Newsletter | February 2020

Inside this issue

F E B R U A R Y

2 0 2 0

2 Explore the Educa onal Results Study (2004) in our AFS Research sec on and learn about the growth and learning of our exchange students compared to their 'Best Friends’ 3 Experience #AFSEffect | Read the Words from the AFSers!

4 Read more about our Member School, Pragnya Bodhini High School, Mumbai 5 AFS is collabora ng with amazing organiza ons. This month read more about Interna onal Career & College Counseling (IC3) that enables high schools to help their students make best-fit higher educa on and career decisions.

6 In Intercultural Learning, read about the Effect+ Workshops, ICL Educators' Training and Level W Training.

7 Read more about the AFS Regional Schools Meet - West India which was a ended by 14 AFS member schools of West India Region 8-9 Read the Impact Stories of Asia Kakehashi and NSLI-Y Program par cipants.

10 In Joy of Volunteering, read the stories of impact of Gandhinagar and the Regional Volunteer Exchange to Delhi.

11 Send your students abroad on Study Tour to Australia on. Get in touch with us today

Educational Results Study (2004) As a follow-up to the pioneer AFS Impact Study conducted in the 1980s, in 2002-2004 Dr. Mitchell Hammer, with the support of AFS, conducted research tled the AFS Study Abroad Experience or the AFS Educa onal Results Study. A total of 2,100 teenagers from 9 different countries par cipated in the research. In this group, 1,500 were students who recently returned from AFS exchange programs and 600 were a control group composed of friends of the AFS students who did not go on exchange.

The study was based on Dr. Milton Benne 's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensi vity (DMIS), a framework that aims to explain the reac ons of people as they engage with cultural differences. Par cipants' levels of intercultural sensi vity were measured within the DMIS framework through the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), a validated tool for assessing intercultural sensi vity designed by Dr. Milton Benne and Dr. Mitchell Hammer. The subjects were evaluated before, during and a er an experience abroad. Compared to the control group, AFS students made significant improvements. If we look at the overall findings, AFS students, compared to the “best friend” (control group), had significantly: -

Increased intercultural competence Increased knowledge of the host culture Increased fluency in the language of the host country Less anxiety in interac ng with people from different cultures Increased friendships with people from other cultures Greater intercultural networks

The results of the research confirmed that AFS study abroad year programs are remarkably effec ve across a number of important benchmarks to develop intercultural sensi vity: intercultural competence is improved, knowledge of the host culture increases, intercultural anxiety decreases, cross-cultural networks expand, friendships increase upon return home, and strong gains in host language fluency result. These results are directly due to the AFS program, as similar gains did not result when students remained at home.

The results of the research confirmed that AFS study abroad year programs are remarkably effective across a number of important benchmarks to develop intercultural sensitivity: intercultural competence is improved, knowledge of the host culture increases, intercultural anxiety decreases, cross-cultural networks expand, friendships increase upon return home, and strong gains in host language fluency result.

Page 02 | February 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Amrita Burman says, “Over the past few years with AFS programs becoming popular and more parents and students ge ng interested in Inter-cultural exchanges, the intercultural immersions have really taken root in Sunbeam Schools. Increased contact among people of the world…. while, we have hosted children from abroad or when our children have gone abroad, has promoted understanding, tolerance, and respect among people of different cultures in a big way.

I feel developing intercultural competencies has become absolutely important and impera ve for today’s students, in a world which is fast becoming a global village. I have seen students returning back from such programs have a bigger vision, are more independent and risk taking and have greater decision making abili es. They also become very adap ve and flexible in thought and approach and are problem solvers.

I have also seen them take bigger pride in being an INDIAN and make that bit of extra effort to project their country in be er light. At the same me they respect other na ons and na onali es and apprecia ve of their culture and tradi on.

While on a program and living with a host family, I have seen my students develop love and proficiency for the host language which becomes a key to developing intercultural communica ve competencies, which also leads to lifelong rela onships across cultures.

AFS programs help to transcend one’s singular worldview, to see afresh, to learn more about others and oneself. As students develop friendships across cultures and become comfortable with differences, they contribute to the much needed goals of peace, social justice, and equality. This is my takeaway from the AFS association till date.

