”... while education is an ongoing process of improving knowledge and skills, it is also-perhaps primarily-an exceptional means of bringing about personal development and building relationships among individuals, groups, and nations.” -Jacques Delors
AFS believes firmly in the value of experiential learning. Participants on an AFS Program have structured orientations and are placed in classrooms, but the principal learning opportunities on the AFS Program come from the daily experience of living in another cultural environment. Learning by experience is intrinsically motivating, is better remembered, and the skills learned are retained longer than in a classroom setting.
Our framework for learning is involvement in the local culture and community. We encourage participants to become more aware of the issues affecting their host society, to engage in service to the community, and to form close relationships across cultures. When they return home, we support them in their re-integration to their home societies and encourage them to put their new knowledge to use. We work within a Global Education Framework.
Jacques Delors, Chairman of the International Commission of Education for the Twenty-First Century: “LEARNING: The Treasure Within” p.14 (1998, first published 1996)
Research by AFS on the Intercultural Experience
Read the research articles below in red.
