The AFS Student Learning Journey

The global citizenship education curriculum of our exchange programmes for teens

Orientation camp students

What is the AFS Student Learning Journey?

On an AFS programme, every student does more than just travel — they go on a learning journey. 

Before, during, and after their study abroad programme, every AFS student benefits from an educational curriculum based on a proven approach that we developed over 75 years of intercultural exchange and recently updated in collaboration with the Center for Social Impact Strategy (CSIS) at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice.

At the end of their learning journey, students leave with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to develop as active global citizens. We call these learning outcomes the “AFS Superpowers“: adaptability, critical thinking, self-awareness, effective communication, empathy, open-mindedness, valuing differences, global awareness, and changemaking. These abilities will accompany students later in life, serving as the foundation for a lifetime of active global citizenship.

Besides impacting students participating in our programmes, AFS’s reach extends to others who come into close contact with them, such as AFS volunteers, family members, and the school community. We call this the #AFSeffect.

What do you experience on the AFS Student Learning Journey?

The AFS Student Learning Journey is a carefully designed curriculum that combines online and in-person educational activities to engage students with content related to intercultural learning and social innovation at every step of their AFS programme: before travel, during their time abroad and after students return from the programme.

This unique approach prepares students for their intercultural experience and supports them at each moment, providing guided reflection to help students process their everyday experiences in a new cultural environment and learn from situations when differences challenge them. Students also learn from each other as they can connect online globally with all exchange students in an AFS programme at the same time and interact in person locally with their peers.

  • Online globally: As they prepare for their AFS programme, students become part of a global community and meet like-minded and diverse people before even travelling. Each student is enrolled in an online learning course that complements their local preparation activities. Students are also invited to meet, connect, and collaborate virtually with AFS peers worldwide through virtual live sessions – the Global Meetup and Facilitated Dialogue Sessions #1 and #2.
  • In-person locally: Before they travel, students participate in a locally scheduled group orientation session that gives them the knowledge, coping strategies, and skills needed to have a meaningful intercultural experience. This orientation, led by AFS staff and volunteers, will be a great way to meet other AFSers before they go abroad.

What do students say?

  • I plan to use this information to make a change in the world.
  • I will definitely use listening with empathy and open-mindedness in my day to day life. I will also try to problem-solve and collaborate with others to reach creative solutions.
  • Overall I loved learning that there is a danger to “one story”, now I am open-minded.
  • I think all of what we learned is super helpful and I plan on using that during and after the AFS experience, it basically improves our mindsets and make us have different insights.
  • It helps so much to have tools, I feel I see my life differently.
Check out our programmes and start your AFS Learning Journey today