- Amrita Burman

Staying with host families are the most exci ng component, helping par cipants to merge into the culture, developing life-long rela onships, aiding language learning, and providing a sense of security.

It’s also very heartening to see that on return from programs, children engage in ac vi es that impact others through educa on and service having engaged in serious community development program while on an exchange.

For me as an educator, AFS programs help to transcend one’s singular worldview, to see afresh, to learn more about others and oneself. As students develop friendships across cultures and become comfortable with differences, they contribute to the much needed goals of peace, social jus ce, and equality. This is my takeaway from the AFS associa on ll date.”

Chandrajit says, “I went on AFS program in 2011. My AFS journey was a founda on to become a responsible ci zens and a responsible child for my parents. Before going on AFS program, I was shy, mid and I was not able to make a good decision. The transi on is unbelievable when I look back today and it was a year of self discovery.

AFS helped me to realize the value of other cultures and focus on more learning. I have developed the value of respec ng small things in life with the help of doing projects and connec ng with AFSer from other community within India.

Chandrajit Chingakham

Amrita Burman

(AFS Alumni 2011-12)

(Deputy Director, Sunbeam Group of Educa onal Ins tu ons)

I have just graduate with the bachelor in Business Administra on and also studied postgraduate Diploma in hospitality. I just finished one year food and beverage internships at the Roosevelt A Waldorf Astoria hotel in New Orleans. The experience I had with AFS really help me when dealing with customers as I learnt to be flexible in any workplace.”

Page 03 | February 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Pragnya Bodhini High School 12, Rd Number 2, Jay Prakash Nagar, Goregaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400063 Phone No.: 022 - 26864996

From Being We & Them To Being Us “Every person sees the world from his own perspec ve, unless there is someone who takes the onus to widen that key hole. We, teachers at Pragnya Bodhini High School, assume the responsibility is on Us, of turning those 4 walls of the classroom into a canvas on which they will paint the picture of the world as they view it. And we have to make sure, that the picture is a beau ful one.

Yes, we have been lucky to have opportuni es to be a part of some reciprocal visits, but for being truly accep ng of the differences it has to be an ongoing integra on in their day to day learnings, and this is where our specially designed ac vi es pertaining to global issues sprinkles the garnish.

One idea that we as a school believe in, is thinking Globally & ac ng locally, and one thing that has been affec ng the en re human race since the past few years is the rapidly deteriora ng environment. As our kids indulged into collabora ve work with NGOs such as The Future Earth, Srus gyan, The Climate Ac on and Young People Mumbai Stockholm, Sweden, we chose to work with Sweden for the cultural exchange because it’s the only country that has worked tremendously on zero waste and trying to work on no pollu on.

As a part of the Environmental & Climate Change, our students exhibited immense enthusiasm in developing Eco friendly working models for disaster management, taking plumbing training, celebra ng Bio diversity week & Earth Hour, using various devices & instruments to build a weather sta on in school, learning to make devices that run on solar energy thus conserving energy & many more..

thoughtless ac ons of humans living at one end of the world can have consequences which have to be borne by people who are not even remotely known to them.

Branching out from this thought it was easier for them to understand that if the bad can have consequences, even a li le good can spread ripples of happiness. Making sure that goodness prevails, Pragnya Bodhini High School have been working on building peace outside & within the children. Right from li le things like having a Mul faith prayer, learning to resolve conflict amicably, to wri ng peace slogans & preparing posters, there is a lot of emphasis on developing a feeling of Gra tude amongst children.

As a school we strive to nurture our children into true Global Ci zens, who we envision as individuals who take pride in their own culture, history & origin but at the same me are ready to learn about, understand & appreciate cultures that are alien to them.

However, amidst all the differences they see whilst they compare their own culture to others, we always encourage them to find ways in which they are similar as human beings, how making someone happy is not a culture thing, how lending a helping hand has nothing to do with what faith you follow, how comfor ng someone in distress has nothing to do with which country to you belong.

These ac vi es were shared with our partner schools through Skype sessions & concalls. However, the presence of two students from Sweden, helped them get a magnified vision of the ideologies that the children are reared with. While conversing with their Swedish counterparts they admired the sense of belongingness they had towards their country and it definitely rubbed off. They realized that taking the responsibility of keeping our country garbage free is every ci zens responsibility.

