If you know of a high school you think might be a interested in piloting this US Embassy sponsored digital initiative, please send a brief note to Keri Dooley at kdooley@afs.org, noting the school you are nominating, contact information for you and the school and just a brief explanation of why you think this school would be a great school for this link with India.

WRITE YOUR SENATORS TODAY IN SUPPORT OF INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE & EDUCATION
We encourage our volunteers to exert your influence by writing to your Congressional Representatives and Senators in support of Public Diplomacy and International Exchange in the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations for FY 2013.  The Senate Appropriations State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee (which funds State Department exchange programs) will consider funding for FY 2013 on Wednesday, May 16.

The Alliance has made it simple to take action. Please click here for a customizable template.You can send the letter as is, or better yet, add specific examples that demonstrate the impact of exchanges in your community. Please pass this link on to friends, family, and fellow AFSers – the more letters sent, the better.

Thank you for making your support known to your Senators and for all that you do each day to build peace one person at a time.

AFS-USA has many Committees and Advisory groups that help us support our mission and continue to help us build a stronger tomorrow.  Several of our committees and advisory groups are seeking new members.  We have some who will be leaving and others are seeking additional energy.  Please click on the links above to learn more about the committees and advisory groups and send them an email if you have questions and/or an interest in joining.

The National Council is seeking two volunteers to serve as Secretary and Secretary-Select
A description of the positions is posted here.

Orientation Advisory Group Chair Position Open
The Orientation Advisory Group is currently seeking applicants for the position of group Chair. The Orientation Advisory Group is responsible for maintaining all materials related to hosting and sending orientation. For more information about the group, visit the AFS WIKI.

Individuals interested in applying for the open Chair position should contact Ruth Quiles by phone 212-479-1140 or by email at rquiles@afs.org.

Returnees from the past 10 years – Apply for Returnee Initiative Training & Group Leader Opportunity:
Here is an opportunity to become a Returnee Initiative Member and participate as a YES End of Stay Group Leader. Are you interested in becoming more active with the Returnee Initiative? Are you looking for a way to connect with hosted students and other AFSers? If yes, then this is the opportunity for you! Up to 15 Returnee participants will be selected to receive a paid trip to Washington, D.C. for two days of leadership development and re-entry orientation training followed by five days of facilitating End of Stay orientation groups for departing international students. You must be available and able to commit for the entire event from Thursday, June 21st – Friday, June 29th. In light of the recent proposal passing for Returnee Re-entry Orientations, we are extending this opportunity to Returnees who can make a one year commitment to being a Returnee Initiative Member and more importantly are enthusiastic in being a leader in their local Team to develop a re-entry welcome home event for recent Returnees. Please note: In order to participate in this event, you must be a registered AFS Volunteer at the time of the event.
To apply, submit your application form by May 17, 2012.

Returnee Initiative Intern job opportunities!
The AFS-USA Returnee Initiative is seeking 3 interns to develop and expand the AFS Returnee network and engagement. This internship is a great way to build on your AFS experience and gain transferable work skills and experience.
The application deadline is May 16, 2012.  To apply, send your resume and cover letter to returneeinitiative@afsusa.org. For full details, please refer to the Returnee Initiative Intern Job Description.

*If you have any questions please contact: returneeinitiative@afsusa.org.

Congratulations to Kayla Mallery!
Congrats to Kayla Mallery, AFS 2008 Italy Returnee, for being selected for this year’s EFIL Volunteer Summer Summit Opportunity in Latvia, Europe. Kayla is an active Returnee Volunteer in Southern New England Team, as well as, an active Returnee Initiative member. We are very excited to send Kayla to the Volunteer Summer Summit and look forward to hearing about her experience! The Volunteer Summer Summit is the largest annual gathering of volunteers in the AFS network. Together with over 200 AFS volunteers from all over the world, participants will enjoy a wide range of workshops, intercultural learning, inspiring environment, networking opportunities, a community project, delicious Latvian food,  late-night activities, and more AFS fun!

