Whitefish Bay AFS Chapter Jump-Starts International Week with Returnee Presentation

AFS Intercultural Programs, a leader in international high school student exchange for more than 60 years, joins educational and cultural organizations across the country in
celebrating the 12th annual International Education Week, November 14-18, 2011.

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education
to promote programs that prepare Americans to live and work in a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

Do you know a student who would love to experience another culture? Become bilingual? Expand their horizons and become a global citizen? Please join the WFBHS AFS Chapter in kicking off International Education Week on Sunday, November 13th to learn about the study abroad
experiences of WFBHS AFS returnees Emma Kortebein, semester to Italy, and Andrew Gegios, NSLI summer program to Jordan. The American Field Service (AFS) foreign exchange program offers summer, semester, year, and gap year programs. AFS Sending Representatives,
alumni, as well as parents of study abroad students will also be available to answer your questions.

Please join us on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. in the . Signs will be posted at the library entrance to direct you toward the presentation space. Any questions should be directed toward Beth Groble at 332-9405 or beth.groble@afsusa.org.

During International Education Week, AFS participants will share their stories at school and community events such as this Whitefish Bay returnee event. The purpose is to promote intercultural understanding and awareness. All these activities highlight the stories of AFS Exchange Students and their families, as well as those of the educators, volunteers, and community members whose lives have been touched in sharing with students and teachers from other countries and cultures.

Each year, AFS-USA sends more than 1,400 U.S. students abroad, provides approximately $3 million in scholarships and financial aid, and welcomes 2,500 international high school students who come to study in U.S. high schools and live with host families. More than 6,000 volunteers in the U.S. make the work of AFS possible.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, "A complete education in the 21st century must teach our children about their interdependent world, and it must prepare them to be good leaders and good global citizens. International awareness and knowledge can help our children build the skills needed to communicate and cooperate with those from other nations and other cultures. And as they participate in international education and international exchange, our students can gain the knowledge and experiences to help them contribute to a sustainable future for all."

For more information on International Education Week, please visit www.afsusa.org/iew. For more information on study abroad programs, scholarship opportunities, hosting an outstanding student, or volunteering in your community with AFS, please visit www.afsusa.org.