And most importantly through these opportuni es of learning other cultures, our children understand the delicate rela onship of humans with their religion, culture, tradi ons & spirituality and how each phenomena plays a different role in making us whole and yet how these aspects are not something that can solely define us.

A er an amicable discussion the fact dawned that the UK teachers did not want the students to take tub baths and they do not have the concept of bucket baths like India. One thing they learnt through these ac vi es pertaining to environment was, that

Intercultural learning compels an individual to Go beyond self and challenge & change the acquired no ons one has had about the world, in this process of learning, unlearning & relearning, our kids are sculpted into being true ci zens of the 21st century.”

Page 04 | February 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

International Career & College Counseling (IC3) www.ic3movement.com India: +91 9167873284 U.S.: +1 (215) 847-7938 info@ic3conference.com IC3 Movement Most high schools s ll focus on the academic areas such as Mathema cs, Sciences, Languages, etc. and human resources are typically assigned to these departments in large numbers. The func on of career and college counseling, which is as important (if not more) to a student’s development and is highly dynamic due to constant changes in careers and evolving program choices, usually does not receive adequate resources or a en on. The Interna onal Career & College Counseling (IC3) Movement aims to change this imbalance and enable high schools to help their students make best-fit higher educa on and career decisions.

Through the IC3 Conference, IC3 Regional Forums and the IC3 Ins tute, the goal of the IC3 movement is to empower every school to run a robust, fully func oning career and college counseling department. The work of the IC3 Movement can be broken down into three parts: -- Sensi ze educators on the need and cri cality of the Career and College Counseling func on -- Glamorize the profession so that enough people take on teaching and counseling as a career -- Develop the human resources and conduct research that will be needed to deliver this func on effec vely in schools 2020 Annual IC3 Conference 26-27 August 2020 – Delhi, India The Annual Interna onal Career & College Counseling (IC3) Conference brings together higher educa on representa ves for a collabora ve dialogue on issues that drive sustainable and inclusive counseling prac ces focused on student success.

The 2020 Annual IC3 Conference will be held on 26-27 August 2020 at the Taj Palace, New Delhi and is expected to draw diverse par cipa on from 50+ countries.

The conference expects over 1,200 educators comprising of high school delegates, principals, university representa ves, educa on leaders and government representa ves.

The conference will feature insigh ul keynote addresses, 40+ breakout sessions presented by 100+ dis nguished speakers, exci ng networking opportuni es with high schools, and pre- and post-conference learning opportuni es.

IC3 Regional Forums The IC3 Regional Forums are a series of one-day events, hosted at local high schools that provide an opportunity for learning and new knowledge crea on along with networking. Counselors, teachers, and principals from the local area interact with universi es from across the globe.

“A ending IC3 Conference helped me a lot! You get to meet so many universi es and the sessions are really well thought out, keeping both schools and counsellors in mind. I have benefi ed so much from IC3 Conference, learning so much not only from the sessions, but from other counsellors and universi es as well. It is so impressive to see the fabulous, enthusias c teamwork in the IC3 family and the newest venture, the IC3 Ins tute.”

- Teji Varghese Academic Guidance Counselor, Jamnabai Narsee School, India

IC3 Ins tute The IC3 Ins tute is a volunteer organiza on that provides support to high schools around the world through guidance and training resources for high school administrators, teachers and counselors. The IC3 Ins tute has been established with the goal of training 100,000 professionals and impac ng 176,000 schools in the next 15 years to be er equip professionals in the field through training and resources.

If you have any ques ons, please feel free to reach out to the conference team at info@ic3conference.com.

Page 05 | February 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Effect+ Workshop and ICL Educators’ Training The Effect + workshops use interac ve experien al learning methods to teach students how they can advance the United Na ons Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ICL Teachers Training empowers teachers to incorporate intercultural learning in classrooms while also helping the students develop intercultural competences, become savvy about the world around them, and be prepared to make an impact in their local communi es. We are very proud to share that we have reached 40 students and 30 educators from overall 5 schools in the Mumbai region as we con nue our journey of ICL and Effect+ Workshops in February. This supports the global movement to advance intercultural learning and global ci zenship educa on and AFS’s mission to create CHANGEMAKERS! The workshops were duly facilitated by Bhavya Arora.

