AFS Training Workshops

In order to make intercultural learning more accessible, we would like to offer our expertise in providing and accompanying intercultural learning settings to a wider audience such as (youth) organisations, companies with apprentices and trainees, higher education, nonprofits, volunteers or anyone interested in the topic.

On this page you will find some examples of our in-person and digital training offer. AFS uses transformative, interactive and experiential learning tools in all our training.  

AFS Switzerland has been committed to opening (young) people’s minds to the world and other cultures through intercultural exchanges for over 70 years. Over time, we have intensified our efforts to make the world a better place and have developed a variety of learning tools to help young people become active global citizens who are actively engaged to work for an inclusive society and a more peaceful and just world.

For individual information please contact: Lidia Pirola ([email protected])

Preparation and transfer courses of an exchange experience:

Before, during and after an exchange many strong emotions and hence learning opportunities are generated. Going abroad and leaving your comfort zone can foster your curiosity, understanding and appreciation of (cultural) diversity. AFS believes in the importance of actively training and reflecting about these experiences in order to create intercultural skills such as empathy, ambiguity tolerance, conflict resolution, change of perspectives and many more.
Furthermore AFS draws on a wide range of concrete and practical tips and tricks to deal with intercultural challenges.

 

  • Curiosity for the world and society is sparkled 
  • Understanding and appreciation of intercultural competences are created and developed
  • Strategies for dealing with intercultural situations are explored and developed. 
  • Participants’ capacity to reflect about themselves and about complex situations is enhanced.
  • The ground for intercultural skills such as empathy, ambiguity tolerance, conflict resolution, change of perspectives, dealing with stereotypes and many more is laid.

Diversity workshops:

In order to learn intercultural and diversity skills going abroad can be a good catalyst and accelerator. However, these skills can also be acquired and are essential in our everyday lives. AFS Switzerland offers therefore online and in-person learning opportunities that are designed to generate positive impact within our society also outside of the classical exchange year. These workshops are held by our qualified trainers on a wide range of topics such as diversity, stereotyping and discrimination, active global citizenship, migration, sustainable development goals or transformative learning.

 

  • Participants’ capacity to reflect about themselves and about complex situations is enhanced.
  • The ground for intercultural skills such as empathy, ambiguity tolerance, conflict resolution, change of perspectives, dealing with stereotypes and many more is laid.
  • Depending on your wishes specific focus topics such as stereotypes and discrimination, active global citizenship, migration or sustainable development goals can be deepened.

This course was a fun, engaging and big learning experience!

Through a card-game we played, the discussion we had as well as by visiting an organisation that provides German language courses to people who immigrated to Switzerland, I realized that each of us naturally has somehow biases and that by being more aware of them we can create a more inclusive environment. Personally, I thought, this course highlights not only topics that we can use in an international company with teams spread across the world, but more so in our daily lives where we should approach everybody with an open mindset! After this course I decided to also become a volunteer for AFS and through that I want to contribute my little part to a just and peaceful world!

-Chiara Brändli, Swiss Re (published June 2020)

The orientation camp was very helpful especially because we talked about typical problems during the exchange year and how to handle them.

„The orientation camp was very helpful especially because we talked about typical problems during the exchange year and how to handle them. It helped me a lot when I actually had some of these problems. It was also so cool to get to know the other exchange students, because they were at the exact same point in the afs journey as me.“

– Carla Brentini,exchange student in Iceland 2019-2020 

The GCC program was a great opportunity to hear from students all over the world what it means to be a global citizen.

„The GCC program provided a way to reflect about everything I experienced during my exchange while learning new things at the same time. The modules provided were easily understandable and very diversified. What I liked most about it was the forum where you can share your answers with thousands of other students worldwide and read about their experiences and opinions. Another part of the GCC program that I appreciated a lot were the 4 group sessions together with a group of international AFS students and an AFS facilitator. This was another great opportunity to hear from students all over the world and talk about what it means to be a global citizen.“

– Anna Heuser, exchange student in Belgium 2019-2020 

You can find futher information about this online program on Global Citizenship Education: https://afs.org/afs-global-you-adventurer/