Newsletter | February 2021

The

Changemakers

F E B R U A R Y

2 In Insights from our educators, read the impact story from Smita Rathore, Principal, Queen's College, Indore.

5 In Volunteers Are Changemakers, read about the Clothes Dona on Drive

by AFS Pune & Virtual Regional exchange of volunteers of Pune and Anand.

3 In Impact Stories from AFS Staffs, learn about the journey of Bharat Kandpal.

6 JENESYS 2020 Online Open House Event, learn more about the AFS India highlight of the month.

4 Explore Blast from the Past and learn about amazing ac vi es, events, etc. that took place in the past.

7 Get ready to go to Denmark, Columbia and Malaysia, know more about the AFS Short Term Programs.

2 0 2 1

INSIGHT FROM OUR EDUCATORS Sowing Seeds of Global Perspective in Our Students

By Smita Rathore Principal | Queens' College, Indore

“We humans are born to be global ci zens. As we grow in life we realize our boundaries, our culture, our areas, our language and our shells. We miss out the global perspec ve and the realisa on that we all are humans and we need to connect, collaborate and be there for each other.

Schools are the cradle to human civiliza on. It is here that we are able to sow the seeds of global perspec ve in our students and nurture the life skills that help them to stand tall, face challenges and be responsible.

Developing Global perspec ve and nurturing life skills empower students to do well not only in their lives but also excel in their careers.

We at Queens' believe that a globally aware individual who can think crea vely and cri cally who can communicate effec vely, who can collaborate and has great interpersonal skills is an asset to the society and world. Our Vision and Mission speaks about it.

Our associa on with AFS has been a long standing strong bond as we have common Mission and goals for our students.

Our girls have been ac vely involved in the AFS ac vi es and they have been realizing the change in their own perspec ves to look at the world.

Our associa on with school and educators has been precious. In this sec on, we bring you some insights from our educators on their journey with AFS, global ci zenship and intercultural engagements

Par cipa on and hos ng the AFS Quiz programs for sustainable goals was mind cheering and mo va ng for students to move towards a sustainable future.

Leadership too is a life skill and Effect + workshops have been so effec vely nurturing these skills and enriching our students.

AFS has been providing opportuni es for enhancing global skills, life skills and helping students to just believe in themselves.

Even during the pandemic AFS conducted virtual tours and as per the students, it sa ated their thirst for learning about new cultures and gaining new experiences.

These students who have had such rich enriching experience in school in their impressionable years become ready to face the challenges in their careers and life.

Career sustenance is a very natural outcome of global skills and life skills.”

Success is where prepara on and opportuni es meet. And A.F.S has provided us with the perfect opportuni es to get our skills enhanced, opportuni es to find out fields of interest and just believe in ourselves. Even during the pandemic me, A.F.S gave us virtual tours to various countries that helped us sa ate our thirst for learning new cultures and gaining new experiences.

I would like to thank the AFS for providing various teenagers like me the perfect opportunity.

Student, Queen's College

The exchange programs of the AFS are actually bringing about such posi ve transforma ons. Students not only learn about the cultures across the world, they also start looking at their own culture with a lot of respect and awe.

Page 02 | February 2021 | Newsle er | AFS India

AFS India provides leadership, coordina on, support, quality control and development to all its employees.

Hear from our commi ed staff members about their journey of advancing the mission of AFS.

IMPACT STORIES FROM AFS STAFFS Staff Speaks

By Bharat Kandpal Senior Assistant - Accounts and Administration

The year 2020 was difficult for everyone due to covid 19. The good news for us Indians in 2021 is the announcement the vaccine. 2020 was spent working from home and for me it was very difficult because I live with a joint family and there are many family members in the house.

My journey with AFS India started in the year 2013 and since then it has been going good. My best moments in AFS are - I do not have enough words to express the admira on and growth overflowing in the volunteer meet and hos ng and sending orienta ons.

The students share their wonderful experiences of the exchange being quite challenging but for some even more fascina ng, as the kids had to adapt to the new environment and surroundings of life across the ocean.

