NEWSLETTER Your source to stay up to date with AFS Intercultural Programs India’s activities, events & opportunities india.afs.org | AFSIndia
Inside this issue 2 3 4 5
In Volunteers Are Changemakers, read about the impact story of Sarita Badhwar In Impact Stories from AFS Staffs, learn about the journey of Sonam Luthra Explore Blast From The Past and learn about amazing activities, events, etc. that took place in the past School Activities section brings you virtual exchanges between AFS India and AFS Mexico and domestic exchanges between member schools
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Experience Hosting Stories and read more about the NSLI-Y Partners Meeting In Sending Stories, learn more about the Sending Process Training and Meeting Ready to go to Chile & Egypt; know more about the program in our Special AFS Programs for You
2021 JANUARY
Changemakers The
VOLUNTEERS ARE CHANGEMAKERS
Volunteers are Changemakers section is all about how volunteers of AFS India are helping people and communities learn to live together. Experience stories of impact directly from our volunteers and learn how AFS empowered them to become global citizens.
AFS and Me! By Sarita Badhwar, AFS Indore Chapter “My journey with AFS began way back in 2009 at the American Centre, Mumbai, memories of which are so vivid and fresh even today. I was waiting for the formalities to be over for the Fulbright Teacher Exchange program to the USA when suddenly a group of chirpy young girls caught my attention. They were full of enthusiasm and life. My curiosity was triggered by their interesting conversation. When I joined in to ask, they told me that they were going on AFS YES exchange program. I was eager to know about the program. I believe that people do open their home for strangers. Being Dean of Internationalism, I had organized many exchanges but it sounded very unique and exciting where an NGO organizes a wonderful intercultural opportunity and I was impressed by its inclusivity. While browsing about AFS in Miami I found out about the presence of AFS in India. I wrote to AFS India from the US and was overwhelmed by their response. The first thing I did after my return was join AFS and since then it has become an inseparable part of my life. I feel privileged to be an AFSer. It makes me feel accomplished as a teacher and as a human being. Supported and motivated by Divyaji, I felt confident that I can make a difference in the lives of youngsters: the future Global citizens. Volunteering has increased my self-confidence. When one is doing good for others and the community, it provides a natural sense of accomplishment. My role as a volunteer has given you a sense of pride and identity. I find new meaning and direction in my life by helping others. Whatever was my life situation, volunteering has helped me to take my mind off my own worries, kept me mentally stimulated, and added more zest to my life. Giving to others reduces stress, combat depression, keeps you mentally stimulated, and provides a sense of purpose. The most valuable assets you develop are compassion, an open mind, a willingness to pitch in wherever needed and a positive attitude. It gave me the opportunity to practice and develop my social skills. One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared activity together. Being an AFSer is a great way to meet new people, strengthen ties to the community and broaden support networks, exposing you to people with common interests, neighborhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities. I have learnt new skills, advanced my career, and even feel happier and healthier. In this journey I have at least a friend and welcoming home in every city where AFS has its presence. I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more. That’s what AFS does.”
Page 02 | January 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India
Volunteering has increased my self-confidence. When one is doing good for others and the community, it provides a natural sense of accomplishment. My role as a volunteer has given you a sense of pride and identity.
AFS India provides leadership, coordination, support, quality control and development to all its employees. Hear from our committed staff members about their journey of advancing the mission of AFS.
IMPACT STORIES FROM AFS STAFFS A Journey of a Lifetime I Small Steps to Big Leap! By Sonam Luthra, Sending Manager, Sponsored Programs, AFS India “The year 2021 has been very different for all of us and it seems life has now changed maybe for some good. My day now starts with a cup of tea with my family and ending the day with a long walk of my colony in the natural surroundings which is very unlike my personality who believes in extensive workouts. This crisis is an opportunity to embrace the new beginnings of the new normal. I now truly believe in the words of Helen Keller “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” My journey with AFS started in the year 2013 and since then it has been an incredible one. I do not have enough words to express the admiration and growth overflowing in the students during the entire recruitment process. During the re-entry orientations, the alumni share their wonderful experiences of the exchange, for some quite challenging but for some even more fascinating as the kids adapt to the new environment and life in a different country. The entire journey is a whole spectrum of emotions flowing through all of us, as we see the journey of each student, right from filling the forms to returning as matured young individuals with change perception towards life. The “New Me” students now have a broader outlook, deeper understanding, respect and better understanding of international relations. I had always wondered what we meant when we said, “Expect the Unexpected”. I can now understand it as follows: We as human beings have a lot of expectations from ourselves and most importantly with each other. In our life journey we fear surprises however students move out of their comfort zones and onto a journey to discover a new culture, study with peers from different nationalities, learn a new language, adapt to new food, and come back with an open mind and dedicated to achieving their dreams and goals. “If you align expectations with reality, you will never be disappointed” Terrell Owens My journey with the students has taught me that the expectations may or may not match the reality, however, that would not mean that you limit your expectations, it just means that embrace the reality and enjoy the journey for a long-lasting joy. With these small steps, our students become ready for the big leap in life!”
