
Dear Friends of AFS,
As the year 2022 comes to an end, we reflect on our work at AFS. I’m so grateful for all you do to help us advance our important mission.
Over the last year AFS made a significant impact worldwide. Nearly 8,000 students participated in our exchange programs hosted by thousands of families; more than 4,500 people enrolled in our digital education programs, including youth, teachers, and – thanks to a partnership with Spark and bp – refugees and internally displaced people; 600 young changemakers from 70 countries attended the first AFS Youth Assembly that opened at the United Nations.
2022 also marked the 75th anniversary of AFS exchange programs. 75 years ago, the first 28 students set off on the new AFS high school exchange programs, and today we are a truly global international exchange, volunteer, and intercultural learning organization, with more than 500,000 alumni and operations reaching nearly 100 countries.
We invite you to watch this short video from our prominent AFS alumna Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, who sent a special greeting on the occasion of the anniversary:
All of our work is made possible thanks to the amazing AFS volunteers and staff around the world, the families and schools that welcome our exchange students into their homes, and our many partners and supporters. We are grateful to all of you for your dedication and commitment to our mission of peace and justice.
I wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year!
Sincerely,
Daniel Obst
President & CEO
AFS Intercultural Programs
5 Hanover Square, Suite 200
New York, NY 10004, USA
www.afs.orgWe hebben grandioos feest gevierd om het 75-jarig bestaan van AFS Nederland te herdenken. Dat gebeurde met de conferentie ‘Learning to Live Together’ op 1 oktober 2022 in Utrecht. Alumni, vrijwilligers en anderen ontmoetten elkaar tijdens de boeiende conferentie, met een gezellige borrel na. Voor de complete tekst van de lezing van Kathleen Ferrier zie Evenementen. En dat feesten gebeurde ook met een nostalgisch diner op 29 september 2022 in Rotterdam, in sociëteit De Maas in Rotterdam, tegenover de plaats waar jarenlang AFS-sers vertrokken naar Amerika en terugkwamen.
Foto’s van de conferentie en het diner staan op de pagina Evenementen
AFS Lowlands plaatste een enthousiast bericht over het lustrum op hun site
https://afs.nl/2022/10/21/75-jaar-afs-nederland/