Sustainability Program: Germany to USA Hosting
From AFSWiki
Introducing Year Program Hosting with a Content Theme:
Environmental Awareness and Sustainability
Overview: Available in Flyer
AFS Germany is working with a foundation grant that could support approximately 15 German YP high school students coming to AFS USA. While here they would:
• Be clustered in 2-3 Teams or Chapters
• Participate in a mid-term seminar together to work on sustainability issues and intercultural awareness and approaches to this challenge
• Be connected via a Facebook Project Group
• Give presentations upon their return explaining their individual projects
Teams and Chapters that are interested:
• Will receive additional funding for enrichment activities that pertain to environmental and sustainability challenges
• Will host approx. 5 German scholars per cluster
• Will be responsible for organizing and enabling enrichment activities
• Will not need to increase their hosting commitment – these students are part of the matrix
• Will need to write to JDavis@afs.org with no more than 2 paragraphs explaining why your Team would be a good site for this pilot program
• Requests to host these students need to be submitted by April 15. This program will only be offered if there is sufficient interest on the part of the volunteers.
Details
Interested in a new “twist” on hosting:
Would your Team or Chapter be interested in adding content to your existing year program hosting for students from Germany? AFS USA is looking for 2-3 Teams or Chapters who would be interested in participating in a multi-year initiative that would focus on supporting German AFS YP students’ enhanced awareness of sustainability and green living issues and guiding them to look for solutions towards increased sustainability in their host-country (AFS-USA). Participation in this program will be determined by a Team or Chapters’ level of interest and ability to support this pilot project in their area. AFS Germany is working with a foundation in Germany to obtain a grant which would both provide scholarships for German students to come to the US on the AFS Year program, and provide funds for AFS USA volunteers to help the students develop a enrichment program on sustainability and green issues. The pilot is expected to start on the NH12 cycle and if successful, be continued for subsequent years.
We are asking volunteers for their commitment now, as we do not want to proceed unless there is support for this among AFS-USA volunteers. This program would involve a group of 10-15 German students (these 10-15 scholarships will be allocated on the basis of a sustainability related motivation essay) to be placed in 2-3 areas of the US. The program would include a specific orientation seminar before the program to make students aware of sustainability issues; guiding them to look for solutions towards sustainability in their host-country.
Funding is desired to be used for AFS USA to arrange a mid-term seminar over a week for intercultural reflection and work on a sustainability related topic (possibly incl. a topic related excursion). We intend to involve American students (volunteers or returnees or host siblings, potentially).
Throughout the year students exchange experiences and are connected via a project Facebook group (attended/supervised by a team leader). Upon their return home to Germany, scholarship students are expected to present their experiences and their findings on sustainability issues in the host-country. Many more details are still to be determined in conjunction with the hosting areas and AFS Germany as the proposal is developed.
What do you need to do:
Please apply to the attention of Jenny Davis at JDavis@afs.org, and provide a maximum two paragraph explanation as to why your AT or Chapter is applying to participate in this grant program. Please include authorization, by form of email, of your team's agreement to commit to hosting this content if your team is selected (i.e. cc: Team Chair or Chapter President). Please respond by April 15. 2011. AFS USA will only pursue funding with AFS Germany if we have commitment from 2-3 volunteer groups to deliver this program. Volume is not considered to be additional to volume commitments, but rather these participants on the pilot program will be within the matrix number of students sent to the US from AFS Germany. Thank you!
Click here to download the flyer.