The workshop helped me both personally and professionally.

Firstly, I understood the importance of developing Global Competence in this present era. Secondly, I realized that it is important to maintain a healthy balance between individualism and collec vism in professional life. Lastly, I have tried to make intercultural learning a part of my daily life so as to "build cultural bridges instead of building walls.

- Par cipant, ICL for Educators’ workshop

Here's what a School Leader had to say about our Effect+ Workshops

Because of AFS, I am able to learn and deal with different types of cultures and understand different prac ses by different people in our society. I am able to effec vely interact with them. All the values discussed in training have helped me to be er understand a student's percep on without any judgements.

The workshop ins lled values like acceptance and respect of others, harmony, co-existence, and many more. S mula ng concepts of sustainable development goals were taught via fun field games. Stories about the social heroes like Afroz Shah and Shabana Wazib were told to explain how 'small ini a ves can bring big changes'. For the par cipants, this workshop was a learning experience. It taught them how they can do their part for the society infusing them with spirit to be the change makers in the future. They were mo vated not to think only about themselves and their country but to ponder on the idea of being ci zens of the world rather than a poli cal boundary.

The experience of the day le the par cipants mesmerized, mo vated and inspired to contribute their level best to make the world a be er place to live in.

- Par cipant, ICL for Educators’ workshop

- Principal, Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar

Read what our ICL for Educators Par cipants have to say

Level W - "What Every AFSer Must Know!"

The Level W training for volunteers was held on February 9th, 2020 at Rajkot Chapter. The training was duly facilitated by our senior ICL Trainer Mr Ajay Mehta.

Level W training is an essen al tool for volunteers to be familiarized with the history of AFS, fundamentals of AFS Intercultural Approach, models of culture, cultural adapta on, cultural styles, communica on values and dimensions and the AFS Educa onal Methodology. The one-day training was well received and appreciated by the chapter volunteers stepping into roles of responsibili es within the chapter. The workshop serves instrumental to promote heightened awareness among volunteers and staff as they become familiar with core Intercultural Learning (ICL) concepts and communica on strategies.

Page 06 | February 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Schools AFS Regional Schools Meet - West India AFS India organised the West India Regional Schools Meet in Mumbai on 7th and 8th February 2020 hosted by one of the AFS Member Schools - Bunts Sangha's S M She y High School & Junior College, Mumbai. The goal of the meet was to connect and collaborate towards the bigger goal of crea ng ac ve global ci zens by sharing and discussing the opportuni es provided by AFS India to the schools, the educators and the students.

The meet brought together the school leaders, the coordinators and the students from 14 AFS member schools of West India Region. The keynote speaker of the event was Mr Nandkumar, Principal Secretary, General Administra on Department and Chief Protocol Officer, Mantralaya, Mumbai. The meet was also a ended by Mr Jayant Lal, AFS India Board Member, Ms Divya Arora, AFS India Na onal Director and two AFS India staff members.

Highlights of the Meet: - The meet was declared opened with AFS Quiz conducted by Ms Seema Shaikh, AFS India West Regional Head. Spectacular dance performances were given by the students of S M She y High School, M K E S High School and Pragnya Bodhini High School.

- Session of Keynote Speaker - Sh. Nandkumar addressed the students in thought provoking conversa ons on various topics.

Session taken with school leaders and educators on New Educa on Policy was also very enriching.

- The AFS Presenta on highlighted the brief about AFS organiza on, its existence, being proud with experience of 100+ years, mission & goal, impact of the programs, risk management and strong support AFS offers, inclusions in fee structure, orienta ons for the exchange students and AFS Alumni in different fields.

