What is the MyAFS Help & Learning Center?
We know it can be tricky for volunteers to find help on how to complete a task. They might be wondering how to log an interview, or run a report, or find a hosted student's contact information. That's why we've created the MyAFS Help & Learning Center—a single location where volunteers can get answers and ask questions. In the past, we've offered a variety of resources to answer questions, such as the AFS Wiki. Over time, however, those resources have become sprawling and outdated in places. The MyAFS Help & Learning Center is a one-stop solution so that volunteers can find what they need, when they need it.
What type of information will Volunteers find in the MyAFS Help & Learning Center?
How To’s, overviews of how AFS works, FAQs, resources (such as manuals, guides, and training), and more. The MyAFS Help & Learning Center focuses on practical information for Volunteers to complete common tasks, such as promoting AFS, placing host students, logging contacts, and more. We’ve taken the best of the AFS Wiki, updated the content where needed, and made it more easily available.
What type of information is NOT in the MyAFS Help & Learning Center?
The MyAFS Help & Learning Center will not contain information relevant meant for AFS Staff only. Also, it will not contain news and announcements. Instead, we will be launching a streamlined news site to communicate important news to Volunteers. By separating news and staff-specific information from the Volunteer Help & Learning Center, we ensure that volunteers can focus on the task at hand when they need help completing it.
Who should use the MyAFS Help & Learning Center?
All Volunteers. We encourage AFS Staff to direct Volunteers to the Help & Learning Center as a starting point for all help and training needs. Staff are also welcome to visit for quick reference to common Volunteer tasks. For staff-specific needs we are looking to develop other staff-specific resources, such as AFS Connect.
Who has access to the MyAFS Help & Learning Center?
All Volunteers and staff have access.
Who has access to PRIVATE content in the MyAFS Help & Learning Center?
Today, some pages are the AFS Wiki are considered private. You need a username and password to view these pages. In the MyAFS Help & Learning Center, these pages will continue to be private. When you click to access them, you will be prompted for your Wiki username and password. In the near future, the Volunteer Help & Learning Center will be fully integrated with your Global Link sign in. That means, you won’t need to maintain a separate AFS Wiki password and you won’t need to sign in twice to access private information.
How does a Volunteer access the MyAFS Help Learning Center?
From MyAFS, Volunteer can click the Help & Learning link in the main navigation. Also, you can visit the Help & Learning Center directly at: http://afsusa.zendesk.com.
What if a Volunteer has a question the Help & Learning Center doesn’t answer?
Volunteers can submit questions to the Help & Learning Center by clicking the Contact Us link at the bottom of any page. Alternatively, Volunteers can send questions directly to helpme@afsusa.org.
How do I submit content or ideas for content to the Help & Learning Center?
We welcome feedback and ideas for new content. If you have a suggestion for content, send us an email at helpme@afsusa.org. Include answers to the following questions in your email:
- WHO is the content for? Be specific. Is it all Volunteers? Volunteers in a certain role, such as Liaison.
- WHEN in the AFS process would the content be used? For example, it is when Volunteers are promoting AFS (the beginning of a sending students journey)? Or about supporting a student (at the end of a student’s journey)?
- WHAT task will the content help the Volunteer complete? For example, Find Scholarship Opportunities for Sending Participants.
- WHY is the content important? Tell us in a sentence or two why you think Volunteers will benefit from the content.
What does this mean for the AFS Wiki?
We are beginning to phase out the AFS Wiki. To start, we’ll have both the MyAFS Help & Learning Center and the AFS Wiki. Volunteers should not need to use the Wiki, however, as all relevant information will be moved to the Help & Learning Center. Staff can continue to use the AFS Wiki as needed.
When will the AFS Wiki be phased out?
We don’t have a definitive timeline, but in the coming months we will be working to archive old information on the Wiki and move current and relevant information to the appropriate platform, such as the MyAFS Help & Learning Center (for Volunteers), AFS website (for Host Families, Sending Students, and Educators) and elsewhere for staff-specific content. In the meantime, you should continue to use the AFS Wiki for all content that is not meant specifically for Volunteers.
What will happen to the AFS Wiki content?
It will be migrated or archived for historical reference.
Should I keep adding articles for Volunteers to the AFS Wiki?
No. If you’re interested in adding content that supports Volunteers in the work they do, contact helpme@afsusa.org and we’ll help you add content to the Volunteer Help & Learning Center. If you, your team, advisory group, or AFS initiative are using the AFS Wiki to collaborate and do you work, you can keeping using it until you’re notified otherwise.
What are other platforms and tools that Volunteers and Staff can use to access important information?
Here’s a quick rundown of tools to find important information:
- MyAFS. For Volunteers. Provide mobile-friendly, easy-to-use access to the most common tasks that Volunteer do without going to Global Link.
- Global Link. For Volunteers and Staff. Provides advanced functionality to manage student, host families, volunteers and other AFS work day-to-day.
- MyAFS Help & Learning. For Volunteers. Provides up-to-date help and how-to’s to do Volunteer work.
- AFS-USA Website. For students, host families, volunteers and staff. Great resource for current program information and up-tpdate information about AFS and the work we do.