Travel through time and across continents in this special collection of episodes from The AFS Exchange podcast. From wartime ambulance drivers to life-changing student exchanges, hear personal stories that shaped AFS—and global citizens—through service, friendship, and curiosity.
Voices of AFS: Stories That Shaped a Global Legacy
Personal stories from the past and present of AFS
Interview with an Ambulance Driver
This episode starts out with a brief history of the American Field Service. Next, we hear from Steve Riford, one of the AFS Ambulance Drivers during WWII. Steve shares stories of his time with the American Field Service- from boat rides and bagpipes to loud cannons and lost windshield wipers. After volunteering with AFS, Steve became a member of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
Cyprus 1974: A Summer Never to Forget
In this episode we’ll explore the typical questions about AFS experiences, such as host families and skills gained. However, the focus will be on their gripping experience fleeing Cyprus during a period of uncertainty. It was during this tumult that they developed a friendship, one that has persisted over the years.
Apartheid, Iowa, and the Aftermath: Reed and Ketsi’s Story
In this episode of The AFS Exchange, we share the incredible story of Reed Davis and Ketsi Meka, two friends separated by continents and decades. Ketsi, from South Africa, lived with Reed’s family in Iowa during 1982-83. After Ketsi returned to Apartheid South Africa, they lost touch despite Reed’s repeated efforts to reconnect.
Thirty years later, Reed headed to South Africa for work and ramped up his search for Ketsi. Spoiler alert: they finally reconnect and reflect on the years since Ketsi’s time in Iowa, leading to a creative project together.
Driving Change: The Legacy of AFS Volunteers
For this year’s AFS Founders’ Day, observed on April 7th, we delve into the remarkable origins of the organization during World War I. This episode recounts the story of the American Field Service, where young American volunteers courageously served as ambulance drivers, years before the US even officially entered the war.
The Curious Trunk & the Lost Cairn: An AFS Historian's Journey
Welcome back to The AFS Exchange for the second part of our Founders’ Day celebration! After covering the “when” and “what” of AFS’s start in WWI in our last episode, we’re now diving into the “who”- the people who were there, the early volunteer drivers.
Join us as we talk with historian Thomas Fife and get a glimpse into the lives of four of these individuals, uncovering some truly unexpected connections and poignant moments.
We’ll also hear about Thomas’s own journey into this history, which began with a random trunk he bought in Ohio and led him to the quest of locating a 100-year-old cairn in France. It’s clear that the impact of AFS began long before student exchanges, touching lives in surprising ways.