Newsletter | May 2020

Inside this issue

M A Y

2 0 2 0

2 In our Why Choose AFS? sec on read about the ‘Learning as A Journey of Change’ and learn about how AFS prepares people to engage effec vely across cultural and other differences.

3 In the next sec on, Words from AFSers, read through the beau ful and impac ul experiences shared by some of our AFS Sending Parents on their kid's journey to becoming #GlobalCi zens 4 This month, in School on Highlight, we share the insights of The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet.

5 In AFS Collabora ons, we introduce you to the World Youth Council, a leading non-for-profit organisa on working for youth empowerment and development.

6-8 In the School Sec on, experience Celebra ng Indian Cultural Diversity Program and read a write-up wri en by our member school educator on Grappling with Technology.

8-9 Impact of AFS Programs shares with you the beau ful story of Nikhita Thevannoor and Suhani Salgia on how AFS Exchange programs have transformed their lives.

9 Read next in Impact of Virtual Re-Entry Orienta on on how AFS India hosted its very first Virtual Re-Entry Orienta on for 11 AFS Program students who returned from their host countries.

10 In Hos ng Stories, read the story shared by Jadeja Family from Rajkot who hosted Dalila Gianesini from Italy.

10 In the spirit of AFS and Mental Health Awareness, Bhavya Arora, Training and Development Coordinator, AFS India, pens down an ar cle on the theme of Individual Differences for Collec ve Peace.

11 In the Joy of Volunteering Sec on, experience domes c and interna onal virtual exchanges.

Learning as A Journey of Change Since 1947, AFS has prepared young people with prac cal skills, knowledge and more needed to thrive in a global world. Today we've enhanced these 21st Century competencies by introducing new state-of-the-art AFS Learning Journey Curriculums so you can follow along as your student grows.

Many universi es and employers seek students and young adults who have a sense of the world beyond their own communi es—and are comfortable interac ng with people from other countries and cultures.

Why should my child go abroad with AFS? For over 70 years, AFS has an excep onal reputa on for providing quality interna onal programs that develop skills essen al to succeed in the 21st Century. The AFS experience: - Builds confidence, broadens perspec ves and enhances cri cal thinking and problem-solving skills.

- Includes respected intercultural educa on and language learning components that are valued by universi es and employers.

- Offers fun adventures that makes learning easy and meaningful to teens.

- Provides lifelong access to a global community of friends, connec ons and volunteer opportuni es.

Learning as a journey of change Intercultural challenges and learning moments are inevitable parts of our everyday lives, our classrooms and public spaces.

To prepare people to engage effec vely across cultural and other differences, we offer transforma ve learning journeys that are customized to students, families, volunteers, adults and communi es.

Each AFS journey is designed around these six principles: -------

Learning as a journey of change Goals-based curriculums + methods Immersive experiences + structured learning Non-formal learning environments Experien al learning = enhanced learning Learning for life + lifelong learning

Interested in sending your kid abroad? Please reach out to us.

Page 02 | May 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Why

Choose AFS?

"Take every chance you get in life because something called Exchange year only happens once for a girl from India, which is no less than a dream come true!

People asked me why I wanted to send her so early, the school where she studied asked her why to waste a year and I always asked myself, is it the right decision to be apart from your child for a year? Who will hug her when she is sad; who will love her when she is in distress? But life begins at the end of our comfort zone!

The support extended by the AFS team built my confidence and I decided to send my daughter to Denmark. She lived with a host family, met wonderful people from across the world, and developed lifelong rela onships. My daughter is now more social, communica ve, responsible, and adap ve. AFS has always provided their extended support in iden fying host families and taking the decision of bringing students back at the right me during the crisis. Thank you AFS.” - Ms Ruchi Jain and Mr Asit Jain, Parents of Aru Jain (Denmark Returnee, 2019)

She lived with a host family, met wonderful people from across the world, and developed lifelong relationships. My daughter is now more social, communicative, responsible, and adaptive.

She went as our little child and came back as a global citizen, more aware of the world around her!

“As parents, we always wanted to give our daughter the experiences that we couldn't get as kids. We were keen on le ng her explore the world. The 10 months were not easy without her, but we knew that she was there for her best. She went as our li le child and came back as a global ci zen, more aware of the world around her! She had come out of the shell that she was in for the past 16 years. The exchange program has had a huge impact on her life and career choices. She is now looking forward to becoming an Italian language expert and eventually being a part of the Embassy of Italy in India. We as parents feel really proud that she was the first student from her school to take up this challenging program and to choose her path at such a delicate age."

