Climate Best Practices

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