Pacific Cascades Area
AFS Intercultural Programs

AFS is the leading high school foreign exchange program, with opportunities to live and study in over 50 countries worldwide. 

BECOME AN AFS VOLUNTEER

WHY? WHAT? WHEN?

Bring the World to Your Community

You can make a difference in your community, nation, and the world by volunteering with AFS, a nonprofit organization that has been building peace and understanding throughout the world for over 60 years. AFS is a world wide leader in international student exchange. CSIET, the government organization that oversees youth exchanges in the USA, requires youth organizations to provide support and training opportunities for all participants; hosted students, host families, students going abroad, their families and volunteers.

ORGANIZATION

AFS is organized into Local Chapters with volunteers responsible for recruiting families to host foreign students and recruiting American students interested in going abroad. Local chapters plan activities, provide student/family support, and do fundraising. Chapters are grouped into Area Teams, which are managed by an Area Leadership Council.

TIME

There are a variety of AFS volunteer opportunities. Some are structured as ongoing leadership positions, while others are short-term or one-time tasks.

TRAINING

Local Chapters provide mentors to help new volunteers learn their jobs. The Pacific Cascades Area Council offers training events for specific volunteer jobs and chapter development. AFS national provides printed guides and job descriptions for most volunteer functions. AFS volunteers are required to register with AFS-USA. The AFS-USA website, http//www.afsonline.org provides up to date information for volunteers and can only be accessed with a password.

TALENTS

Whatever your interests, from organizing activities to helping at events, we need you!

• Help publicize AFS in your local media.
• Contribute your technical or computer expertise.
• Share your knowledge about culture and international issues with AFS’ers.
• Assist with training and counseling.

RESOURCES

Making a contribution to AFS is a great supplement to volunteering.

• Contribute to AFS scholarship funds.
• Provide pro bono services, such as printing, advertising, or photography .
• Provide meeting space for AFS groups.
• Contribute business services such as copying, faxing, or phone banks.
• Be a consultant for AFS on project planning, training, or organizing.

For more information, go to AFS National website, www.afs.org/usa or call 1-800-AFS-INFO to talk to a live person. You can also email the AFS Pacific Cascades Area team at info@afscascades.org to find out how local volunteers can help you.

Last revision November 5, 2006