AFS India Newsletter | November 2021

India

THE

Changemakers NEWSLETTER Your source to stay up yo date with AFS Intercultural Programs India’s activities, events and opportunities

Inside this issue 2. Read "Blast From The Past" and explore the time of the year spent during the month of November.

3. In "Impact Stories from AFS Staffs", learn about the story of Chunjanglung Kamei (Achu), Volunteer Coordinator at AFS India 4.. "The Educator’s Desk" section brings you thoughts on How Can Schools Provide A Holistic Approach Towards The Future Development Of A Child? By Maj. Gen TPS Waraich VSM (Retd), Director YPS Mohali 5. Take a ride to Jaipur with Emmy Perrin in the "Hosting Stories" 5. In "Sending Stories", take a look at the beautiful journeys of our students of AFS Short-Term Program, YES Program and Asia Kakehashi Project.

7. Read about the everlasting impact of an AFS Program in the "Alumni Impact" 8. Explore the continued intercultural learning implemented by our volunteers of Vadodara Chapter in "Volunteers In Action" 9. Learn more about the AFS Program 2022-23 in "Special Programs For You"

Page 01| November 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India

N O 2 V 0 E 2 M1 B E R

Blast from the past November 2009 November 2010 International Staff Training in India: AFS India hosts the Annual International Program Staff Training in Delhi which is attended by 32 participants and 5 trainers from 19 countries. The 4-day event includes sessions on Support, Risk management, Intercultural Learning, Branding, Volunteer Development, Quality programs, Working as an International Team, etc.

AFS India Study Tour: AFS India invites international staff members and volunteers to join in a one-week study tour as a way of introducing our nation and its myriad cultures to our AFS colleagues across the globe.

AFS World Congress: AFS Malaysia hosts the 22nd AFS Global Annual Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which is attended by 170+ representatives to address the challenges, learn from them and inspire the current participants as well.

November 2011 A Fun Day With A Picnic: The Pune Chapter takes their host students on a lovely picnic and shows them around the beautiful city of Pune.

November 2012 Volunteers celebrate AFS India Day: Our big day is celebrated by our wonderful volunteers of several chapters in the best way AFSers can, by carrying out community service at places like activities with underprivileged children, visiting the school for deaf & dumb, spending the day with children with special needs, etc.

November 2014 AFS Volunteers in Paris: 18 attendees from India including AFS volunteers, staff and board members join for the celebrations of the Centennial Celebration of AFS in Paris, France.

November 2013 AFS Effect: Our Host Students, Sending Students, and the lovely Host Families share their wonderful experiences of their exchange programs. AFS India proudly showcases their magnificent achievements in the newsletters.

November 2015 Training of AFS Alumni: A three-day training is organised in New Delhi for the alumni Association of India Office Bearers to discuss taking the Alumni Association of India forward while working on developing plans and strategies to engage and reconnect AFS Alumni from all over India.

November 2016 Regional Volunteer Exchange: A few volunteers from Delhi and Chennai indulge in the rich heritage of Gujarat with a 7-day Regional Volunteer Exchange Program to Vadodara.

November 2017 AFS Annual Inter-School Fest at Bangalore: AFS Bangalore in collaboration with its partner school Global City International School organises its 2nd Annual Inter-school Educational Fest; the event being the brainchild of AFS India Board Chairperson, Ms Angela Roye

November 2018 AFS Global Prep Rhode Island Program: AFS India sends 3 students on the inaugural batch of the Global Prep Rhode Island Program to the USA. All the students share equal excitement for the unique journey of amazement

November 2019 Getting trained for a better tomorrow: AFS India conducts several ICL Educators’ Training and Effect+ Workshops across member schools of Dehradun and Bhopal, duly facilitated by Ms Sarita Badhwar for about 200+ students and 100 teachers.

MasterChef.

November 2020 The BP Global STEM Academies Meet & Greet: AFS India along with Indian families and Indian schools conducted Meet & Greet with the BP program finalists, where the participants had a chance to interact with India “host” families and learn about the Indian culture.

November, the twilight month of the year brings the celebrations AFS India and Mid-Stay Orientations.

With the beginning of the 16th year, we bring you some of the events that have happened in the previous years in the month of November.

Page 02| November 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India

Staff Impact

Today, I’m a Proud AFSer…

By Chunjanglung Kamei, Volunteer Coordinator I would like to start by saying that this one month has been a wonderful journey.

