Liaison
From AFSWiki
This article provides instructive information useful to a volunteer regarding the process of volunteering as a liaison. For a formal definition as understood by the organization, see: Liaison Volunteer Position Description.
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What is a Participant/Family Liaison?
Although support for AFS participants is provided through several local volunteers as well as regional and national offices, the AFS Liaison is a volunteer identified as the primary contact for an AFS participant for the duration of their program. As such, the Liaison has a role that is extremely important in maintaining the communication link between an AFS participant and the AFS organization.
Liaisons are key to the success of the AFS support network by providing ongoing community friendship and support for AFS students and their host families. The Liaison serves as the "first responder" in the communication network connecting with the local AFS volunteer leadership and staff as needed to provide participant support. The most important attributes for a Liaison to possess are:
- a genuine regard for people of all ages,
- the ability to listen and to be objective,
- and the desire to learn about other cultures.
The liaison is not responsible for solving problems or resolving conflicts for participants and families, but rather to provide support for them so that they can do so themselves.
Basic functions
- Provide an objective ear to both participants and families by maintaining regular contact with both parties
- The Department of State and CSIET require that all organizations, such as AFS, which host participants in the United States, retain documentation of regular contact with each participant. The primary role of the liaison is to maintain documented contact with both the student and the host family, serve as an information resource, and aid in the overall support process. See: Monthly Contact.
- Help both the participant and host family define their expectations for their AFS experience
- Unrealistic expectations can negatively impact the exchange experience. Having a clear understanding of the AFS program will help the participant and family set realistic expectations.
- Help the family and participant work together through normal adjustment experiences
- By far the majority of participants are strong, stable, and remarkably resilient. Their adjustment difficulties are normal, relatively minor, and of short duration. At times the family and participant may feel anxious about communication roadblocks, guilty about resentments they may feel towards each other, or lonely and disappointed about unmet expectations. Such low periods are well within the range of the normal adjustment process. See: Common phases of cultural adjustment.
- Keep appropriate Support Volunteers informed about potential support situations as they develop.
- Although most situations will be resolved locally with the help and support of the Liaison, it is important to keep the Team Support Coordinator informed.
- Maintain confidentiality.
- Disclosures made by either the participant or the host family should not be discussed with anyone other than the appropriate local volunteer(s) to assist in support situations or, if need be, with the Support staff in the Regional Service Center.
Guidebook and training
The US Department of State requires liaisons to be trained annually. Training will be organized on a local or Team level by volunteers in the community. Annual training is important for communicating changes in Department of State and CSIET regulations, as well as other AFS news.
It is recommended that liaisons bring their guidebook to training. This is the primary resource to consult for answers to questions; AFS staff contact information can be found in the guidebook. Local contacts can be written in.
Click here for the Student Family Liaison Guide
Trainers see Liaison training
Monthly Discussion Guides
Click here for Liaison Monthly Discussion Guides.
These guides provide month-by-month information relevant to the experience of the participants and host families with the intention of increasing contacts by inspiring conversation-starters or questions from liaisons.
Liaison Best Practices
Follow these links (login required) to read what has worked for other liaisons and to post your own best practices! If you would like to contribute to any of the Liaison Best Practices pages, please email Participant Support Assistant, Aimee Hein at ahein@afs.org
Requirements
- Registered Volunteer
- 21 years of age
- Liaison training
- On-line Liaison Training
- A member of a first time host family who has not previously volunteered for AFS cannot be assigned as a liaison for another AFS participant and host family. Members of first time host families for AFS who have hosted previously for another exchange organization may be allowed to serve as liaisons with approval by the Regional Manager of Participant Support.
- AFS-USA staff may not serve as volunteer liaisons for AFS participants and host families. Volunteer liaisons must maintain impartiality to both the student and the host family. No perceived conflict of interest should exist that might harm their ability to remain impartial and make effective decisions in the best interest of all parties.
- Liaisons cannot be relatives or close friends of the host families to whom they are assigned. (Close friends are considered people with whom liaisons have a long standing friendship that either began before their involvement with AFS or that goes beyond just a friendship that has developed related to their AFS work.).
- Under no circumstances can a person serve as both a liaison and a host family for the same student.
- Ideally the ratio between host students and liaisons should be one to one; however liaisons should not be assigned to more than five hosted participants (and their respective host families and schools) in any given time.
