Belgium (Flemish)

From AFSWiki

Contents 1 Country Information 2 Placement 3 Travel Information 4 Host Family 5 Academics 6 Support Information 7 Scholarships & Sponsored Programs 8 General Country Information

Country Information

• AFS Country Code: BFL
• See http://www.usa.afs.org/usa_en/view/7941 for more information on Belgium Flanders.

Placement

• Age requirement: 16.0-18.6 for school programs; 18.0-26.0 for gap year programs.
• Language requirements: Dutch; BFL expects people to be dedicated to learn Dutch.
• Health restrictions: Candidates must be in good medical health and meet partner health criteria.
• Graduates: For school programs, candidates may not be graduated.
• Smoking: Some families accept smokers others don't.
• Dietary Restrictions: Students on a wheat-free diet are very difficult to place
• Dress:
• Location: 30% urban, 60% suburban, 10% rural. Flanders is very densely populated and the distance between cities is small. Even 'rural' areas are always within easy reach of a city.
• Other:

Travel Information

• Visa:
• Arrival & Orientation: Participants must pay 30 Euro deposit for language CD-Rom and handbook. All participants will get this money back when they return the CD-rom at the end orientation.
• Departure:

Host Family

• Transportation:
• Extracurricular:
• Other: Students will live with a host family and in general they have a room for themselves. Activities organized by the chapter (sometimes for free or sometimes students have to pay a little fee) : barbecue, walks, trips to Paris and Amsterdam, etc. Activities offered vary per chapter.

Academics

• Transcript/Diploma: For School-based Programs, BFL cannot guarantee an applicant who requires a diploma.
• School: AFS students are expected to go to school every day. The school is the right place to make friends. Wednesday afternoon is free and there are no classes on Saturday. A normal day starts at 8.00 o'clock and ends at 16 o'clock. Each class takes 50 minutes and there is a break at noon and also two 15 minutes breaks during the day. During the stay, the student will participate in an educational program, not a holiday. AFS Flanders has developed this program for teenagers in Belgium Flanders to give them the opportunity to LEARN and GROW through an intensive living experience. The program includes two weeks of social work during the month December. The student will work in a project of his/her choice and the local chapter will help and guide the student in this process.
• Language:

Support Information

Information needed.

Scholarships & Sponsored Programs

See Scholarships or Sponsored Programs for Sending for more information.

General Country Information

• Religion: 90% of the Belgians are Roman Catholic (but most of them don't go to church), Other religions can be practiced in bigger cities.
• Population:
• Climate: The climate is maritime temperate, with significant precipitation in all seasons.
• Language: Dutch
• Government:

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For information, questions or concerns, contact the Program Information Specialist or countryinfo@afs.org.