Educating active global citizens to make a real difference

The AFS Student Learning Journey Curriculum focuses on students’ specific needs as emerging leaders and considers the practical application of 16 AFS Educational Goals for personal, academic, civic and future professional use.

The AFS experience is a critical milestone for our students in their journey to becoming interculturally competent, responsible global citizens and agents of positive social change.

Focused on different aspects of personal, interpersonal, cultural and global awareness and development, the 16 AFS Educational Goals serve as the backbone of the AFS Student Learning Journey Curriculum that shapes the student’s AFS experience. The curriculum includes carefully chosen activities, facilitated conversations and other exercises that are directly tied to the 40 learning objectives that make up the AFS Educational Goals. This journey and curriculum have evolved out of AFS’s commitment to leverage experience, research and best practices in the areas of student growth and intercultural development since our exchange program was launched in 1946.

At the core of AFS’s intercultural learning opportunities for students are exchange and study abroad programs in which we place participants in a safe but culturally different environment. However, no matter how important the immersion experience is, simply living with a host family and attending a local school are not enough to develop the practical and highly coveted intercultural skills and understanding needed today. To become active global citizens, participants require support, encouragement and skills training to make their experiences meaningful intercultural learning opportunities. That’s why AFS programs are designed to help and prepare participants to fully engage with their host families, get involved in school activities beyond the classroom, perhaps volunteer in their local community and begin creating lifelong friendships.
Research demonstrates that these goals are much more likely to be achieved when students receive state-of-the-art pedagogically designed guidance before, during and after the exchange from specially trained AFS volunteers and staff.

Most AFS student programs include a formal education component (with participants attending secondary school)—and all offer informal everyday situational learning. The AFS Student Learning Journey Curriculum enhances the exchange experience through a rigorous non-formal education program that is goal-based, developmentally designed and uses designated learning facilitators.

These lessons, discussions and activities take place outside of a classroom or traditional academic setting. Instead, trained AFS volunteers and staff work in partnership with host families, schools and the students to support progressive learning activities and discussions that encourage students to continually examine their own world views, explore alternative outlooks and adjust their perspectives, mindset and behaviors accordingly. AFS support volunteers and staff view themselves not only as guidance providers, but also as co-learners alongside the student in the AFS experience.

Most AFS student programs include a formal education component (with participants attending secondary school)—and all offer informal everyday situational learning. The AFS Student Learning Journey Curriculum enhances the exchange experience through a rigorous non-formal education program that is goal-based, developmentally designed and uses designated learning facilitators.

These lessons, discussions and activities take place outside of a classroom or traditional academic setting. Instead, trained AFS volunteers and staff work in partnership with host families, schools and the students to support progressive learning activities and discussions that encourage students to continually examine their own world views, explore alternative outlooks and adjust their perspectives, mindset and behaviors accordingly. AFS support volunteers and staff view themselves not only as guidance providers, but also as co-learners alongside the student in the AFS experience.

Finally, the AFS Student Learning Journey is a lifelong experience with a defined starting point and regular milestones, but no true end date. Students—as well as our volunteers—are constantly learning, beginning with their first contact with the organization and continuing long after finishing their official program involvement. Many students continue their development by becoming active volunteers for the organization, host families and/or participants in other AFS programs. In all of these situations, we also offer learning journeys to deepen and strengthen insights and skills.