The en re journey is a new emo on flowing through all of us, seeing the student's journey from filling the forms to coming back as matured young individuals with changed percep on towards life. The students come back with a broader outlook, deeper understanding, respect and be er understanding of interna onal rela ons.

I learned many things from volunteers, staff and students. This will help me for my current life. I have made many friends across India and I feel I am a proud Indian.

Working in AFS India I have learnt many things over the me. I have grown and am happy to see the impact of being associated with AFS. I would like to share 1 of the best concepts that I have learned: it is the difference between Sympathy and Empathy.

The first important quality to have is EMPATHY. I learnt about this when I was working with a team.

Before that I do not think I had heard about it or maybe I did not know about it. It is very different from Sympathy and many mes we confuse. So here is the difference.

Empathy - feeling WITH someone. The actual defini on of the word says “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.”

Sympathy - feeling sorry FOR someone. The defini on says “feelings of pity and sorry for someone's misfortune.”

I wish that all of us understand the difference and we become more Empathic people in the world and in that way we will be truly imbibing the mission of AFS.

Page 03 | February 2021 | Newsle er | AFS India

Blast from The PAST

2011 Helping the Homeless

A clothes dona on drive led by Siddhant Shah, YES alumnus from Ahmedabad, distributed warm clothes to poor people. The drive was aided and executed by Siddhant's friends, family and volunteers of AFS Ahmedabad chapter

2012 Representing India at US Mission Youth Advisory Council

YES 2009 alumnus Darshit Sagar from Chennai, was chosen as 1 of the 11 members of the US Mission Youth Advisory Council. Maria Otero, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, launched the Council in New Delhi on February 15.

2013 Training of Trainers (ToT) in Indonesia

Rucha Jogalekar'08 and Neha Rustagi'10, both YES alumni, a ended the ToT organized by AFS Interna onal in Bali Indonesia. The training focused on alumni development and leadership and both Rucha & Neha returned from Bali with knowledge, mo va on and direc on to engage alumni in India.

2014 A Football Match with the Italians

Emerald Heights Interna onal school, Indore, organized a football match between the school team and the AFS India Italian host students. The match was fun and enjoyable and received wide newspaper coverage including DNA, Hindustan Times, The Times of India, etc.

2015 When Chennai Met Islamabad

25 alumni from Chennai and Islamabad met over skype to chat about gender issues in the region using social games, role play and demonstra ons.

The meet was coordinated and facilitated by the US Consulate office.

2016 Volunteer Exchange in Adana, Turkey

Volunteers from Vadodaraexperienced a vibrant culture exchange in Adana, Turkey- a major highlight was the press interview with Turkish Na onal Newspaper (Sabah Gazetesi) on Indian culture.

2017

This year, as we celebrate 15 years of AFS India, we are delighted to share with you a page full of memories, smiles, successes and stories.Every month, Blast from the past will take you back in meand highlight one event/story/experience each from the respec ve month of the last 10 years.

Bringing some special but dormant memories alive.

Happy reading!

Hindu Wedding for Mexican volunteers

While on their volunteer exchange program to India, 2 Mexican volunteers decided to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in the Hindu style and tradi on. They enjoyed the ceremonies thoroughly in Ahmedabad.

2018 National Social Service Program

M.B Patel English Medium school, member school, Gandhinagar, along with an NGO Lioness Club, organized a 5 day community program at Palaj village, Gandhinagar. It included a comprehensive set of ac vi es including teaching, cleaning, medical check-up, awareness, etc. for villagers

2019 Health Awareness Workshop For Rural Students In Nashik

Under the Leadership Development Program, volunteers of AFS Nashik chapter par cipated in a community service project and conducted a health awareness campaign, menstrual hygiene awareness for girls and oral hygiene awareness for boys.

2020 Orating in Japanese

Pranav Choudhary, par cipant of Asia Kakehashi 2019-20 program wins Japanese Speech Delivery compe Through his speech, Pranav brings out amusing similari es in the Indian and the Japanese culture. Kudos!