- Mr. Kapil Mehra and Ms. Bhawna Mehra, Parents of Gul Mehra (Italy Returnee, 2015) “All the parents wish that their child explores more about this world, learns and grows. Keeping the same thought in my mind, we sent our son to Norway on a 10 months AFS exchange program. We were happy to know that he had a suppor ve host family. He learnt many new things, met many people from different cultural backgrounds broadening his spectrum of accep ng different cultures. This gave him more confidence in his speaking skills. He became more responsible as well as independent in taking his own decisions. He learnt how to take a stand for himself without any parental support. He celebrated new fes vals with his family and learnt their local language and is s ll fluent in it.

Today when we see him talking to someone confidently and ac ng all mature, we think we made a good decision!"

- Mr. Sanjay Mahida, Father of Jordan Mahida (Norway Returnee, 2018)

Aru Jain

Gul Mehra

Denmark Returnee

Italy Returnee

Jordan Mahida

Riya Dhandhukiya

Norway Returnee

France Returnee

"It all started when I heard from one of my friends who had sent her daughter from AFS to France and it amazed me how AFS organiza on is doing such an amazing job at building bridges between the countries. So we decided to send our 2 daughters to different countries (France and Italy) to make them understand about different cultures, have different experiences in their lives and learn different languages. They were thrilled to take this amazing opportunity and make the best out of it. Of course, it was difficult in our hearts to send both of our daughters to different countries but their exchange was a mixture of amazing adventures, challenges, and some valuable lessons that changed their perspec ve of life. There were mes when they both got homesick, sad, frustrated but they overcame it and handled the situa ons fiercely. Now they are more focused on their life goals and capable of surviving any difficult situa ons in their lives. We are so grateful to AFS for giving our daughters a life me of experience in mere 11 months.”

- Mr. Chetan Dhandhukiya and Ms Vaishali Dhandhukiya, Parents of Riya Dhandhukiya (France Returnee, 2016) Page 03 | May 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet 1-11 87 & 88, S.P. Road, Begumpet, Hyderabad, Telangana 500016. T.S. India Phone No. 040-27761546 / 040-67590000 E-mail: contactus@hpsbegumpet.org.in Website: www.hpsbegumpet.org.in Nestled in idyllic surroundings, the Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, is a co-educa onal ins tu on which was established as Jagirdar's College in 1923 with five students and six teachers. The school with its heritage buildings sits in a large sprawling ground. In 1952, The HPS Society was formed with Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India, as the first chairman of the society. This acorn has grown into a formidable tree straddling the field of educa on in the ensuing decades, and it has established its own cultural iden ty mirroring a blend of modern educa on pedagogies with tradi onal values in all its mul farious grandeur. At HPS, students are encouraged to explore uncharted fron ers fearlessly thereby gi ing the world with high profile achievers who have done their alma mater proud in different walks of life.

HPS aims to provide holis c educa on. The school stresses the experien al integrated approach to learning.

An exhibi on on the subject 'Water,' sensi zed the students to the pressing concerns of water shortage, pollu on, and wastage on the planet.

The school facilitates its students to become global ci zens. As a part of this endeavour, two students represented India at COP24 held in Poland in 2018 and COP25 in Madrid, Spain, in 2019 respec vely. Our students collaborated with the peers across the world to foster awareness about Sustainable Development Goals.

HPS was iden fied as the Global Lead School in this Global Forum in 2019.

The school has always been keen at exposing its students to the richness of the cultures across the world. HPS par cipated in a student exchange program with the Bednarska Charter High School, Warsaw, and undertook an exclusive European Expedi on and Exchange Program, which helped the students nurture interpersonal bonds, emo onal and intercultural intelligence. The school grabbed the opportunity to represent the na on in Sports Exchange, Hockey Program in Japan under JENESYS 2018, and the Domes c Class Intercultural Exchange Program with The Bri sh Co-Ed High School, Pa ala, both Page 04 | May 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

facilitated by AFS Intercultural Programs India. Two students from the USA engaged themselves in the unique teaching approach employed by the school. The school being a member of Round Square, is connected to a network of schools in 50 countries thus having access to leverage the poten al benefits of connec ng with a community of like-minded schools on an interna onal scale.

