Greetings from  the AFS East Metro Team

Our East Metro Team is made up of passionate local volunteers who have a Heart for connecting kids, families, and communities.  We hope to provide resources for intercultural learning experiences that will continue for a lifetime. Through the support of a trusted and caring network of families, educators, volunteers, staff and students, AFS helps to build a global community based on intercultural connections that positively affect the world.

Where are we Located?

The East Metro Area Team broadly defined, represents communities in and around the Twin Cities on the East Side of the Mississippi River.  We include communities as far south in Minnesota as Cannon Falls, as far east into Wisconson as River Falls, as far Northeast in Minnesota as Pine City and as far Northwest as Cambridge.  If we are not the right area team for your area, don’t worry we would be more than happy to help you connect with the right area!

What are we Doing?

Building Global connections through relevant volunteer opportunities, school partnerships in our American’s Abroad Programs and our Hosted Student Programs and engaging community participation in local events.

• We welcome over 40 exchange students into our communities and schools each year

• We send high school students on exchange programs during the summer, fall, and spring

• We have over 75 local volunteers supporting AFS exchange students and host families, as well as, Americans going abroad and their families. 

How can you get Involved?

Opportunites are currently available locally and nationally.  AFS provides training and mentoring for each registered volunteer.  We would love to have you as a part of our team working with you to find the perfect fit for your interests and time.

• Be a Host Family or an Exchange Student Abroad
• Be a Support Contact for a local student and family
• Work with school and chapter development
• Be an orientation leader
• Be a recruiter
• Volunteer for local Events

We are proud that AFS is a volunteer-driven organization.  AFS USA partners with over 50 countries around the world whose local volunteer vision is the same as ours.  Hand in hand we work towards creating a more just and peaceful world by building global connections together.  As with every volunteer organization, we are always looking for members in our community who are searching for an opportunity to get involved.  We have many areas of interest and would be very happy to discuss any of them with you. Training and support are provided in all of these roles. Here are some of our most current volunteer needs:

Student liaison: Liaisons work as a link between the hosted student, the host family, and the host school. The liaison is available for advice (support) on adjusting to various situations that may arise during the exchange experience and as a resource for AFS policy and procedure adherence.

Host Family or Student interviewer: We are currently looking for volunteers who are interested in talking with our prospective students or host families to ensure they have the necessary information about the exchange process and to make sure they are the right candidates for an AFS experience.

These interviews are done in the home. We are happy to ‘buddy’ up new and experienced volunteers for this activity. Greatest Areas of Need: St. Paul and Woodbury

Interested in Getting Involved?

If you have questions about volunteering please contact our volunteer coordinator in East Metro: Becki Kvitrud [email protected]

Our area team has many opportunities for participation with intercultural exchange and experiences.

We work to build teams that can support the various required and social components of our organization.

Feel free to contact the specific person in a given focus area below or contact our
Area Team Chair, Marna Dahlgren at [email protected] or [email protected]

• Lisa Boynton – Hosting a Student – [email protected]
• Anne Mellesmoen – Sending – Study abroad programs [email protected]
• Julie Rivers Kuehn – Orientations for students – [email protected]
• Jill Bergquist – Support Coordinator [email protected]
• Returnee Coordinator –
• Bob Boyce – YES/Flex/CB Cluster Coordinator – [email protected]
• Becki Kvitrud- Volunteering- [email protected]