- World Café – A Talk Show about Crea ng Global Ci zens: The chat show was hosted by Mr Sunil Srivastava (Principal, Kids' Kingdom Public School, Pune). The three guests in the show were – Ms Seema Sabhlok (Principal, S M She y High School & Junior College), Ms Divya Arora (AFS India Na onal Director) and Mr Sukhjit Singh (Principal, Viraj Shri Ram Centennial School, Boisar). They discussed embracing the thought of learning to live together, impact of AFS exchange programs, crea ng environment for the students to think and learn, teaching so skills, leaving comfort zone, and crea ng global ci zens.

- Community Service Project (Students) in collabora on with Shrus dnyan [Centre for Environment Educa on, Research & Documenta on] The meet ended with extending a Vote of Thanks to the AFS India West Regional Head, the host school and all the par cipants. The school leaders, the educators and the students were appreciated for their ac ve and enthusias c involvement and making the regional meet a success. We look forward to advancing the mission of AFS in India while working on the aim of developing ac ve global ci zens.

- AFS India Board Member - Mr Jayant Lal, discussed the need of the teachers to develop thinking skills in the students.

Curiosity should be developed in the students and they should be allowed to ques on rather than simply answering. He also shared the role of AIU (Associa on of Indian Universi es) to provide the students the equivalence cer ficate to avoid the gap year when the students go for AFS Year Program abroad.

Page 07 | February 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Impact of

Asia Kakehashi Program #Japan Exploring Elements of India in Japan

By Pranav Choudhury, Asia Kakehashi Par cipant 2019-20 Pranav was selected to go on Japan's Asia Kakehashi program in 2019.

About his experience with his host family, Pranav says, “Living with my host family, I was able to realize that in Japan, New Year's is similar to a fes val.

It has a history of specific customs and tradi ons associated with it, and is completely different from how I had celebrated New Year in India. I accompanied my mother to a nearby religious shrine at around quarter to, one in the night, where we prayed for this year to go well! Back in India, this religious aspect is something I have never experienced, but it felt really nice and I am thankful that my host family gave me the experience of New Year's in the tradi onal Japanese style!”

In Japanese Speech Delivery Compe on, Pranav even won the prize.

Here's a small glimpse of the Winning Speech Pranav gave in the compe on“I would like to start by telling you all about an interes ng incident. Around the beginning of October, a very famous fes val called “Durga Puja” is celebrated in my hometown in India with a lot of pomp and Joy. One day, a er my club ac vi es got over, I was telling my friends about this fes val and its significance in my culture. In the process I was showing them pictures of the beau ful pandals that are made and explaining to them about each God whose statue was present inside the pandals.

In this fes val, primarily, five Gods are prayed to, of which one is Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha is known to be the remover of obstacles and enabler of success in Indian Mythology. When I came to Lord Ganesha and pointed to his picture, my friends jumped up in excitement and exclaimed, 'We know Lord Ganesha!!'

The fact that some elements of Indian culture, some mes in rather amusing ways, are already present inside Japan shows just how strong the bond between the two countries is, and this is how I was able to find an India in Japan.

I was very surprised to see that Indian food is very famous in Japan. Almost all of my Japanese friends and also friends from other countries who I met through the Asia-Kakehashi Project, like Indian food a lot. Addi onally, there are a huge number of Indian restaurants in Japan. Therefore, I was able to find an India within Japan in the form of food too!.”

Page 08 | February 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Study Abroad

NSLI-Y is a program of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educa onal and Cultural Affairs

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margorP SFA

napaJ# Impact of

NSLI-Y Program #NSLIY

We are overwhelmed to share the beau ful experience shared with us by our Host student Thomas Smith, a NSLI-Y year program student 2019-20 hosted in DLF Public School, Sahibabad. The student has wri en the story in Hindi and the efforts made by him are commendable. Thomas gave us great goals of Intercultural learning with this le er. We highly appreciate the efforts and wish him a great future ahead.