HPS plays an essen al role in intercultural dialogue for achieving peace and sustainable development, thus mo va ng its students on a journey that would empower them to be global ci zens.

TEACH YOUR TALENT One of the flagship programs of WYC is Teach Your Talent (TYT). TYT aims at holis c development of underprivileged children by focusing on arts & sports educa on. The backbone of the program is the army of Change Leaders, young people who volunteer to Teach Your Talent. TYT runs in different formats like Urban Regular Sessions, Rural bootcamps, Summer Camps & Winter Camps. Ranging from classical dance to beat boxing, cricket to mar al arts, pain ng to quilling, we have many Change Leaders who teach & share their unique talents.

COVID & LOCKDOWN PIVOTS 2020 has brought in unique set of challenges for every organisa on including WYC. WYC assessed the problem in alignment with our focus area of educa on and we realised that while private school was trying to pivot to online teaching, under privileged children have zero to minimum learning.

So, WYC launched Teach From Home (TFH) where Change Leaders teach academic subjects like Science, Social Studies, etc virtually from home.WYC is reaching out to various shelters, slums, etc. across the country to enrol them and Teach From Home. English & Maths are being taught compulsorily to all enrolled students.

The sessions happen virtually through basic apps like Google Meet, WhatsApp or even voice call if smart phones are not available. Change Leaders have been provided with teaching resources like curriculum, lesson plans, reading material, work sheets etc., all uniquely curated by WYC.

World Youth Council Address: D-107, Sector - 2, Noida Phone No. 9873896087/9899606021 E-mail: contact@worldyouthcouncil.org Website: www.worldyouthcouncil.org The World Youth Council (WYC) is a leading non-for-profit organisa on working for youth empowerment and development through online and offline programs, projects and ac vi es. With its founda on laid in 2016, WYC has come a long way from a passion project of our Director to now a family of more than 5,000 Change Leaders & have impacted more than 20,000 lives. It has become a well-known organisa on known for its ingenious and unconven onal ac on projects. WYC currently has a focus on educa on, skill building & entrepreneurship.

AFS INDIA AND WYC COLLABORATION AFS India and WYC have been collabora ng on various programs since 2017.

Beginning with partnering to extend entrepreneurial educa on in AFS schools to peace building workshops with AFS alumni, WYC and AFS India share an alignment in vision which keeps bringing both the organisa on together to achieve their goals.

The kind of dedica on & sincerity that the children show towards learning & change leaders show towards teaching is stupendous. In just over a month, students have shown an incredible growth in their competence level & learning ability.

TFH - THE MOVEMENT With such great feedback & success, WYC has now begun TFH - The Movement, India's largest online teaching movement for under privileged children.

WYC envisions to make Teach From Home become a house hold phenomenon so that maximum children can be reached. It has set a target of 15,000 children to be enrolled for the program by July.

Ins tu ons, educa on houses like school & colleges & educators support for such ini a ves can make the movement go a long way. WYC believes in the power of collabora on & if down right can snowball the impact.

WYC has a target to onboard 5,000 Change Leader by July. So individuals who can spare some me to Teach From Home can join us in the mission!

Page 05 | May 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Educa ng Global Ci zens

Schools

to Make a

Real Dierence

Celebra ng Indian Cultural Diversity In an ini a ve to keep students, educators and schools engaged during the lockdown period, AFS India convened a 5-series virtual program to commemorate May 21 as the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue & Development.

The program, named as Celebra ng Indian Cultural Diversity, integrated aspects of intercultural learning and was a carnival of

showcasing mul farious diversity present in India. 5 sessions were held virtually between 8th May to 21st May 2020. The ďŹ nal session was concluded expressly on May 21st to mark the day.

The selected students from seventeen schools across the country collaborated and presented the city or state of their choice.

These students-led conferences were a breath of fresh air away from no classes or online lessons led by their teachers. The students from each school got a chance to explore the city in which they have been living for years yet there are unexplored aspects and present cohesively into one project. Variety of techniques were explored by the par cipa ng schools. To name a few, we witnessed showcasing of costumes & jewellery, presenta ons, created videos, singing, dancing, self-cooking videos, dance workshop, monologue, facial expression, art workshop, ta oo workshop, yoga workshop, amazing quizzing, Kahoot, beau ful anima on and interview of locals. They also highlighted the projects undertaken by the local government or their school with respect to Sustainable Developments Goals.