Coming from a small town in Imphal, Manipur, and staying here in a big city for about 10 years, I have faced lots of discrimination, challenges and have worked my way up. With each new day, I always hoped that people would be more tolerant towards me and my culture and hence I thought that there should be an initiative that works towards peace and intercultural sensitivity. So, when I learnt about AFS and its values, it really uplifted me and made me realise that whatever I believe in does seem to exist!

And today, I am a very proud AFSer! The first thing that attracted me to join AFS is the value that said, “AFS seeks to affirm faith in the dignity and worth of every human being and of all nations and cultures.” and its belief about intercultural learning and bringing people closer no matter what made them separated.

Out of all the things I’ve learned here at AFS, the most significant ones are; 1.Volunteering Role in AFS It gave me such happiness to see the volunteers joining hand in hand together and believing that there is still a silver lining of HOPE in this world. Their dedication and passion for better humanity are just amazing and that's why they are called a Global Citizen.

2. Office Staff From top level to last, there is no such thing called “order” (for humanity) in order to share laughter and fun. And coming to the office every day feels like visiting a family.

My Experience in AFS India so far has been very fun, with lots of opportunities, a few challenges, loving colleagues and passionate volunteers. I look forward to what the future at AFS has in store for me!

Page 03 | November 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India

Educator’s Desk is all about the thoughts and perspectives from the AFS Member School Educators discussing various relevant themes related to education

EDUCATOR’S DESK How Can Schools Provide A Holistic Approach Towards The Future Development Of A Child?

By Maj. Gen TPS Waraich VSM**(Retd), Director YPS Mohal Child Development is the raison d'être of each and every institution which strives to ignite a change in the world. To build a generation of changemakers, the onus falls on educators. Education has two layers psychological and sociological. School education ought to help children to be more aware of their abilities and teach life skills that are often foundational to true learning. They help students form self-identities and create self-awareness. School is the only place that prepares children for their future and helps them tackle any of life’s uncertainties. Educational Institutions must embrace and implement steps to ensure successful child development by providing young minds with an opportunity to scale the imaginable and view the world from a vantage point.

Revitalisation of classroom learning is a consistent effort. The focus must be on the child as a whole - which means, the pedagogy caters to the physical, emotional, social and cognitive development of children. This in turn creates progressive thinkers ready to be global citizens. Children must be given a chance to achieve individual goals and at the same time contribute towards the upliftment of the community and commit to social responsibility.

Students of Yadavindra Public School, Mohali witness themselves immersed in varied activities provided by AFS India to become more mindful, recognise the importance of globalising oneself and accepting the world as one sans any bias. This has not only expanded the horizons of classroom learning but also enabled students to draw parallels between what they learn and what they envision for themselves. Our students have become familiar with the concepts of empathy, breaking stereotypes and tools for achieving interfaith harmony for Global peace. We are working tenaciously with AFS to nurture 21st-century skills in young minds like active learning, critical thinking, effective communication, collaboration, life skills and career personality. The School has joined hands with AFS to stimulate global awareness amongst students to ensure qualitative furtherance of a sustainable future of one global community.

Page 04 | November 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India

Students of Yadavindra Public School, Mohali witness themselves immersed in varied activities provided by AFS India to become more mindful, recognise the importance of globalising oneself and accepting the world as one sans any bias

This segment brings you details of significant updates on our Hosting department. Learn more about events, impact stories, activities or programs related to hosting.

Hosting Stories My Trip to Jaipur!

By Emmy Perrin from France, hosted in Kolkata Our host student in Kolkata visited Pink City, Jaipur with her lovely host family, the experience of which she shares as; “My host family and I flew off to Jaipur to meet my host father’s sister and her family. On my first step out of the airport, I immediately understood that Jaipur and Kolkata were radically different. Firstly, it was dry and the sun was shining (one of the things I enjoyed most during this trip). Moreover, the pink city is really beautiful! On our way to Bua’s farm, I got to see so many wonderful buildings like the Hawa Mahal. I also got to see my first wild cow (a moment I’ve impatiently been waiting for), I also saw my first wild goat, pig, monkey and also rode an elephant!

On the first couple of days, my mom, my sister and I visited some of the most touristic places like the City Palace, Amber Fort and the Jahal mahal. All were amazingly decorated and the guides’ stories were really interesting even though my mom often had to translate what they were saying.

