ESC: From differences to connections - Volunteering with AFS Hungary

AFS is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. AFS Hungary is part of the international AFS network which consists of more than 50 countries worldwide. The network has more than 60 years of experience in the field of youth exchanges and intercultural learning. AFS Hungary was established in 1990. Our core programs involve sending high school students abroad, hosting students in Hungary from all over the world, and educating, training and developing local and international volunteers that work with participants, host families, incoming exchange students and other stakeholders on a daily basis. Due to these activities, AFS Hungary has over 27 years of knowledge and experience in creating an inclusive and supportive environment. We are a well-developed, well-performing member of the AFS network with stable financial background and reserves. The organization became 1st in quality in the whole AFS Network in 2013 and 2015. The foundation has 10 staff members and over 700 volunteers nationwide. AFS Hungary is a member of EFIL (European Federation for Intercultural Learning). As an educational organization we consider our volunteers not only the ambassadors of tolerance and intercultural learning, but lifelong-learners as well. Therefore we put a strong emphasis on their training and education while encouraging them to step out of their comfort zone in order to face new learning situations. While doing so, we work with people from all different age groups and generations, which makes our volunteer group quite diverse: the majority of them being between 16 and 55 years. We follow the same philosophy and principals as an EVS organization. We have been involved with hosting, sending and coordinating EVS projects for over a decade. As a hosting organization, we are inviting one volunteer each year to serve and work with us to spread the words of intercultural learning, tolerance and solidarity by reaching out to a large number of young people via presentations and events in various high schools all across the country. Meanwhile, as a sending organization we are eager to find and support those young people that would like to develop themselves and gain new competencies by volunteering abroad. As all AFS partners worldwide, AFS Hungary functions as a volunteer based organisation. The Hungarian network is based on groups of local volunteers that provide intercultural learning possibilities to stakeholders all over Hungary, on local, regional and national level as well. As a powerful tool to encourage youngsters for active citizenship, we promote both AFS and ERASMUS+ possibilities with their help both inside and outside the network. While doing so, we have always paid a dedicated attention to reach out to those regions and schools where those youngsters live and study that have less opportunities to have such intercultural experience.