At the outset, I would like to thank all the par cipants and AFS India Team for the learning that happened during this last 90 minutes. What I really liked is that these presenta ons were led by students. Not only the three par cipa ng schools depicted diversity present in India but even their presenta on style was so diverse. I am so proud of these children. They transported us to three des na ons.

- Principal, School

Page 06 | May 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Date

Moderator & Guest Principal

School

Session 1

8th May 2020

Ms Bhupinder Gogia Sat Paul Mi al School, Ludhiana

Amity Interna onal School, Saket, Delhi Maria's Public School, Guwaha Springfield World School, Vidisha PVG's Dr. Kakasaheb Deodhar English School, Nashik

Session 2

12th May 2020

Dr. Vidhukesh Vimal Assam Valley School, Tezpur

Sunbeam School Varuna, Varanasi Delhi Public School, Raipur The Hyderabad Public School, Kadapa

Session 3

15th May 2020

Dr Rajesh K Chandel Gyan Ganga Interna onal School, Jabalpur

Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, Kolkata Sri Aurobindo Mira Universal, Madurai Yadavindra Public School, Pa ala

Session 4

18th May 2020

Dr Sandeep Khanna MIT Pune's VIshwashan Gurukul School, Pune

Maa Anandmayee Memorial School, Dehradun Royal Global School, Guwaha Mayo College Girls' School, Ajmer

21st May 2020

Ms Swarnima Luthra ASN Senior Secondary School, Delhi

Sat Paul Mi al School, Ludhiana Suchitra Academy, Hyderabad All Saints College, Nanital Shris English Medium School, Anand

Session

Session 5

The experience was mesmerising. Working in a team for this project helped me work on my teamwork skill.

- Student

The session was amazing.

Each aspect of this session was so wonderful. Message for students is to be the CHANGEMAKER. - Principal, School We appreciate and thank the effort taken by each school specially by the mentors, the school leaders and the parents to guide these young presenters. The icing in the cake for each session was the invited guest Principal who not only moderated the session but also shared anecdotes and asked the presenters ques ons that they confidently answered.

Each session provided us with an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of Indian cultural diversity and to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions. This program highlighted that our strength lies in diversity.

Page 07 | May 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Locked within the four walls of their homes, teachers are proving to be lifelong learners exhibi ng enormous pa ence in conduc ng discussion based online classes. Their never-say die hard a tude in striving to carry on the job of impar ng knowledge to the future genera on projects them as a role model to be emulated.

Undoubtedly a true teacher is a ray of hope amidst darkness, the darkness enveloping us in today's scenario is bound to diminish, the need is to be suppor ve towards the valiant and undeterred educators.Mul tasking at home these lesser mortals are slowly turning into Demigods as the take up volley of ques ons fired at them by concerned parents and young learners.

When will this impasse end? When will things go back to normal?

These are ques ons that plagues all of us.Probably ques ons that don't have answers,yet. But the endearing moments of students with teachers engaging in online classes certainly provide a much needed salve of hope and sanity in this me of duress and distress.”

Schools Educators - Grappling with Technology

By Dr. Jaya Chauhan, Educator, Delhi Public School, Ranchi “Since me, immemorial educa on for Indians has been the greatest investment but surprisingly the paradox of a teacher's personality is that they are simply 'Meek Dictators'. Teaching is labelled as a noble profession yet it is seldom the first choice of students. As the world is facing the challenge of dealing with an unprecedented threat of COVID-19 crisis, the role of teachers is dras cally changing - "Quest for Self-Iden ty"- search for an iden ty has been rife with conflict even though educa on is one of the prominent arenas in which this quest and conflict found expression. Educa on today is a vehicle for exposure and social mobility although many consider it alien in moral training.

Unfortunately a teacher's concerns are no longer the selec on, pacing and transac on of knowledge, but preparing the students for examina ons without disturbing the teacher's authority in the classroom.

We think of teacher-heroes who taught us the academics but we don't o en think of those teachers who taught us life's lessons.

Much of what students learn from their greatest teachers is not detailed on a syllabus. Teachers who help us grow as people are responsible for impar ng some of life's most important lessons.

