Collected from NVA Delegates
Social Activities
- Create and host a variety of social activities: outdoors, potlucks, teen-focused, elder’s dinner, open Sponsored Programs activities to all, holiday parties, amusement parks, scavenger hunts, volunteer and connect with local community groups
- Develop a Social Activities Coordinator for your team or chapter
- All-inclusive events: invite volunteers, host families, sending families, friends of host and sending families, teachers, etc. to your activities
- Engage returnees into planning and hosting team social activities
Team Meetings
- Hold team meetings to keep people connected
- If it can’t be in person try using Zoom meetings or have a hybrid in-person – Zoom meeting to accommodate all
- Set the dates and share them so everyone can plan to attend
- Circulate agendas before the meeting
- Use as many methods as possible to invite people: email, social media, phone calls
- Make everyone feel welcome at meetings – have a Greeter
Volunteer Engagement
- Current volunteers identify friends, teachers, community members and incorporate them in local events before asking them to become volunteers
- Identify host family strengths and interests to get them involved – relationship-building
- Continually working to get more people involved with AFS regardless of their ability to host
- ASK: personally invite people that the team comes in contact with, including returnees, to get involved
- Create an annual calendar and share it so people can plan in advance to attend
Appreciation
- Show appreciation and thank people after every event
- Host annual team awards
- Budget for recognition
Networking
- We all belong to various community groups, use those connections to network
- Facilitate presentations at community events, organizations, or organize service projects
Training
- Provide training for new volunteers or volunteers taking on new roles
Recruit Event Host Families
- Create an event or use a pre-existing local event, recruit event host families to host the students locally to generate awareness about AFS and potential year-long host families
Respect
- Respect one another on a personal level
Have Fun!
Area Teams who provided best practices: Waukesha & West, Northwest California, Baltimore, Silver & Gold, Michigan, New Jersey, Greater Chicago, DeRuyter, Alaska, Greater Cleveland, San Antonio, Vermont, Massachusetts Bay, California Central Coast, Steinbeck, Chequamegon, Columbia Pacific, EZ Pass, Dallas