‘‘महारा के पहािड़य के परे नगर ि थत है िजसका नाम िशड है और जो मरे​े दय म बहत खास हो गया ह।ै ख़रै मरेा मज़ेबान माँ और पापा साई ंबाबा (एक गु और फ़क़ र िजसका मृ यु १९१८ म हो गया) म िव ास करने वाले ह और उनके िलए िशड बहत पिव जगह है य िक साईबाबा ं वहां रहते थे, यान लगाते थे, और ान दते​े थे । असल म, वे सप रवार के साथ हर साल उनके शादी क सालिगरह के समय वही जाते ह और मझु े बहत अ छा लगा िक मझु े भी िनमं ण िमला। हमारी या ा मबई ंु म शु हई और िफर हम गाड़ी से गए। हम लोग िशड के आसपास के े म घमू े और सबसे पहले हम य बके र गए। उस नगर म मिदर ं है िजसम बारह म से एक योितिलग ह।ै योितिलग िह दू धम म बहत ही मह पणू होते ह और बहत सारी या ी योितिलग को दख े ने के िलए जाते ह। हमने मिदर े ा िक पिडत े िकया जा रहा था और ं के अदर ं जाकर दख ं जी के ारा अिभषक बहत सारे लोग बैठे हए िदख रहे थे। इस के बाद हमने खबू फल खाया और वहां से िशड गए। िशड पहचके ू है और वह साई ं ं हम सीधा मिदर ं गए और साईबाबा ं म एक ही मित ं का दशन िकया। मिदर बाबा क ह।ै मित ू के सामने साईबाबा ं क समािध है िजसको भ पश करते ह। हम िशड म कम से कम चार-पाच े म अि न ं बार आरती करने गए िजसमे धािमक गाने गाए गए और अनु ान िकये गए। मिदर ं होती है िजससे उदी बनती ह।ै या ी अपने गले और माथे पर लगाते ह य िक मानना जाता िक वह हम बीमारी से बचा सकती ह। मि जद भी है िजसमे साईबाबा ं क त वीर है और वह भी बहत लोकि य जगह ह।ै हमारा समय अिधकाश ं मिदर ं के े म बीता और हालाँिक म धािमक नह हँ िफर भी मने अपने प रवार से ख़बू ान सीखा उनके धम और सं कित ृ के बारे म जानकार म बहत भािवत हआ। हम लोग शिन िशगणापर ं ु गए. रा ते म हम एक ऐसे जगह के िजसमे राँगिबरगी ं झले ू थे और एक बैल खड़ा था जो घम-घमकर ू ू लकड़ी के मशीन से ग ने का रास िनकाल रहा था। हम दो-दो िगलास ग ने का रस िपए और नमक न खाया (यह, परीू या ा म से मरेा पसदीदा ं पल था)। बाद म जब हम शिन िशगणापर ं ु पहचँ गए मरे​े मज़ेबान पापा ने मझु े समझाया क उस गावं म एक भी प रवार के घर का ताला बदं नह करते ह य िक उनक आ था है िक अगर कोई उनके सामान को लटू लेता तो उसको बड़ा सज़ा िमलती ह।ै हम मिदर ं भी गए लेिकन मझु े दरवाज़ क बात मज़ेदार लगी। अगला िदन हम मबई ् वापस गए और िद ली चले गए। मरे​े सफर म, हमने तीन धािमक ंु हवाई अडडा जगह गए िजसमे मने तीन अलग चीज़ दख े ी। ि बके र और इसका ाचीन सां कितक ृ सं कार, िशरडी और मरे​े प रवार का यि गत र ता धम से, और शिन िशगणापर ं ु और उस गावं क अटटू आ था जोिखम के बावजद। ू तीन बात जो मझु े भारत ही म मझु े िमल सकती ह।’’ थॉमस ि मथ १३ - ०२ - २०२०

Hosting Stories Page 09 | February 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Service to Man is Service to God: A Touching Story of Harshit We are proud to share another great achievement by our volunteers of Gandhinagar in con nua on to the most Sustainable Project being run by them at Muk dham Cemetery.

What is Muk dham Project? Muk dham is a cemetery in Gandhinagar. Our generous volunteers have come up with a plan which is successfully running for over 8 months now. Few volunteers visit the place every week and spend me with the children and families. They play with the kids, help them with their studies, teach them various life skills and much more.

How it began - Our volunteer Ms. Laxmi Joshi who is also a member of Prayosha Mahila Group, donated notebooks to the children of Muk Dham during the month of June. On the same day, AFS mee ng was also held at the same place. Dr. Varsha Parekh, Gandhinagar Chapter President realized that only distribu on of books is not enough for these children and why not all volunteers together under the umbrella of AFS work for the allround development of these 22 children. Luckily no sooner did she express her willingness, all the volunteers unanimously accepted the proposal and became part of this beau ful and sustainable project.