As a teacher we have been showing our students how to become independent and form their own rela onships, carefully guiding them and intervening when necessary. Armed with a suppor ve and well educated administra on, there is no limit to the influence on the social sphere of school lessons as students mature, those early lessons s ll have an effect on how they will interact with others in the future.

Teachers are fountains of experience. They have already been where their students are going, undergone what they will go through and are in a posi on to pass along lessons, not only regarding subject ma er, but lessons on life.

So what if there is a role reversal today and teachers are grappling with technology. Online classes have become the order of the day.

The nuances of conduc ng effec ve online classes is being pa ently mastered by educators. Students are more than happy to tutor teachers to understand the essen als of taking Zoom, Kahoot, Seesaw, Google classroom, Classtree..etc.

Page 08 | May 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Impact of

AFS Program An Year Of Novelty

By Nikhita Thevannoor | 2017-18 Alumni From Ooty “I chose to go to Denmark because I strongly believed that I should experience a culture that is dras cally different from India. Denmark ended up being a great choice and significantly broadened my horizons, but, in the same vein, ini ally made my transi on period challenging.

Every day in Denmark I learned something new, whether in class or outside. Through my other AFS friends, I learned about cultures from all over the world, and through my Danish friends, I learned about my own culture through a new perspec ve. I had a fairly sheltered life before, but that year changed my views on so many different things, from global poli cs to simple things like movie preferences. I even learned how to cook Indian food for my host family.

I learnt a new language with no similari es to any language I already knew. I lived with people I barely knew. The school I went to taught its curriculum in Danish. Throughout that year, I learnt to not stop trying. When I started learning Danish, I was able to reach my classmates and connect to them be er.

I read the material for the classes that I could do, like English, French and mathema cs, and par cipated as much as I could.

The experience was one of the best in my life, and I am forever grateful for it. I learned so much that year, and made friends for life. The memories I made there are looked upon fondly, and I can't wait to go back. “

May 4th and May 8th, 2020 respec vely. The students shared their thoughts about the impact of their program on them while reflec ng on the various changes and adapta ons in the Re-Entry process. A special sec on was kept to discuss challenges with regards to their abrupt home coming and to provide support to students to process the sudden change. Read what some students shared with us via their assignment "Seeing with New Eyes".

Impact of

AFS Program The Incredible Impact

By Suhani Salgia, From Indore, AFS Program to Spain “AFS is all about breaking the ar ficial boundaries of differences, crea ng a harmonious environment and establishing a tolerant society.

Unlike most AFS programs, this one didn't have a concept of staying with a host family. Instead, I stayed in a school with 43 fellow par cipants. I lived with people from 11 countries across the world, prac cing different religions, speaking different languages and upholding different values. And I think one of the biggest changes I've seen in myself a er the trip was how I had become more aware and apprecia ve of the nuances of cultures around the world. We had adjusted to each other.

There is absolutely no limit to the amount of things or life lessons I've learnt during my exchange. From learning a new language to learning a new water sport like paddle boarding, I've imbibed values and teachings that couldn't have been taught a be er way. Staying away from home for a month challenges you in every way, but especially emo onally. Coping with extreme emo ons and li ing each other up during breakdowns was an important life skill learnt. The ac vi es and projects planned by our instructors also tested and improved our crea ve thinking quo ent.

I would highly recommend exchange programs to all the budding minds out there because this will Impact you in an incredible way. I am very grateful for ge ng this opportunity of a life me, experiencing wonderful ac vi es , learning new things and building a family throughout the globe.”

Now, I look at people around me with a completely new perspec ve, I learnt how to love everyone and accept them to be themselves and not as a version you want them to be. By learning different cultural values I understood how to accept people as they are."

- Ajeesh Varghees, AFS Returnee from Netherlands Some things that I did not appreciate before my exchange, but now I would like to do is: to be happy in every condi on; not to use phone during lunch or dinner; to separate the plas cs, papers, woods and biodegradable things as waste management; exercise regularly and the last thing was that to all be on me and always be posi ve. This has really changed my life."

- Adarsh Barnwal, AFS Returnee from Italy The religious value system in our country is unique, the diversity is unique and the quote - 'India is a con nent masquerading as a country” is true , so many different cultures, languages, norms and tradi ons it is all so marvelous, rich cultural values, is what i have developed a deeper knowledge about my na on's cultural system and feminism in india."

