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. 

SUPPORTING THE STUDENT AND FAMILY

The Role of the AFS Student Family Liaison

AFS volunteers are instrumental in providing a quality experience for all participants, and work together at many levels to ensure that students and host families receive the support vital to a successful experience. Although support for AFS participants is provided through a community of volunteers as well as regional and national offices, the AFS Student Family Liaison (“SFL”) is the primary “grassroots” contact for AFS participants, and as such has a role that is extremely important in maintaining the communication link between AFS participants and the AFS organization.

The primary role of the SFL is to maintain regular contact with his/her assigned AFS student and host family, providing support and information and assisting in problem solving if and when the need arises. Liaisons are not responsible for handling situation that are beyond the normal range of cultural adjustment. Rather they are there to facilitate discussion between the student and the host family, identifying potential problems early when they can be solved easily and before they become deeper misunderstanding which are more difficult to resolve.

The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) and the U.S. State Department require that all organization hosting students in the U.S. have monthly contact with each student and each host family. The contacts must be made separately so the student can share his/her concerns or question without fear of offending the host family and vice-versa, and must by documented in each student’s files. This must show:

• The date of contact,
• The name of the person initiating the contact and
• The record of the student and family’s progress throughout the experience.

There are two ways that monthly contacts with students and host families can be documented. The preferred method is for each student’s liaisons or any other volunteer making contact with the student and/or his/her host family, to go to the AFS secured online Website www.afsonline.org and complete the monthly contact information. If you do not have access to AFS Online you can complete a monthly contact form (paper), which is included in the AFS Student/Family Liaison Guide and mail it to the Regional office in Portland.

When you agree to be an AFS Student/Family Liaison you will be mailed a Liaison packet that includes a;

• Guide for Student/Family Liaison for Volunteers,
• Local Team Guide,
• AFS Monthly Contact Form, and
• Guide for Aunt-Uncle Volunteers.

AFS Pacific Cascades also provides training for liaisons and the Area Support Coordinator is available to help to resolve problem, if necessary. Should a problem go beyond the assigned role of the local liaison, the Area Support Coordinator should be included as soon as possible. He/she may choose to take the student to her/his home for counseling. In some cases, a behavior agreement will be written so all parties are clear on the goals and expectations regarding the students/families behaviors.

Additional information can be obtained at www.afs.org/usa or you can also email the AFS Pacific Cascades Area team at info@afscascades.org to find out more information.

Last revision November 5, 2006