• Why is the group that you chose to research important?
  • The group that I settled on in handling the project is AFS-USA. AFS-USA is an essential organization given that it is working towards the realization of a peaceful world through providing intercultural learning experiences to students, families, schools, and communities through strategic volunteer partnership. The activities that are carried out by the group usually ensure that students acquire new interests while equally joining a society that promotes pace through bridging the gap that exists between different cultures.
• Brief history of the educational organization that you have researched along with the purpose of the organization?
  • The establishment of AFS-USA can be traced back to the volunteers of WWI and WWII. They came out of the wars with the aim of working towards the prevention of future conflicts through understanding and cultural exchange (“About AFS-USA | AFS-USA,” 2022). As a result, the entity has been providing frameworks for intercultural exchange and, in the process developing the global competence that is necessary to create a peaceful and just world. Through its programs, students and other stakeholders involved in the learning process are often able to recognize and respect their differences, thereby comprehending that diverse and multicultural worlds are more attractive.  
• Whom do they serve? Programs offered?
  • AFS-USA understands that the education sector has been affected over the years and that students and teachers encounter a number of challenges that make it difficult for them to get the best out of their learning environments. The primary objective of AFS-USA is, therefore, to guarantee that learners from immigrant and minority communities feel appreciated, thereby enabling them to cope with the challenges that they have had to contend with over the years. AFS-USA works on the foundation that classrooms and schools are able to benefit through encouraging stakeholders such as students and families with the platform to engage in international exchange opportunities. The organization works with the aim of making sure that students from abroad are subjected to experiences that are favorable to them, thereby encouraging them to get the best out of their learning environments, as illustrated by Figure 1 below (“Educators | AFS-USA,” 2022). Through its programs, AFS-USA normally ascertains that students broaden their perspectives and those of the people around them. This is usually realized through developing learning environments that encourage students to learn organically from their peers, even across informal settings such as during sports activities and mealtimes. In addition, the programs that are rolled by the establishment typically enable the students to develop new abilities and skills that will allow them to think critically, be creative and solve their problems.

• What could they do better?
  • One of the areas that AFS-USA should improve on is its study abroad program. The program makes it possible for students from the USA to visit other areas of the globe in search of educational opportunities. Whereas the strategy is effective, the entity should ascertain that students visit regions that will influence them positively while further providing them with experiences that change their lives for the better.
• Was information about the organization accessible?
  • The information that I accessed through the website on the organization is quite extensive, and this means that there were no red flags based on my understanding. The assertion is because the website contained sufficient information on partners, schools, and the student programs that it routinely rolls out. The long-term impact of the organization is that the students will be able to embrace diversity, thereby contributing to positive development in the world.
• What other organizations are doing similar work?
  • There are several entities that are undertaking similar projects. These include the American Cultural Exchange Service and The Companion Flag. The input of the organizations will go a long way in making sure that there is diversity in the world.

References

About AFS-USA | AFS-USA. AFS-USA. (2022). Retrieved 1 February 2022, from https://www.afsusa.org/about-afs/#afs-nav-values.

Educators | AFS-USA. AFS-USA. (2022). Retrieved 1 February 2022, from https://www.afsusa.org/educators/.