- Aru Jain, AFS Returnee from Denmark.

My perspec ve has definitely changed on many issues. One of the most important things is the way I look at and accept other people's opinions. I've always been with the wrong no on that only what I'm saying is correct and my way of looking at things is correct.

But now, I've actually reached that understanding level where I've come to accept that everyone will have a different opinion and different way of thinking which may be correct as well. Secondly I have learnt to say “yes” to everything that comes my way and this improvement gave me the chance to experience a lot of new things."

- Diya Moogi, AFS Returnee from Belgium.

Impact of

Virtual Re-Entry Orientation Virtual Re-Entry Orienta on - Seeing with New Eyes AFS India hosted its very first Virtual Re-Entry Orienta on for 11 AFS Program students who returned from their host countries due to the COVID-19 crisis. The orienta on was a full package of insights and reflec ons with many pre, post and during assignments given to students to keep them engaged through the week. The live sessions were held on zoom call for students on Page 09 | May 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

used to help cook tradi onal Gujara dishes with Anilaba (our cook) and was very fond of ea ng Indian sweets, especially 'Shrikhand'. She was also learning Gujara and did grab quite a many regular basic words which were spoken. She loved trying her hands at new things and the tradi onal Indian culture from clothes, chaniya choli and sarees to simple things like mehendi (heena), a ending occasions like weddings and dancing at sangeet (musical) night and enjoying fes vals like Diwali. She passionately learnt the diverse cultures of India wherever we visited. It was truly astounding. AFS Rajkot chapter organized the community services where the slum children were also fond of her and she also enjoyed there. We also got to know about their culture.

Expression of Feelings of Host Family Members

By Jadeja Family from Rajkot, hosted Dalila Gianesini from Italy on a year program in 2019-20 “I clearly remember the day when Dalila came, it was 7th of July.

The Rajkot chapter and host families welcomed Dalila and Gioele (another exchange student) to Rajkot. I s ll chuckle and think of the me when I had to put the Laal Tilak (auspicious red mark that's put on the forehead) on Dalila and do the welcome Aar and my hands were shivering insanely because I was so nervous. That day Dalila for me was an unknown Italian girl whom I had to spend the whole year with.

Dalila was very coopera ve and she adjusted well with the situa on of staying with a Rajput family of Rajkot. She adapted well and accepted each and every difficul es with a smile. Coming from a modern country she accommodated herself quite well here. She

The last days were sad for all of us and her friends too, but we always cherish these memories we have, it was a very great experience overall.”

- Jigna Jadeja, Host Mother “The year went by in a snap, now when I look back in me and think of her, she has become my forever sister by heart over this year, we became connected to each other. It was an adventure, very difficult for her but we all enjoyed it and had fun. She became a part of our family. To my mom, she was a companion she could go out with and talk to, to my dad a second daughter, to me a lifelong friend and a sister, to Aahana a partner she could play and share Italian dishes with, to my grandmother and my aunt she was a kind sweet obedient girl and a great companion to my brother.”

- Dhumini Jadeja, Host Sister

Individual Differences for Collec ve Peace

By Bhavya Arora, Training and Development Coordinator, AFS India “Every year, the month of May is dedicated to Mental Health Awareness. One of the many things a young psychology student learns is to understand the psychology of individual differences. Right from the very start, it is highlighted to students pursuing the discipline of mental health that each individual is his/her own beau ful expression of various biological, social, personal and interpersonal factors. It is reiterated that for a society to be just to all- it must be inclusive of all needs and social expressions of an individual.

However, somewhere along the way, in every day hustle and bustle- the concept loses its sight. At AFS, we celebrate diversity in all its forms- be it cultural, linguis c, lifestyle, apparel, cuisine, etc. We appreciate differences as the elements that add color and spice to the everyday monotony! We promote acceptance, inclusion and apprecia on of diversity as the fiber of our opera ons. So, in the spirit of AFS and Mental Health Awareness, we choose to bring you diversity expressing itself through our psyche: - Diversity in Emo ons: There is a very wide variety of emo ons experienced and its expression throughout the world! While feeling emo ons is a universal- almost habitual truth of our lives; let's take a moment to appreciate the truth, authen city and beauty of its diversity.

When felt, how truly terrifying yet fully gra fying can they be.