Page 03 | January 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India
Blast from The PAST
2011 Host students bringing laurels Delia Klaeger from Switzerland, hosted in Vadodara, was awarded 2nd prize from the Chief Minister Mr. Narendra Modi at the Khel Mahakumbh along with her team.
2012 Alumni Meet at Delhi AFS India organized a National YES alumni Meet (6th to 8th Jan 2012) which focused on how our alumni can expand their skills and tools to develop themselves and bring about positive changes in the society. The program was sponsored by American center – Delhi
2013 150th Birth anniversary AFS Vadodara celebrates 150th Birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand by making posters for World peace and participating in the rally. The volunteers decorated trucks with the posters and the rally passed through the main city and lasted for 3 hours.
2014 Maxence meets Amitabh Bachan While shooting for Gujarat Tourism, Amitabh Bachan posed for a quick picture with Maxence, host student from Canada, in Ahmedabad.
2015 Beauty of volunteer exchange | India-Germany Hema Mehta from Rajkot chapter displayed her paintings at an art gallery in Germany with the help of Anita Styles, a volunteer she hosted from Germany.
2016 Umang Patel in Columbia AFS India sent its 1st ever student to Columbia. Umang brought many laurels and became a popular face in his Columbian High School.
2017 Alumni get-together in Ahmedabad Alumni in Ahmedabad met to exchange ideas on bringing alumni together, making the chapter strong and to plan future actions under alumni engagement.
2018 Forbes 30 under 30 Tirthas Saha, JENESYS’08 alumni from Delhi made it to the Forbes list of 30 under 30 for his contributions to the energy sector.
2019 A wall which makes a difference! Achyut from the Pune chapter painted a 35 meter long wall showcasing the evolution of Pune city. It is the longest one line painting in Pune.
2020 AFS India wins EducationWorld Award Rated with maximum 7 stars, AFS India won this inaugural award in the experiential learning category. Proud and happy.
Page 04 | January 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India
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 time and highlight one event/story/experience each from the respective month of the last 10 years. Bringing some special but dormant memories alive. Happy reading!
School Activities is all about how AFS India through its activities, events, programs, etc. is educating educators and students to make a real difference.
SCHOOL
ACTIVITIES
A Cultural Spectacle - Virtual Class Exchange AFS India successfully organized an International Virtual Class exchange between Sat Paul Mittal School, Ludhiana and Green Valley School, Puebla, Mexico with an aim to foster intercultural dialogue on December 10th, 2020. The session saw students of class 6 showcase elements of Indian culture such as Kathak dance, yoga demonstrations, traditional attires, idol of Lord Ganesh, history of diverse food and mouth watering cuisines of India. AFS India extends heartfelt gratitude to AFS Mexico and both the schools for participating in the virtual exchange with great enthusiasm and making it a success.
“Not only was it amazing to share the Indian culture but it was also very interesting and informative to learn about Mexico. It was a perfect example of learning with fun” Amaira Ladia, Student, Class 6 Through this exchange, the students had a global exposure to 21st century skills like increasing flexibility, coping with challenges, building empathy, displaying technical agility and more Ms. Bhupinder Gogia, Principal, Sat Paul Mittal School, Ludhiana
Virtual Yet Actual Exchange Difficulties do bring many obstacles, problems and pains. But if we handle them positively, they bring some OPPORTUNITIES too. AFS India organized a week-long virtual exchange starting 11th December, 2020 between students of class 6 to 9 of Jodhamal Public School, Jammu & Viraj Shri Ram Centennial School, Boisar. It saw the exchange of cultural values, practices, dance forms, cuisines, language, art & craft. The 45 minutes long session each day was full of fun and engaging learning experience as students and mentors exchanged the culture from Jammu & Maharashtra. For the finale, on 18th December, it was overwhelming to see each school presenting a learning mix about the other’s state. The students promised to visit each other's state whenever possible. AFS India would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to both the schools for participating in the Virtual class exchange program with zeal and enthusiasm.Special thanks and mention of Ms Neetu Johri and Mr Sachin Desai who worked together to design such an engaging program for the learners.
It was real fun to get to know about the different aspects of the Maharashtrian tradition and culture through these activities. Navaj Anand, Student, Jodhamal Public School, Jammu
Page 05 | January 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India
HOSTING
This segment brings you details of significant updates on our Sending and Hosting department. Learn more about events, impact stories, activities or programs related to hosting and sending.
