When building relationships with your local schools, follow these 5 steps:
- Establish a Presence: Identify and meet with key decision makers within schools, request permission to have an AFS representative give a presentation to a class, an after-school club, the school board, etc.
- Prepare: Know your audience, provide hand-outs, and have a presentation prepared. Some sample presentations can be found on the Field Hub.
- Visit: Be friendly, record all names and contact information, make sure to ask questions, and listen carefully. Refer to some sample questions found at the end of this article.
- Present: Provide an integrated view of AFS by including information on Hosting, Sending, Volunteering, and Educator Resources.
- Follow-up: Send Thank You notes to the school principal, and all other parties involved in your presentation. Contact attendees as soon as possible after the presentation with important links and materials.
The AFS-USA Website contains a variety of tools for educators that we encourage volunteers to share with the school leaders they liaise with. By using these resources, you will find ways to support the U.S. Department of Education's International Strategy, "Succeeding Globally Through International Education and Engagement" and AFS.
Sample Questions:
- Do you know our AFS student who is here this year?
- How many exchange students are accepted each year?
- Do you accept from a variety of programs or only AFS?
- What is the process for acceptance?
- How have things gone in the past> Encourage them to share successes, achievements, and challenges.
- Does the school accept F1 students?
- Who makes the final decision on accepting a student?
- Have students gone abroad from this school?
- Have students won scholarships to go abroad?
- Do teachers actively sponsor trips abroad with students? Where?
- Are any teachers AFS/exchange returnees?
- Where is your school in incorporating the Common Core Standards into the curriculum? On P21 skills? How can AFS partner with the school in its work?
Be sure that you take the information you learn about the school and update Global Link so others will have access to the same information. Visit the School Information in Global Link section to learn more about updating school information.