Why celebrate International Education Week? For one, I am grateful to experience firsthand what is happening in the field of international education, and I see how it is making a difference in people’s lives—not just in the teenagers’ lives who study abroad with us.
As the President and CEO of AFS-USA, a nonprofit leader in high school exchange with one of the largest volunteer bases of its kind in the world, we and other exchange organizations create the opportunity and space for people, communities, and cultures to connect across differences and divides as we engage in challenging dialogues, see past what divides us, and find a common understanding of the ways in which we are similar.
As we celebrate International Education Week (IEW) 2023, November 13-17, and reflect on current events — just turn on the evening news or scroll through social media — the necessity for international education is evident. IEW is observed in more than 100 countries worldwide and is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education “…to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences.”
Working to develop globally engaged young people who will lead us to a more peaceful, sustainable future is an honor. It’s not easy, but it is necessary work with an impact that has rippling effects across individuals, families, schools, and communities around the world.
The educators and administrators who welcome exchange students from other countries into their schools and classrooms are opening doors and minds of all their students, not only the American teenagers who choose to study abroad for a summer, semester, or year. In many ways, educators and administrators hold the key to providing all students with an international education, regardless of whether or not students study abroad. Some people are surprised to learn that AFS-USA works with more than 1,000 high schools across the U.S. each year and engages with over 8,000 educators through its virtual and in-person programs, intercultural classroom resources, and professional development experiences.
As educators are doing their part, so must exchange organizations. There is much more work we must do to make study abroad programs possible for U.S. teenagers, beginning with making study abroad more inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible. This month, AFS-USA launches the Global Citizen Scholarship & Aid program that offers U.S. high school students more than $1 million in scholarships to study abroad with AFS-USA. We are committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of every accepted applicant as well as make study abroad programs more accessible and affordable to U.S. high school students from all backgrounds. Finances should not be a barrier to studying abroad. We believe at the center of exchange programs must be the tenets of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. We must make a concerted effort to seek students from all backgrounds and experiences to represent the diversity of the country. Fostering inclusion is essential to fulfilling our mission of creating a more just and peaceful world.
AFS-USA remains committed in this endeavor, and even more emboldened to continue to work toward our mission—and that of our nation, to empower people to become globally engaged citizens who will help to create a more just and peaceful world.
Tara Hofmann is president and CEO of AFS Intercultural Programs/USA.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