STORIES
NSLI-Y Partners Meeting AFS India National Director, Divya Arora and staff member, Nishita Mehta attended the international NSLI-Y Partners meeting held virtually between 14 to 22 January 2021. This was a series of sessions convening 10+ international partners implementing the NSLI-Y sponsored program of the US State Department that focuses on intensive language learning. At this international forum, some of the highlights of AFS India’s success with the NSLI-Y Hindi summer program (virtual) were shared including peer leaders interaction, Yoga session, Bollywood dance session and host family interaction besides success of students in their Hindi language proficiency test. We are very grateful to the volunteers, alumni, virtual host families and language teachers and mentor for making the 2020 representation a success.
SENDING STORIES
Sending Process Training & Meeting:
The meeting was also followed by an internal meeting with AFS USA on 22 January 2021 for specific AFS implementing partners- India, China, Russia, Egypt and Indonesia. Both these meetings also included future possibilities of the program and deliberated on various implementation scenarios for the 2021 cycle.
How can I become an AFSer? Find a program, short-term or yearlong, and start applying After the review, you will hear whether you are selected or not to go abroad on AFS Programs Attend your AFS Orientation Session Jump on plane and meet the world APPLY TODAY
Sending Process Training was conducted on 30th January 2021 followed by a Sending Meet for the volunteers. The session was conducted for the volunteers to help them become acquainted with the AFS Sending Process. The purpose of the training was to empower the sending team and make it bigger in each chapter. It lasted for about an 1.5 hours and was attended by 30 volunteers from all our chapters. For the sending process experts, there was also a meeting conducted on the same day, around 50 volunteers including chapter presidents and vice presidents joined this meeting. We discussed several things i.e. program promotion strategies, COVID related FAQ, countries to be promoted for 2021 etc. We thank all the volunteers for making this event a success. Page 06 | January 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India
Ready to know about AFS Programs? We offer life-changing opportunities in many countries. Explore this page to know more about new programs.
“Besides opening an entire world of new learnings, an exchange program is a stepping stone that prepares me for my future. Being shy in the beginning, my personality just blossomed and that helped me be more social when I started working. A new corporate job was no-more than an anxiety driven experience but more accepting and embracing. What more is important than to develop skills that help careers and life sustain into its better versions!!”
AFS Returnee
SPECIAL AFS
PROGRAMS FOR YOU AFS India in partnership with AFS Chile & AFS Egypt is looking at developing special reciprocal programs for one academic year in Chile / Egypt in 2021-22. These are special programs because they would have approximately 25% partial scholarship.
Chile Year Program Chile, a Latin American country, is home to a stunning variety of natural wonders, from the towering Andes Mountains to the penguin colonies of Patagonia, as well as the historic city of Santiago. Chilean people are friendly, welcoming, and family-oriented. Chile has a vast mixture of races and nationalities and because of this great ethnic diversity, Chileans are open to many different types of people. Family life is very important to Chileans, and they will often invite extended family members or friends to join in. The student will live in a Chilean host family, learn Spanish and go to Chilean school! Program Fee: INR 7,90,600 (inclusive of 18% GST). This includes international airfare. Age Criteria: 15 years 6 month to 17 years
Egypt Year Program Experience Egypt, a country that is 7000 years old! The summer in Egypt is very warm and sunny and the winter average temperature is 15 to 22 degrees C. Egypt is famous for its ancient monuments and history, a country that is thousands of years old. Very rich culture, diversity and complex food.
What makes AFS Different? Risk Management and Strong Support System Host Family Screening and Selection Orientation Health Insurance Emergency Evacuation Procedures Embedded Intercultural Learning
APPLY TODAY
Students live with host families and participate in different cultural activities in their hosted community. Egyptian host families are always ready to host with open hearts and amazing hospitality. When you choose to go to Egypt on an academic year long program, you will get to attend a local secondary school where you will study in English, but you will get a chance to learn Arabic as a second language. Apart from school, you will be immersed in Arabic culture and its traditions. Program Fee: INR 7,79,980 (inclusive of 18% GST). This includes international airfare. Age Criteria: 15 to 17 years old What makes these programs special - AFS is willing to offer a partial scholarship of up to 25% of the program fee to 1 student each for the Chile and Egypt program. Deadline to share your interest: 20 February 2021 Interested schools, parents and students for Chile or Egypt should send their interests and queries at Manjula Devi (manjula.devi@afs.org, +91-8586-925-038) OR Parvez Alam (parvez.alam@Afs.org, +91 8586-925-384) OR Nishita Mehta (nishita.mehta@afs.org, +91-8586-925-131).
Page 07 | January 2021 | Newsletter | AFS India
AFS Mission AFS Intercultural Programs is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, 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 intolerance. 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 without 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.
Cover Photo: Iqra Hameed Khan from Pakistan For any suggestions, or sharing stories or experiences, please write at aadil.fahim@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.com/afsindia youtube.com/afsindiaofficial twitter.com/IndiaAFS instagram.com/afs_india/
AFS Intercultural Programs India
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