Page 04 | February 2021 | Newsle er | AFS India

on.

Volunteers are Changemakers sec on is all about how volunteers of AFS India are helping people and communi es learn to live together. Experience stories of impact directly from our volunteers and learn how AFS empowered them to become global ci zens.

VOLUNTEERS ARE

CHANGEMAKERS

Domestic Virtual Cultural Exchange Between Anand and Pune Chapter 7th February 2021 We conducted a virtual volunteer exchange between Anand and Pune chapter on February 7th, 2021. It was a wonderful experience for both the chapters and the interac on was very lively. The Anand chapter presented first followed by the Pune chapter. The exchange ended with a brief Q & A session.

We talked about our tourist places, fes vals and cuisines. It was really wonderful experience Ms. Dip Patel, President | Anand Chapter

Clothes Drive | Pune Chapter We are pleased to share that this Republic Day, the alumni and volunteers of Pune chapter organized a Clothes Drive in the city.

Led by Vaishnavi Mane (YES alumna’ 15) with strong support from Yashodhan Shende (YES alumna’ 12), the chapter lent a helping hand to the poor by distribu ng warm clothes and blankets to them to save them from cold weather. Over 800 items like clothes, books, toys, and shoes were donated to Share With India, Alandi, an organisa on which serves people of all ages and genders.

Pune volunteers came together to create a posi ve impact around the city. 4 drop-off centres were created at the residence of 4 volunteers.

Hardworking volunteers stepped up to do a bulk of the work.

Yashodhan Shende, Santosh Bhujbal, Sayali Rajpathak, and Vaishnavi Mane did an excellent job collec ng, documen ng, and

sor ng clothes. Special men ons to Yashodhan Shende and Sayali Rajpathak for amazingly marke ng the Drive and ge ng over 300 donated items each. .Through this Drive we also raised some awareness about excessive consumerism.

People realized the value of their possessions. Among the donated clothes, there were some unused sarees s ll wrapped in the original plas c they were bought in.

Woolen hoodies, sweaters, sarees, pillows, bedsheets, infants' clothes and shoes, denim jeans, shirts, etc. were collected. All the clothes were donated in excellent condi ons.”

Pune Chapter Volunteer

Page 05 | February 2021 | Newsle er | AFS India

JENESYS 2020

Online Open House Event - Report Sharing an important feat and success for AFS India of JENESYS 2020 Online Open House Event in partnership with Embassy of Japan in India and AFS Japan.

A ended by over 120 individuals, this 1.5-hour virtual event had two important objec ves: - Celebrate the winners of the Photo and Video contest for JENESYS 2018 & 2019 alumni run by AFS India in partnership with Embassy of Japan in India and AFS Japan.

This photo contest, run in December 2020, gave a pla orm to JENESYS alumni to capture their enriching exchange experiences through photo-collage and video submissions.

- Create awareness about JENESYS program- through featuring interac on with JENESYS alumni who shared their experiences and helped create a dialogue and understanding for all the a endees about the pres gious JENESYS program.

The overwhelming par cipa on included students studying technology, Japanese language students, educators, parents, volunteers, JENESYS alumni and winners of the JENESYS Photo Collage and Video Montage compe on.

Not only were the top 3 posi ons of the winning entries under each category (photo collage and video montage) showcased during the event, the top 2 winners were also invited to par cipate in a panel discussion shedding light on how important the JENESYS program had been in their lives and the impact it had on her personal and professional spaces.

Page 06 | February 2021 | Newsle er | AFS India

I gained a lot of experience and memories through this program. It not only enhanced my interpersonal skills, but also increased my confidence. JENESYS is an incredible opportunity and worth everything one could ask for. I feel extremely grateful to be a part of this wonderful journey.

Sakshi Sharma, JENESYS Alumna 2019 It was a ma er of great pride for the en re convening to have the presence of Respected Kuriki Tomoaki, Researcher, Southwest Asia Division, Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

“We hope that this online event will mo vate you to become a bridge between India and Japan.”

