Public Diplomacy Initiatives (a.k.a. Sponsored Programs)
From AFSWiki
Overview
AFS-USA Public Diplomacy Initiatives are designed to promote peace and understanding between the United States and the exchange countries.
Each year, international high school students engage in a highly competitive program in their home countries for scholarships that will enable them to have a study abroad experience in the United States. They are hosted by American families and attend local high schools for the duration of their experience. To supplement their year of cross-cultural understanding, the students are hosted in clusters (each consisting of at least three Sponsored Programs students) within each Team.
These outstanding young leaders of tomorrow are eager to learn what it's like to become a member of a family, school, and community in the United States. In many ways, they serve as ambassadors to build bridges of understanding between their countries and the U.S.
Each of the programs allows students to live with host families, experience community life, and learn more about their host country. Local volunteers offer ongoing support during the stay.
Host families benefit in many ways by opening their home and sharing their everyday lives with these outstanding international students. Sharing and learning happen naturally—at the dinner table, at high school, at sporting events, or by sharing family traditions and getting involved in the community—and just by living together!
Host families provide students with a bed, meals, and the same kind of guidance and support that they would give to their own children. Families and students are supported by local AFS Volunteers who also place students in local high schools. Bring more understanding into the world, beginning with your family and community.
Click the link below for more information about hosting a Sponsored Programs Cluster in your Team or Chapter.
Program Listing
- Current Outbound Sponsored Programs Scholarships (Download AFS OSP Promotional Flyer PDF)
- Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)
- Visit the official outbound CBYX website at http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org
- Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad (YES Abroad)
- Visit the official YES Abroad website at http://www.yesprograms.org/yesabroad
- NSLI for Youth
- Visit the official NSLI-Y website at http://www.nsliforyouth.org
- Faces of America
- Learn more about Faces of America at http://www.afsusa.org/donate/faces-of-america
- Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)
- Current Inbound Sponsored Programs Scholarships
Volunteers Involved
Similar to their fellow AFS participants, Sponsored Program students are supported by local Teams (please see below links for hosting and sending volunteer position descriptions). However, there is one additional volunteer position designated specifically to provide further support to the Sponsored students during their year in the U.S. This position is the Cluster Coordinator position; the Cluster Coordinator is responsible for the following:
- Executing Program Enrichment Activities
- Reporting
- Raising Program Awareness
- Acting as a Cultural and Program Resource
- Sponsored Program-Specific Host Family Orientations
Links to Hosting and Sending Volunteer Position Descriptions
Staff Involved
The Cluster Model
At the community level, the Sponsored students’ experience is much like that of any other AFS student. The goals of their programs are primarily met by living with their host family and attending school. They participate in local orientations, meet with their liaisons once a month, and their support issues go through the same local channels.
However, Sponsored students are also responsible for participating in a number of educational activities designed to enhance their insights into how the U.S. functions, provide impetus for a broader view of the U.S. than they might find in their immediate surroundings and assist them in gaining an understanding of how positive leadership can be exercised. For this reason, the Sponsored students are placed in groups or "clusters” within Area Teams; these clusters are arranged so that they are geographically close enough to gather six or eight times a year, guided by volunteers who help them to fulfill the required learning objectives. These volunteers, who are known as “Cluster Coordinators” lend their skills and experience to help achieve the cross-cultural understanding envisioned by the AFS Ambulance Drivers.
Cluster Coordinator Resources
Year End Expense Processing
The deadline for processing all expenses related to 2011 for volunteers and staff is Tuesday, January 17, 2012. Please try to get all your expenses in by December 31, 2011. Expenses should be sent to Sheron Lewis in the New York office. All expense report forms are located on the Wiki page under the Sponsored Programs tab.
Important Forms
- Mileage Reimbursement Form -- This form is required by AFS Finance when submitting a mileage expense. In addition, your mileage must be accompanied by a Map and Mileage calculation (like Google or Mapquest directions).
Helpful Letters
- Headscarf Policy Letter -- A generic letter from Imam Bashar Arafat, explaining that headscarves are worn as a religious practice, and should not bar a students from participating in sports.
- 2011 Letter from CECF to school administrators about Ramadan -- This is a letter for school administrators briefly describing Ramadan and some tips for how the soften the transition for a practicing Muslim.
- DoS Letter to School Administrators - A generic letter from the U.S. Department of State encouraging Administrators to accept YES, FLEX, and CB students. Include this with the student application when seeking school approval.
- A Letter to the Editor from Liyana of Malaysia -- A letter from a 08-09 host student written as a thank you to a hosting community and a plea for families to host.