Required Trainings for Liaison position:

1. Liaison training – if it’s the 2011 or the 2012 version, it’s good for 10 years

2. Hosting and Support Affiliations (HSA) training – must be renewed every 365 days

3. Department of State certification (DoS) – must be renewed every 365 days

Liaisons from 2011-2012

You must renew your volunteer registration every year; your registration expires when your background check expires. You will start receiving emails to begin the re-registration process 60 days before your registration expires. It’s a 2 step process:

1. reviewing and re-submitting your volunteer application (you will NOT need new references)

2. submitting to a criminal background check – you will receive the email to do this AFTER we accept your application

• Your trainings from 2011 are good for one year, from the date taken. As stated above, the liaison training (if taken in 2011 or 2012) is good for 10 years. You will start receiving emails to renew your trainings 60 days before they expire.
• DoS is a 30 question quiz, administered by the Department of State. AFS also offers an optional prep course for this titled “Preparation for DoS Local Coordinator Training and Certification”.
• HSA is an AFS administered module. If you’ve taken the HSA course last year, you must only take the HSA refresher this year.  In order to reach the refresher, you must use the link provided in the email. This course is a shortened module and a 4 question quiz.

Brand New Liaisons

You must register as a volunteer before taking the liaison trainings. In order to register you must:

• submit your volunteer application
• undergo a criminal background check
• submit 3 references
• have a new volunteer interview
• take the New Volunteer Orientation training

Once you have registered as a volunteer, you may take the required trainings:

• Liaison training – once taken, this training will be good for 10 years
• DoS Certification – DoS is a 30 question quiz, administered by the Department of State.  This training must be renewed every 365 days. AFS also offers an optional prep course for this titled “Preparation for DoS Local Coordinator Training and Certification.”
• Hosting and Support Affiliations (HSA) training is an AFS administered module. It consists of 4 separate modules, each followed by a short quiz. This training must be renewed every 365 days.

So far, 32 AFS teams, clusters, and offices have completed our follow-up National Day of Service survey. The array of projects was impressive: sixteen were environmental, seven focused on community action, four assisted children, two worked with underserved communities, and one each with animals, agriculture, and the homeless. AFS partnered with  a number of outside organizations on several projects , including Wichita Children’s Home, Northern Illinois Food Bank, OneMillionTrees NYC, Milwaukee Urban Ecology Center, and the United Way Foundation. In addition, several projects were covered by media outlets around the country.

If you haven’t had the chance to do so, please take a moment to complete the survey sent last week:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V2YZN3D . Also, please continue to send your photos, articles, and stories to afsnationaldayofservice@afs.org. We want to make sure we have a record of all the wonderful work accomplished. You may also want to check out the messages and photos posted on the NDS Facebook page.

Thanks again for taking part and advancing the AFS mission – to build a more just and peaceful world by connecting lives and sharing cultures. We did it again!

To The Editor:

My name is ______ , and I am a high school AFS Exchange Student from _________.

This year, I was hosted by the [your family’s last name] family. As I think about heading home this June, I want to thank my entire host family, but especially my host mom, [your host mom’s name].

[Tell a story that illustrates why you appreciate your host mom.]

[Say why you wanted to study in the US this year, whether you achieved your goal, what you learned as an AFS Exchange Student, and how your host mom helped].

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

If you are interested in learning more about hosting  AFS Exchange student like me this fall, visit afsusa.org/hostfamily.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Your hard copy bio books will be in the mail to you very shortly.  The bio function in Global Link and the Student Search feature on the AFS-USA website plus your hard copy book are designed to work in coordination with one another to aid you in your recruitment efforts.   All are an excellent resource to be used as you work with a host family to help identify the student that is a good fit for their family.  Hard copy bio books are designed to be used in person with potential host families.  These books highlight the variety of students available to be hosted this year.

Remember, bio books cannot be used in external advertising or promotional campaigns. They cannot be posted on your team’s website or made available in any way unless they are password protected and used only by families who have been fully screened and accepted. In order to ensure consistency in terms of content and branding, and to keep in compliance, we ask that teams do not produce their own bio books. Instead, a link from your Team Website to the AFS-USA website will be provided, so that anyone landing on the Team site can click the link and go directly to the Student Search function on the AFS-USA website.

For a complete list of all marketing tools to assist you during this host season, refer to the WIKI.  Located under Hosting Marketing Materials , you will find print materials and more.  You can spread the word about hosting online to you own community networks with our digital AFS hosting kit at Spread the Word As always your feedback is encouraged.  Please contact us at Marketing@afs.org with your thoughts at anytime.

• Flashdrive – attached to the cover letter you will find a flashdrive containing AFS videos for sending, hosting, and Sponsored Programs.  This is perfect for presentations of any size.  Nothing speaks to an AFS experience as beautifully as those who have experienced it firsthand.
• New Programs Flyer – Our Educator-Led programs have expanded and this flyer gives you the details of how educators can explore the world with their students on a short program through AFS-USA and our AFS Partners.

A complete list of resources can be found on the WIKI at Sending Marketing Materials As always your feedback is important, please email us at Marketing@afs.org with your thoughts anytime.