Global Educator Newsletter: August 2023

Start the School Year with the *NEW*AFS Intercultural Club Toolkit

Dig into this fantastic resource to help you effortlessly create or lead an intercultural club!

You asked for it and we listened! We hope you enjoy the AFS Intercultural Club Toolkit. This annual toolkit is filled with activities and resources for up to two club meetings per month. Plus, you’ll find more than a dozen supplemental activity ideas and resources for extra meetings or events.

If you don’t yet have an intercultural club at your school, this guide will help you get one started with helpful resources, flyers, and tips.

Virtual Exchange Opportunities

Global Up Educator Professional Development

Together with our AFS partner in Indonesia, we are offering you the opportunity to collaborate with Indonesian educators in a blended virtual learning program. Earn 20 hours of professional growth time at NO cost to you, while learning about culture, identity, communication styles, teaching for global competence and more! View the 5-week schedule and the full list of topics covered here! Sign up by September 4th!

With Hispanic Heritage Month on the horizon, consider this brand-new, grant-funded opportunity to connect your students with students in Mexico or Colombia. Teachers of all subject areas are encouraged to participate as you can select between participating in English, Spanish, or a combination. Complete this interest form today so you’ll be invited to our information session and to be first on the list as we get started!

Stay tuned in our next edition of this newsletter for even more virtual exchange opportunities for you and your students! Have a colleague who might be interested? Encourage them to sign up for our newsletter HERE.

Scholarships For Your Students

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)
A program of the U.S. Department of State, the CBYX program provides scholarships for eligible American high school students and recent graduates to spend an academic year of study and cultural immersion in Germany! Scholarship recipients will gain a new perspective on global current affairs and German social, economic, and political life, all while learning the German language through day-to-day life in the culture, attending a local high school, and living with a host family. The CBYX program is accepting applications for the 2024-25 program through November 1, 2023. Encourage students to start their application TODAY.

Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad
A program of the U.S. Department of State, the YES Abroad program provides scholarships for eligible American high school students and recent graduates to live with host families and attend a local high school for an academic year in countries like Egypt, Ghana, India, Senegal, Thailand, Turkey and more. YES Abroad students promote mutual understanding between the U.S. and the host country by building relationships with the local community. We expect the 2024-25 program application to open in September 2023 –click HERE to be notified when the application opens!

National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)
A program of the U.S. Department of State, the NSLI-Y program provides scholarships for eligible American high school students and recent graduates to learn one of eight critical languages: Persian, Indonesian, Hindi, Turkish, Chinese (Mandarin), Russian, Korean, and Arabic! Summer and academic year programs are available, with all programs including language instruction, cultural lessons and activities, conversation practice with local peers, and a host family component. We expect the 2024-25 program application to open in September 2023 –click HERE to be notified when the application opens.

Celebrating 13 Young, Talented Educators

Earlier this month, AFS-USA was able to work alongside 13 vibrant and motivated young educators from across the U.S. who were nominated by their colleagues to attend the 28th AFS Youth Assembly in New York City. These educators spent a full day exploring intercultural learning and ways to infuse it into their classrooms while networking with educators from around the globe. These teachers were welcomed at the United Nations for a celebration of International Youth Day and participated in various other workshops and panels throughout the weekend. If you are a young educator or know of one who should be considered for this experience and scholarship in 2024, please let us know and we’ll make sure to notify you personally when the nomination process opens in the spring.

Everyone at AFS-USA is thrilled to welcome you back to a new and exciting school year. We hope seeing your students again will bring you hope and inspiration for the months to come. You likely have new colleagues so we hope you’ll share the opportunities and resources included in this newsletter with them. You can even invite them to get the newsletter delivered to their inbox so you can all encourage your students to become global citizens.

We’re always working on new intercultural activities and ideas for you and your classroom, so if there’s something you are looking for, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! Have a great school year ahead!

Jill Woerner
Director of Educational Outreach
AFS-USA, Inc.

