Change the world by changing minds. Help AFSers and your community appreciate and celebrate cultural differences.
Volunteer to create change
Join a movement of active citizens helping people and communities learn to live together
AFS transforms volunteers into global citizens and changemakers
We call that the #AFSeffect!
Create change
Create community
Join a global community of change-makers and people like you. Serve as a change agent in your community.
Create yourself
Develop practical cross-cultural skills and find your place as a global citizen, leader and changemaker in your community.
Create future
Lead diverse teams at home or around the world and promote inclusive societies for sustainable development.
How to become an AFS Volunteer
Send an inquiry
To ensure the safety of and support to AFS students, all volunteers must be registered. Our application process is thorough and provides what we need to make volunteers successful. Feel stuck? We’re here to help.
Meet AFS volunteers
Find out more about us and what volunteering with AFS is all about. Then together we can clarify the best role for you based on availability, and what you want to learn and do.
Get trained
Receive basic training to be an AFS Volunteer, including What Every AFSer Should Know About Intercultural Learning™, to prepare for an engaging, meaningful volunteer assignment.
Begin your journey
You will have an amazing time no matter what you do for AFS. You’ll meet interesting students, make friends from around the world, work with passionate volunteers and gain intercultural and other skills that will last a lifetime.
Every volunteer makes a huge impact at AFS
Support
- Match AFS students with host families
- Help host families get to know their AFS student
- Be a liaison for host schools
- Introduce international students to your community
- Check in with students or host families regularly to monitor programs
Plan
- Organize orientations for study abroad and hosting programs
- Arrange awesome social events and cultural trips
- Bring host families together to share experiences
- Set-up information sessions for students, families or volunteers
Train
- Guide AFSers and others through intercultural learning journeys
- Introduce students to your country’s culture
- Facilitate learning through creative activities
- Share your own global experience and cultural insights
Manage & Lead
- Launch community projects helping others learn how to respect, appreciate and value other cultures
- Serve on local AFS groups and boards
- Learn how to manage local volunteers
- Inspire others to serve their community
2020 AFS Volunteer Awards
Supported by 50,000 volunteers worldwide, AFS empowers people of all ages to live, lead and collaborate in diverse settings—in their local communities and around the world. We congratulate 2020 AFS Volunteer Award winners!
Challenge yourself while supporting others
By volunteering with AFS you can:
- Work closely with experienced volunteers to find creative solutions
- Take on challenging situations for personal growth
- Polish practical skills to gain a competitive edge at school or work
- Train to become an intercultural learning facilitator
- Learn how to make better decisions and solve problems
- Develop leaderships skills you will use forever
Engaging with my community; meeting people from around the world
“Joining my local group of AFS volunteers gave me the opportunity to develop many skills, such as how to work in a team and interact with people from different backgrounds. As an AFS volunteer, I am more engaged in my community and I meet people from all over the world. Helping students, teachers and families embark on intercultural learning adventures makes me appreciate the importance of world peace and intercultural understanding.”
—Marcela Vazquez, AFS Argentina volunteer
Meet AFS volunteers and their projects
"What I love the most about AFS is that I never fail to leave an event feeling changed in one way or another. Every time I come in contact with these wonderful people I learn more about myself and the world and can only hope I have as big of an impact on participants and other volunteers." -- Vinni, AFS volunteer from Germany
Change in the making
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AFS and UPenn Partner to Empower Young People to Change the World
Young people all over the world are calling for change – but do they have the skills they need to create the change they want to see? Last month, AFS… -
Remembering an Extraordinary Volunteer: Eugene Bullard
AFS has its roots in World War I, and for Black History Month we would like to feature an incredible figure from the War, Eugene Bullard. Black History Month is an… -
Celebrating Volunteers at the AFS Global Meetup
This International Volunteer Day (December 5, 2020), more than 200 AFS volunteers from around the world gathered for a global meetup—to connect with each other, exchange experiences and celebrate those…
4-6 September 2020
AFS Hackathon for Ideas Generates Solutions to Global Challenges
More than 300 people from 70 countries participated in the AFS Global Ideathon to work collaboratively on innovative ideas for addressing global challenges. Envisaged as a hackathon for ideas–ideathon, this global 48-hour digital event brought forward solutions to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was designed by dedicated AFS volunteers, more than 50,000 strong worldwide, who are deeply passionate about our global impact and mission to make the world more just and peaceful.
AFS Mission
AFS is an international voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.
How do we enhance the volunteer experience?
Anyone who has been part of ensuring volunteers have a positive impact on their communities understands this requires constant planning. On the Volunteer Toolkit you’ll find training, tools, manuals and more to help you increase your volunteers’ engagement.
