assembly takes place in New York City from August 11-13, 2023. The scholarships include conference registration, a travel stipend, a shared hotel room, the educator workshop, and some meals. Nominate a young educator (32 or younger) before April 23, 2023! |
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Join us on Friday, April 28 at 1:00pm Eastern (10:00am Pacific) for a live Meet & Greet with educators in Ghana. Feel free to join with your students, if you have class at that time, as the session is not recorded. Talk about your culture and they’ll share theirs and then discuss possible projects or discussions you could do together with your classes in the future! Lots of possibilities. Only 25 spots are available for teachers in both countries so register today! |
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Are you a U.S. K-12 administrator looking to share best practices, build global networks, & develop innovative approaches to the issues most important in your communities? The Fulbright Leaders for Global Schools Program sends cohorts of school administrators to Europe for an intensive program (approximately 10 days in length) to explore different strategies to prepare the next generation with the skills and understanding necessary to address global challenges and succeed in a global economy. Learn more about this exciting professional learning opportunity & apply to be a Fulbrighter in 2023-2024. Applications are due April 17, 2023. Sign up for updates from Fulbright Teacher Exchange. |
Meet the 2023 AFS-USA Global Award Winners
Read more about both of our winners and see the criteria for the awards on our website.
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Lindsey Smaka, a science teacher and coordinator of the Global Scholars Program at Edina High School in Minnesota, was named the 2023 AFS-USA Global Educator of the Year for her commitment to bring global thinking and international opportunities to her students. Photo: Lindsey Smaka is pictured between U.S. Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Nicole Elkon (left) and Tara Hofmann, AFS-USA President and CEO (right). |
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Manhattan High School USD 383 in Kansas received the 2023 AFS-USA Global School of the Year Award for their deep-rooted commitment to global competence building-wide and for the generations of global families and friends they’ve fostered through their dedication to intercultural exchange. Photo: Janet Hanson, AFS Club Sponsor from Manhattan High School, is pictured between Nicole Elkon (left) and Tara Hofmann (right). |
75 Years of Stories
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Closing out our 75th Year of Exchange AFS has been leading student exchange for 75 years. With so many years and people impacted, there are MANY stories to be shared. We know a lot of educators were inspired to share the language and culture acquired from their AFS experience in the classroom. Does this sound familiar? Have you encountered AFS through a hosted student in your home, classroom, or community? Share your story with us. |
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AFS Makes the World a Little Smaller Once you or your students become part of the AFS family, it’s amazing to see the connections that are made. This group of AFS exchange students from DC, MD, and VA went to visit the American Visionary Art Museum and found that one of the museum docents was an AFS alum. Have you been impacted by the #AFSEffect? Tell us your AFS story. |
Opportunities For Your Students
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The AFS Global STEM Accelerators is an extraordinary, full-scholarship program for young women who are active global citizens and passionate about solving some of today’s biggest global challenges. The 2023 Accelerators program consists of virtual, interactive workshops for girls around the world between the ages of 15 and 17.5, with a focus on critical STEM skills, global competence education, and social impact – empowering participants to become changemakers in their communities. Applications for the second cohort of this 12-week, all-virtual Accelerators exchange program will open on May 15, 2023. Share the website with your students so they can learn more and apply! |
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How Global are your Gen Z students? Have you ever asked your students if they would like to have exchange students in their classes? On the student council with them? On their athletic team? What about in their home? It’s amazing the influence our Gen Z learners can have when they realize what’s possible and many times they don’t know what they don’t know. I challenge you to inspire your students this spring to either decide to go abroad or to consider inviting a student from abroad to be part of their daily life. Invite your students to explore the possibilities at www.afsusa.org and see how they can become global citizens with AFS this spring! |
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You’ve come back from a much-deserved spring break and are entering the home stretch to get to the end of the year. We have activity ideas to kickstart rich dialogue among students. We have cultural and country-specific information to potentially complement an existing unit. We have scholarships and opportunities for you and your students to travel and learn with others from abroad. Basically, we’re here to help you create active global citizens. Just let us know what you need! Jill Woerner Director of Educational Outreach E: [email protected] |