I’m writing to talk to you about AFS, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that has been leading international high school student exchange for more than 65 years. AFS is an incredible program because it allows young adults the opportunity to experience another culture by living with a host family. This experience has a ripple effect: it starts by changing the student, then the families, then the schools, then the communities, and ultimately creates a more positive and understanding world.
You may rightfully ask, what does this have to do with the Diocese of Little Rock? While AFS does not have a religious affiliation, we have sent and hosted thousands of Catholic exchange students all over the world. I was one of those Catholic exchange students in 2003 when I went to Japan.
Through the kindness of my non-Catholic host family, I was able to attend Catholic Mass. Experiencing my Catholic faith in a foreign environment really taught me the value of belonging to a “universal” Church. I know that this feeling is true for exchange students who come to the U.S. and are able to study in our Catholic schools. Last year, the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Little Rock hosted four outstanding AFS exchange students: Simon from Columbia, Antonio from Germany, Tibebu from Italy and Jose from Portugal.
Hosting an exchange student, regardless of their faith, is an outstanding way to demonstrate our love and charity. Equally valuable is sharing our homes with exchange students of other faiths. Sharing a home with someone of a different faith opens the eyes and heart to see the goodness in all people, the goodness in other faiths and the goodness in other cultures. As a practicing Catholic and as an educator I cannot stress enough, and I’m sure you will agree how important it is to teach our children to be culturally sensitive and tolerant. There is no better way to achieve this goal than by hosting an exchange student or studying abroad with a host family.
It is my hope that all families will consider hosting an exchange student.
For more informatio on AFS, contact Sarah Brock at ms.sarahbrock@gmail.com.
