AFS Pledge and the Academic Commitment
As an additional layer of proactive support, AFS-USA and AFS volunteer leaders in the Compliance Advisory Group and the Support Advisory Group have created two additional documents:
AFS Pledge and Academic Commitment
These two documents can serve as an additional proactive support tool early in the year, but does not replace AFS Support Tools such as the Plan for Success, Support Agreement, or Warning Letter. The AFS Pledge and Academic Commitment are intended as a concise and clear reminder of AFS expectations.
If a student is experiencing ongoing challenges meeting these commitments, the liaison may start by reviewing these documents with the student in person to ensure the student is fully understanding these expectations. If challenges persist the liaison should follow standard Support procedures. Please see the articles in Managing Support Case Situations<https://myafshelp.afsusa.org/hc/en-us/sections/115000515187-Managing-Support-Case-Situations> and Tools for Support Cases<https://myafshelp.afsusa.org/hc/en-us/sections/115004049967-Tools-for-Support-Cases> for more information.
These tools may be best used at Post-Arrival orientation as a written reminder to set expectations for the year without overwhelming students with information immediately upon arrival. Encouraging the students to post their Pledge and Commitment somewhere visible and revisit these documents at additional Monthly Contacts or Orientations will help reinforce and remind the students of their commitments and avoid some potential challenges and misunderstandings.