Since March, when COVID-19 forced AFS to suspend study abroad programs, many AFSers have been wondering if and when our exchange programs will resume. Today, we are able to announce that we affirm our commitment to resume programming for the second half of 2020 for several locations and where feasible, though things may look a bit different.

Whether you are in high school, at a university  or  jump-starting your career, AFS has the right program for you! Go to school, learn another language or check out our cultural internships and volunteer abroad opportunities. Host families and volunteers are waiting to help make your intercultural learning experience the best time of your life.

“Adjectives can’t really explain how amazing it has been to be able to see life from a new perspective, how challenging it was to overcome the language barrier, or how exciting it was to try new things I’ve never thought I’d do before.”

—Sharifah Dinah Al Idrus, YPscSH15 to Chile

AFS is committed to helping young people to go abroad regardless of their financial situation. That’s why AFS works with corporate and community sponsors and individual donors to help finance AFS programs through full and partial scholarships.

“The cultural differences and challenges are mainly the difference between the Asian and Western mindsets and way of life and also some language barrier in the beginning but as time goes by,  we have grown accustomed to the students as they are to us and it really doesn’t become an issue anymore. At the end of our students’ stay, the cultural differences were so minor that we barely noticed them.

—Chong Wai Ping (Carmen), host mother

“The biggest impact my exchange had on me was exposing me to a world of volunteering. I first started volunteering in America, and now I am still volunteering long after my exchange had ended.”

—Violacea Low, AFS Malaysia volunteer 

These days you don’t have to go far to find an AFSer making a difference in local communities, across industries or at the forefront of an important international issue or social cause.