One of the reasons why I loved my stay in Jaipur was the place we were staying at (a peaceful farm only ten minutes from Jaipur) and the company (my host family’s family) that was so lovely. We had a lot of fun together and we enjoyed a three days vacation in Kumbhalgarh where we went on a safari and visited forts and temples. It was truly beautiful.

I was really sad to leave but the school was re-opening so I had to come back, but I returned with a lot of wonderful memories. I couldn’t be more thankful for my host family for allowing me to be a part of this trip!”

Sending Stories Experience of Denmark

By Prabhleen Kaur Dhillon, Punjab Public School, Nabha AFS Alumna, One-month Short Term Program to Denmark It was a really different experience for me to live in another country and experience their culture and lifestyle that was so diverse from my own.

Within this one month, I got to know that Denmark has extremely high levels of social trust. People trust each other very much and Its flag has its history I got to know about it in In my Danish class it is believed that the Danish flag fell from heaven and helped the Danish people to win the war. In Denmark, every house has a Danish flag. When I was roaming around Ranum in it the Dannenberg (national flag) I observed that it is very much a symbol of the people for they use it for all kinds of private celebrations like birthdays, weddings and Christmas. One of the biggest differences between Denmark and India I saw is that Denmark is an individualist society whereas India is a collectivist society.

In our last week, we went to Aarhus, a very beautiful island city near Ranum. Aarhus too had its history which I loved learning about. I also remember the time when we watched No Time To Die in a theatre. I came to know that the people around there were huge fans of James Bond so watching the movie kind of felt like a tradition.

The Danish school system differed from India in the teaching methods and the subjects. I found that I was busy at school the whole day but at the same time I was free also. My classmates were very supportive and I miss them dearly.

Page 05 | November 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India

This segment brings you details of significant updates on our Sending department. Learn more about events, impact stories, activities or programs related to sending.

Sending Stories Virtual Engagements With YES 2022-23 Applicants and AFS Volunteers AFS India successfully organized Two Zoom calls with the applicants of YES 2022-23 on 15th Nov and 18th Nov respectively to educate and answer the candidates’ queries on “How to complete the main application”. We had more than 250 students filling the main application form for whom these calls proved to be extremely helpful in understanding the form- filling procedure.

There was another call scheduled on 23rd November for our amazing volunteers to run through the screening process with them. Our sincerest gratitude to the volunteers, alumni, and schools for supporting us and helping us as always. We wish the applicants all the very best for further process.

Kakehashi Stories Janhvi Singh, Asia Kakehashi 2021-22 student from Varanasi, shares her experience so far in the host community of Niigata.

Janhvi writes; “It's been almost two months here in the host community and it already feels like I've known them for long. Initially to be honest, I was nervous at first before coming here, but people here are so sweet and welcoming that they made me feel like family. I am loving the environment here and each passing moment surprises me with new cultural experiences.The two cultures are so different and have language and cultural barriers, there is so much warmth and kindness to the people around me.This program will allow me to and give me a chance to improve my leadership skills and make lifelong relationships.

Thank you AFS India, AFS Niigata and the Govt of Japan for providing me with this amazing opportunity.”

Page 06 | November 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India

In Volunteers in Action read about how our volunteers are helping people and communities learn to live together

Volunteers in Action India and Germany - A Cultural Amalgamation

By Ms Dipti Patel, President, AFS Anand Chapter The Anand Chapter feels elated to share their recent chapter event from 21st November. Under the International Virtual Chapter Exchange Program, volunteers of AFS Anand met with the volunteers of the Hannover chapter of AFS Germany. Ms Dipti pens the event as; “The first half of the meeting consisted of a presentation from the Hannover Chapter which was very knowledgeable and interesting.

Following that, we had a brief Q&A session before going to the second half of the session.

Our presentation was prepared by Jitenbhai Patel and Bhaveshbhai Bhatt and was wonderfully presented by our young alumni Brijesh Pansuriya, Siddharth Rathod, Parita Patel, Urja Patel and Bhaveshbhai Bhatt. Then one of our hosted German students, Lea's father, shared his wonderful experience of India. The vote of thanks was delivered by Shalinbhai Dave & Mr Phillip after a wonderful interaction between both countries' volunteers.

Sincerest thanks to all the volunteers of the Anand Chapter, Hannover Chapter and AFS for this wonderful opportunity of intercultural immersion.”