E: [email protected]
P: (646) 381-3309

Start the School Year with the *NEW*AFS Intercultural Club Toolkit

Dig into this fantastic resource to help you effortlessly create or lead an intercultural club!

You asked for it and we listened! We hope you enjoy the AFS Intercultural Club Toolkit. This annual toolkit is filled with activities and resources for up to two club meetings per month. Plus, you’ll find more than a dozen supplemental activity ideas and resources for extra meetings or events.

If you don’t yet have an intercultural club at your school, this guide will help you get one started with helpful resources, flyers, and tips.

Virtual Exchange Opportunities

Global Up Educator Professional Development

Together with our AFS partner in Indonesia, we are offering you the opportunity to collaborate with Indonesian educators in a blended virtual learning program. Earn 20 hours of professional growth time at NO cost to you, while learning about culture, identity, communication styles, teaching for global competence and more! View the 5-week schedule and the full list of topics covered here! Sign up by September 4th!

With Hispanic Heritage Month on the horizon, consider this brand-new, grant-funded opportunity to connect your students with students in Mexico or Colombia. Teachers of all subject areas are encouraged to participate as you can select between participating in English, Spanish, or a combination. Complete this interest form today so you’ll be invited to our information session and to be first on the list as we get started!

Stay tuned in our next edition of this newsletter for even more virtual exchange opportunities for you and your students! Have a colleague who might be interested? Encourage them to sign up for our newsletter HERE.

Scholarships For Your Students

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)
A program of the U.S. Department of State, the CBYX program provides scholarships for eligible American high school students and recent graduates to spend an academic year of study and cultural immersion in Germany! Scholarship recipients will gain a new perspective on global current affairs and German social, economic, and political life, all while learning the German language through day-to-day life in the culture, attending a local high school, and living with a host family. The CBYX program is accepting applications for the 2024-25 program through November 1, 2023. Encourage students to start their application TODAY.

Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad
A program of the U.S. Department of State, the YES Abroad program provides scholarships for eligible American high school students and recent graduates to live with host families and attend a local high school for an academic year in countries like Egypt, Ghana, India, Senegal, Thailand, Turkey and more. YES Abroad students promote mutual understanding between the U.S. and the host country by building relationships with the local community. We expect the 2024-25 program application to open in September 2023 –click HERE to be notified when the application opens!

National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)
A program of the U.S. Department of State, the NSLI-Y program provides scholarships for eligible American high school students and recent graduates to learn one of eight critical languages: Persian, Indonesian, Hindi, Turkish, Chinese (Mandarin), Russian, Korean, and Arabic! Summer and academic year programs are available, with all programs including language instruction, cultural lessons and activities, conversation practice with local peers, and a host family component. We expect the 2024-25 program application to open in September 2023 –click HERE to be notified when the application opens.

Celebrating 13 Young, Talented Educators

Earlier this month, AFS-USA was able to work alongside 13 vibrant and motivated young educators from across the U.S. who were nominated by their colleagues to attend the 28th AFS Youth Assembly in New York City. These educators spent a full day exploring intercultural learning and ways to infuse it into their classrooms while networking with educators from around the globe. These teachers were welcomed at the United Nations for a celebration of International Youth Day and participated in various other workshops and panels throughout the weekend. If you are a young educator or know of one who should be considered for this experience and scholarship in 2024, please let us know and we’ll make sure to notify you personally when the nomination process opens in the spring.

Everyone at AFS-USA is thrilled to welcome you back to a new and exciting school year. We hope seeing your students again will bring you hope and inspiration for the months to come. You likely have new colleagues so we hope you’ll share the opportunities and resources included in this newsletter with them. You can even invite them to get the newsletter delivered to their inbox so you can all encourage your students to become global citizens.

We’re always working on new intercultural activities and ideas for you and your classroom, so if there’s something you are looking for, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! Have a great school year ahead!

Jill Woerner
Director of Educational Outreach
AFS-USA, Inc.

E: [email protected]
P: (646) 381-3309