- Mr. Tomoaki Addi onally, we were delighted to have alumni from previous cohorts as guest speakers - Ankur Dhoot (JENESYS 2008), Kri ka Mer (JENESYS 2011) and Ayush Singhal (JENESYS 2018).

These alumni shared about the challenges of their exchange year, some ps on how they overcame these that could be useful to the future par cipants and also shared a lot about how they made the JENESYS exchange as their stepping stone to build their careers.

A detailed segment focussed on the process of applica on and selec on for JENESYS program followed by extensive QnA wherein the par cipants ac vely engaged in ge ng their queries addressed.

Our sincere gra tude to the enablers of the JENESYS program the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Embassy of Japan in India. Our thanks to Mr. Yamashita Takeshi, Second Secretary, Japanese Informa on Center, Embassy of Japan, New Delhi, for all the support and coordina on to make the JENESYS engagements possible. Thank you for strengthening rela ons and understanding between the two countries.

Ready to know about AFS Programs? We offer life-changing opportuni es in many countries.

Explore this page to know more about new programs.

Country: Columbia Theme: AFS Academy:Culture & Language Program Highlights: - Ecotourism in the Andes - Experience Colombian Culture in “The White City” - Around 12 hours of Spanish classes - Bath in hot springs - Social work at an ecological site Age Criteria: 15 to 18 years & 5 months Last Date to Apply: 15th April 2021 Fees: INR 204,140 (18% GST included) + Visa + Airfare Arrival Date: 8th July 2021 Departure Date: 5th August 2021

Country: Denmark Theme: AFS Academy: Culture (August 2021) Age Criteria: 15 to 18 years Last Date to Apply: 1st May 2021 Fees: INR 220,660 (18% GST included) + Visa + Airfare Arrival Date: 1st August 2021 Departure Date: 28th August 2021

AFS Academies

A Stepping Stone to Interna onal Exposure AFS network interna onally has curated programs specially designed for short term experiences as a step-up into the possible interna onal future for students.

Here are 3 reasons why we recommend the AFSAcademies programs for your students and children: Theme Based Interna onal Programs: each program has a focused theme and different highlights. It varies from culture and heritage of one of the happiest countries with strongest educa on in the world (Yes, it’s Denmark), to language learning (Spanish and Arabic) Short Term Experience with Long Term Associa on: Though these are short term programs, it opens doors for being connected with an interna onal organiza on (that’s right you con nue as AFS alumni) and is key to MANY leadership opportuni es and interna onal exposures life-long. Needless to say, the cer ficates are an immediate benefit as well!

Safety of the Students- Always our Priority: AFS India considers safety of the students as our top most priority and has interna onal-standardized risk mi ga on and management policies, in few words- your student/child is very important to us!

Feel free to connect with us 1-1 for more discussion on this.

Country: Denmark Theme: AFS Academy: Culture- Sep [FLEX] (Aug-Sep 2021) Age Criteria: 15 to 18 years Last Date to Apply: 14th July 2021 Fees: INR 206,500 (18% GST included) + Visa + Airfare Arrival Date: 29th August 2021 Departure Date: 26th September 2021

Country: Malaysia Theme: AFS Academy: Culture & Leadership Age Criteria: 15 to 17 years Last Date to Apply: 25th August 2021 Fees: INR 182,900 (18% GST included) + Visa + Airfare Arrival Date: 19th October 2021 Departure Date: 6th November 2021

What makes AFS Different?

Risk Management and Strong Support System Host Family Screening and Selec on Host Family Screening and Selec on Orienta on Health Insurance Emergency Evacua on Procedures Embedded Intercultural Learning

APPLY TODAY Interested schools, parents and students for AFS Academies should send their interests and queries at: - Parvez Alam: email at Parvez.alam@afs.org or call at +91 8586-925-384 - Manjula Devi: email at Manjula.devi@afs.org or call at +91 8586-925-038 - Nishita Mehta: email at Nishita.mehta@afs.org or call at +91 8586-925-131 Page 07 | February 2021 | Newsle er | AFS India

Thejazer Linyu from Kohima (Nagaland)