Proud Moment of Achievement!

Harshit, a very enthusias c kid of Muk dham was observed by Dr. Varsha Parekh. Harshit hardly responded, though he par cipated very ac vely in various ac vi es conducted by our volunteers.

Harshit was hearing impaired and unfortunately his parents believed in some supers on to cure him. Dr Parekh had to counsel the parents even before she could take Harshit to a doctor.

She even paid the doctor's consulta on fee. Harshit was soon operated availing the benefits of Government scheme which saved around 10 lakh rupees as the cost of surgery. Our volunteers contributed money for the hearing aid that costed Rs. 20,000. The child is doing really well and improving each day. Our hear elt thanks to Tara Founda on for waiving off the fee of Rs.40,000 for speech therapy si ngs for Harshit.

It gives a sense of sa sfac on and pleasure when such cri cal cases meet success. It started with the mo o 'Service to Man is Service to God'.

Regional Volunteer Exchange to Delhi Delhi chapter proudly hosted six volunteers from four different chapters during the Regional Volunteer Exchange to Delhi which happened from 21st January ‘20 to 27th January ‘20. The week long exchange ensured a great exchange of cultural diversity of India. Volunteers had a great intercultural experience which was shared by them beau fully in their own words “I had heard, exchange programs change you for good, but I wasn’t really sure if this works for people who have turned grey too.”

- Chhotu Shaikh, Volunteer, Mumbai Chapter.

“A thi Devobhava: AFS Regional Exchange Program was a great learning me for all the volunteers. The hospitality and the persistence of host families and volunteers to take care of their guest proved the wordings 'A thi Devo Bhava’ true according to the Indian culture of trea ng the guest as a God.” - Parminderjit Kaur, Educator, Sat Paul Mi al School, Ludhiana “Volunteering at the family exchange program has been deeply transforma ve. We were all enjoying the warm welcome, even in such a cold climate. We were con nually li ed and inspired not only by family members, Delhi chapter members and also staff of Na onal office.”

- Vasant and Pushplata Shinde, Volunteers, Nashik Chapter “On 26th January we got to see Red fort which was quite great for us. We also saw Akshardham and Agrasen ki baoli.

We really liked using Metro, it’s fast and effec ve.”

- Jignaben Gajjar, Volunteer, Gandhinagar Chapter “Looking toward the treatment and respect which was given by host family, I felt so warm and grateful. We earned so many good things and gold hearted people from this volunteer exchange program.”

- Mahendra Adhav, Volunteer, Nashik Chapter AFS India con nues giving various opportuni es to our volunteers who are part of our journey to create ac ve global ci zens. We at AFS strongly believe that our community of global ci zens is determined to build bridges between cultures.

Page 10 | February 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Study Tour at

Australia

This is a fantas c opportunity for a school group to experience life in Australia, improve their English language and gain intercultural skills. This program allows students to interact with several aspects of Australian culture while also prac cing their English language skills – ac vi es include surf lessons, visi ng an Aboriginal Educa on Centre, Noosa Na onal Park, downtown Brisbane, BBQs, Australian spor ng events, museums etc. AFS offers daily opportuni es to be exposed and reflect about cultural differences and similari es while enjoying Brisbane and its surroundings.

I have seen many changes inside me which are so posi ve as a teenager. The biggest change I saw in myself is selfawareness un l now being a teenager some mes I feel like my opinion should always be the superior one regardless of what other people are thinking but now I give apprecia on to everyone's opinion.

- AFS Par cipant

-

Program Fees: INR 175,820 + Airfare + Visa Arrival Date: Any me Departure Date: 10 days a er the arrival Age Criteria: Between 14 to 18 Years Applica on Deadline: Flexible (6 weeks prior to arrival) Spots Available: 10

For any queries or more informa on, please reach out to Manjula Devi manjula.devi@afs.org +91-8586-925-383

Parvez Alam parvez.alam@afs.org +91-8586-925-384

Page 11 | February 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Anjana Kumar from Ooty