Parent Conference Calls

From AFSWiki

Overview

The purpose of the parent calls is to provide a forum for parents in which they can obtain in depth information regarding the AFS process as well as a space for them to ask questions. Having a returnee and parents of a returnee on the calls also provides parents with an opportunity to ask questions and get insight from a returnee and parent of a returnee who has been through the process before.

Conference Call Content

The content is broken into three major sections; Safety, Tuition and Payments and Academic Credit. Additionally: AFS History, Helpful Places on afsusa.org and the cultural adjustment cycle are included.

• Safety: Review of AFS safety standards and history as well as host family screening process, the AFS 24-hour contact, liaisons and the AFS volunteer network.
• Tuition: Review of Timeline for payments, additional possibilities for tuition assistance ie, fundraising, scholarships and the AFS resources that assist with both. A brief discussion of spending money and how students can access money while they’re on program if this comes out. ( parents are informed that this is something that can be asked of their country-specific returnee on the later Country Calls or Parent Country Calls)
• Academic Credit: Discussion of AFS realities regarding academic credit; summer school, saving elective credits. We talk about how to guide conversation with school or counselor as well as walking through some of the info on AFS website. Additional discussion for students if they can’t get credit: summer classes, shorter programs, gap programs.

Returnees and Former Parent Resources

It is greatly preferred to have a returnee and a parent of returnee take part in each call. The parent of the returnee and returnee are able to participate in the discussion and provide examples, recommendations and context from their own experiences. After the bulk of the material has been presented, there is a question and answer section with the remaining time with the returnee. Facilitators of these calls in the past have tried to steer this away from country-specific questions to help guide all the parents that are on the call but this is highly dependent upon the returnee and the participants. Currently, returnees are recruited through the Returnee Voice Survey or past returnee guests that are available.