- Neurodiversity: The concept of accep ng that while similar, our brain is equally different and unique and brain differences are normal. It is important to observe how neurodiversity is an opportunity for us as a society to stretch our boundaries and challenge our ideas of 'normal' Page 10 | May 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

and how absolutely joyous it can be to accommodate, support and appreciate kids and individuals with learning and thinking differences.

- Diversity of individual percep on: Each individual perceives life differently- where one may find absolute terror, the other may find the source of crea vity. What differen ates each of our lives and our experience of it, is our percep on. And the diversity of individual percep on is the major cause of conflict in an interpersonal and ever connected society! How about we accept that 2+2 may make 4 for me but to someone else, it may just be 3+1! And it doesn't mean they are wrong- it just means they are different. What kind of a society we may end up building?

- Diversity in community: Living together as a society of various socie es, as a global community- our existence is bound with diversity in history, socio-cultural prac ces, preferences and thought streams. To build a Global community that is equally just and peaceful to all its residents, how about for once we acknowledge and accept the differences as various shades on a canvas making the bigger picture brighter and more “alive”!

It makes me happy to be alive in a me and space where we are becoming greatly aware of diversity in all its expression.

What are some of your thoughts about diversity? How do you think it can benefit your mental health and of those around you? How would you like to choose inner peace through accep ng diversity; only to end up crea ng an external expression of outer peace?”

Yugadi. The fes val is called Gudi Padwa in Western Indian and celebrated with different tradi onal prac ces in Maharashtra.

The volunteers explore the cultural elements of Karnataka; not just the part which is primarily in awareness, but also the part which is hidden. They engaged in how similar fes vals are differently celebrated at their respec ve places. They played games that worked as ice breakers and added to the fun of the exchange. The pla orm provided a chance to connect with the volunteers from one region of India to another. They laughed, they learned and they engaged in building a new rela onship.

VeRVE – Virtual Regional Volunteer Exchange | Bangalore & Nashik We are delighted to share the first set of Virtual Volunteer Exchanges that were completed with full zeal by the volunteers.

We had around 34 volunteers who par cipated in the exchange. It was an informa ve and engaging session which everyone LOVED!!

A BIG THANK YOU to both the chapters for par cipa ng in VeRVE!

VeRVE - The First Ever 'Virtual' Regional Volunteer Exchange was conducted between Bangalore and Nashik chapter volunteers on 25th April 2020. The 2.5-hour interac ve session took Nashik Volunteers on a virtual journey to the state of Karnataka where they interacted and shared a lot about Karnataka's Fes vals, Cuisines and Culture. Through the pla orm, volunteers of the Bangalore chapter shared its culture of mul lingual ethnicity, sophis cated heritage, zealous fes vi es and much more. Through the call, it was highlighted that Karnataka offers a li le something for everyone, be it a history enthusiast, a nature lover or someone looking to immerse oneself in its cultural heritage. Bangalore volunteers talked about the New Year Fes val called 'Yugadi'. They talked about the history, significance and tradi onal prac ces of

Cultural Grip Over Virtual Trip | India and Egypt AFS India had its first Virtual Interna onal Volunteer Exchange Program - Cultural Grip Over Virtual Trip on 16th and 17th May 2020. It was wonderful to have Ms. Suzan Sarofim and Ms. Germine Hotsny, staff from AFS Egypt as part of the call along with the host families. It was a beau ful experience for everyone involved. The sessions were really engaging and interac ve, the 05 Nashik volunteers (Mrs. Yogita Shinde, Mrs. Sangita Kangune, Mrs. Shital Gaikwad along with her daughter, Mrs. Archana Kondewar and Mrs. Manisha Bhole) divided themes for each day and spoke in

length about cuisines along with one live cooking of , dances, and various cultural heritage of Maharashtra, state of India, dressed up in their tradi onal a re. Pranjal Shewale sang a lovely Maharashtrian song. They had very beau fully designed presenta ons full of videos, photos and immersive ac vi es. They also danced together and made the Egyp an volunteers dance as well. Spectacular work by the Nashik volunteers in ensuring that language was no barrier. Kudos to them! It was surely a very informa ve and fun virtual trip to the state of Maharashtra, India.

Great efforts by the wonderful Nashik Evas!

VOLUNTEER + ACTION = IMPACT Page 11 | May 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India

Smri Verma from Nabha