Group opens world for students

Poughkeepsie Journal.com

The world is a big place, full of people of different cultures and ethnicities, many of whom never get a chance to see how folks in other parts of the world live.

One of the groups working to change this is AFS Intercultural Programs, an international nonprofit that organizes and supports intercultural learning through student exchange programs.

Operating in approximately 50 countries since 1947, AFS has given more than 400,000 students and young professionals the opportunity to travel abroad for an extended period, thereby enriching not just their own lives, but the lives of those with whom they come in contact.

An information session was held Jan. 17 at the East Fishkill Public Library.

Jessica Greenstein, a community developer with the group, participated in her own intercultural exchange in Belgium in the late 1980s.

“For me, it was an amazing experience, because I learned what it was like to be an immigrant,” Greenstein said.

Greenstein was placed with a Flemish family who spoke Dutch in the city of Genk, though she had originally hoped to be placed with a French-speaking family having studied French herself. The AFS representatives said, however, that they knew she was “flexible” about the placement, which was why they placed her where they did.

Greenstein feels that this is an important part of the AFS experience.

“(The students) have to be flexible and able to adapt,” Greenstein said, adding that this type of international experience can be a real boost on one’s résumé or transcript. “These days, colleges are really looking for kids that have that kind of skill set. Going abroad with AFS is considered a real college advantage.”