Page 07 | November 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India

AFS has played a vital role in my journey thus far, informing time and again, who I want to be, and the values I want to lead my life with.

Alumni Impact

Ananya Vijayavargiya, Bosch Foundation Program to Germany 2013 AFS Alumna to Gemarny Program 2013-14 It wasn’t in my parents’ or my wildest dreams that we’d think that an only child, and a subsequent shy and introverted one at that, would take a leap and find herself exploring and gaining exposure in a country miles away. It is beyond me, how, one fine day, we decided to take a leap and see if I could make it to Germany on a student exchange program. And to our surprise, I did.

AFS gave me the opportunity to explore a different culture and learn what it’s like to live in another country with a family that bore different values. My experience with the exchange program has set me off on a life-long path of wanting to challenge myself and wanting to learn about people, cultures, and everything that makes us who we are. The exposure it gave me, let me adjust easily to the next time I went abroad for further studies. It made me curious about people, especially people from varied backgrounds meeting one another, and gave me the wings to take up opportunities that allowed me to work closely with people. It is this experience that I had in 11th grade because of AFS, that my desire to learn about and from people overpowers my introverted nature, and helps me thrive in group settings - being able to make conversation, be engaging and empathetic.

My liaison with AFS seems like a life-long one. It began when I was just 16, and we have found our way back to one another again, now that I am 24 years young. AFS has played a vital role in my journey thus far, informing time and again, who I want to be, and the values I want to lead my life with. Being a part of their journey, and being connected with them is an honour and a privilege that I wish for everyone else. It is the best learning opportunity and experience for young minds. And it is an opportunity, a gift, that keeps on giving.

Page 08 | November 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India

SPECIAL AFS PROGRAMS FOR YOU From more than 60 countries to choose, turn your dream into reality and go on an intercultural exchange program for one academic year with AFS! There’s so much in this world to explore and learn.

The AFS Study Abroad Programs 2022-23 is the Flagship Program of AFS which has the essence of ‘Stay and Study’ in a different country and culture. The participants will live with a host family and will join the local school for one academic year. The students will be departing in Aug - Sep 2022 and return back in June-July 2023. All the students between the age of 15-17 years can apply. Partial Scholarship by AFS India is available for Italy & France.

Why should you go on an exchange program for a year?

- Learning a new Language and Culture - Increase Intercultural Competence - Make friends around the globe - Break the stereotypes - Earn an Extremely Valuable AFS Participation Certificate Program Fee Includes: - International Airfare - Host Family Placement - Admission In a Host School for a Complete Academic Year - Student Learning Journey (Virtual Program) in collaboration with University of Pennsylvania - AFS Medical Insurance - Domestic Logistic in the Host country - Access to Alumni Network - 24*7 Support from the AFS Network - Several Trainings and Orientations

Two Early Entrant Scholarships With the generous donations received from our stakeholders in 2020-21, we are extremely proud to announce the Early Entrant Scholarship for 1-year student exchange program to two countriesItaly and France of INR 92,149 EACH!!!

We are very grateful to the contributors and donors of 2020 - it is only because of your generosity that students will have access and opportunity to evolve as global citizens.

Have queries, reach out to us at: Parvez Alam (parvez.alam@afs.org, ++91-8586-925-384); Manjula Devi (manjula.devi@afs.org, +91-8586-925-038); Manjit Sandhu (manjit.sandhu@afs.org, +91-8586-925-131).

Page 08 | November 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India

AFS Mission AFS Intercultural Programs is an international, voluntary, non- govermental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.

AFS Values AFS enables people to act as responsible global citizens working for peace and understanding in a diverse world it acknowledges that peace is a dynamic concept threatened by injustice, inequity, and tolerance AFS seeks to affirm faith in the dignity and worth of every human being and of all nations and cultures. it encourages respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms witout distinction as to race, sex, language, religion or social status.

AFS activities are based on our core values of dignity, respect for differences, harmony, sensitivity and tolerance.

For any Suggestions, or sharing stories or experiences, please write at india@afs.org Learn more about AFS at india.afs.org Be inspired by our History at india.afs.org/afs-timeline/ Connect with us at: facebook./afsindia youtube.com/afsindiaofficial twitter.com/IndiaAFS instagram.com/afs_india

AFS Intercultural Programs 163, Ground Floor, Jasola Vihar, Pocket 2 New Delhi , 11025, Indiia www.india.afs.org | india@afs.org