Parents, guardians, and families – we know you want the world for your teenager. Today, our world is changing faster than ever before as industries globalize and workplaces diversify. Future leaders must have the intercultural skills necessary to communicate, collaborate, innovate, and resolve conflicts across countries. Studying abroad helps students develop the creativity, maturity, independence, curiosity, and adaptability expected of the next generation of leading academics and professionals. Sending your child to study abroad is challenging, but with our guidance and support, your young one will rise to meet these growth opportunities.
Develop 21st century skills and capacities
AFS students are immersed in new communities, languages, customs, values, and ways of thinking.
Research from MIT shows that establishing such deep connections with people from diverse backgrounds improves creativity: “Creativity is all about connecting dots…” and interacting with new people and places provides more cultural reference points and perspectives, “more dots to connect to the ones they already have.” This mental agility boosts problem-solving skills. Students also develop the ability to handle uncertainty, adapt to new environments, and communicate effectively with people from other cultures, even when conflicts arise.
Moreover, reflecting on how cultural backgrounds shape how we think, feel, and act is shown to help clarify a sense of self, building confidence and promoting clear-headed decision-making.
