School presentation agenda sample 2
From AFSWiki
Sample Contents of a short school presentation introducing AFS
Introduce myself and my history with foreign exchange
- I'm a volunteer for AFS Intercultural Programs
- Tell a version of my life story, including the role AFS & intercultural exchange has played in changing the course of my life
- If a returnee, how I first heard about AFS
Benefits of study-abroad exchanges
- Language – learn more in a year than with almost any classroom setting, even in university, no matter how long
- Career opportunities: almost all business now is international business, and the most successful people in these businesses have a multi-cultural perspective.
- intercultural thinking – tough to explain this without experiencing it, but it’s the ability to see almost any question from another perspective. It can help in surprising situations:
- negotiations: the ability to internalize the other person’s perspective and address it to their satisfaction, so you’re talking in a way they appreciate
- job interviews: the ability to be a “cultural chameleon” and adopt the style of the person you’re talking with, which helps you communicate more effectively
- College admissions: as an exchange student, you demonstrate an ability to adapt to life away from home. One challenge for many college freshmen is adapting to life without mom and dad and a familiar community. The first year of college is like getting dunked in the deep end of a swimming pool; some students flail around for a year or more, just figuring out how to stay afloat. Well, if you can adapt to life in a radically different culture, family, and language, then you can adapt to life at college. Having gone through AFS makes you less of a risk for a college in this respect. Colleges know you’ll come out of the experience being more mature than your peers.
- You learn how to tackle difficult challenges and overcome them. You get way outside your "comfort zone" and then figure out a way to get comfortable again. After you've done this and lived to tell the tale, you become more willing to take risks in life.
Hosting
- We're also looking for host families. It's another way to get an intercultural experience. Better yet, do both!
Questions that a potential student should ask before signing up for any exchange program
- Will I live with a host family and attend a normal school?
- Are the host families paid? (why it’s better not to be paid)
- What will be my sources of support? What happens if I get sick or have another emergency?
Advice to AFS applicants
- Apply early -- more scholarship money, more choices of country, and since you'll learn about your country sooner, you'll have more time to get ready
- Be open on destination – Why not go to a place you barely know anything about? It will take your life in directions you've never dreamed about. You don’t know what you don’t know about how great other cultures are. Plus, it helps you get connected with more scholarship possibilities if you're flexible in your choice of host country.
- Finances – don’t conclude that you can’t afford this. If you want to go but can’t afford it, let's keep talking. Although I can’t promise anything, I’m going to do my best to help you find a way to go. Come to the info night and we'll talk more about this.
- Go for as long as you can. Most people who go for short programs wish they had gone for a longer time. The reverse is almost never true. Plus, you get more value for the money -- the year-long programs don't cost all that much more than then summer-long programs.
- Come bring your parents to an info night even if you're not ready to go in the near future. It will make your life-scheduling easier if you start planning now for a semester or year abroad.
- If you want to be an AFSer, you're going to have to work a bit for it. Going through high school is often the path of least resistance; going on AFS rarely is. I'm here to tell you about this really cool path you can take, and I can support you and give advice along the way, but ultimately it's up to you to walk down the path.
Requirements for participation
- Good grades
- Track record of success in high school
- Cultural sensitivity – you’ll be staying with _volunteer_ host families and be receiving free tuition from the host school, so we need to ensure they will gain from your stay and not end up regretting they hosted an AFSer. If you blow off your relationship with your host family, it will eliminate the opportunity for a line of other students after you.
- Age 15-18 (roughly) but 18+ programs also available
- (Optional for inclusion on the list -- it will take time to explain it, if you do): A commitment to live abroad. Not just a "I want more information" or "I want to go". At some point this needs to change to, "I am going to travel abroad," and at this point, lots of doors will open for you.
Closing:
- Fill out a lead card ONLY if you want to continue the conversation about exchange.
