AFS was founded during the First World War as an organization that provided volunteer ambulance drivers to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefields of France and Belgium.
The experiences our volunteers had, led them to believe that, if other people could experience living in a foreign country, they would be less likely to develop hatreds and misunderstandings of people from different cultures.
In 1947 AFS began sponsoring high school exchanges as a way of increasing intercultural understanding. Today, AFS has partners in 50 different countries all over the world.
More on AFS' beginnings in World War I can be found here.
The One World Area Team
The One World Area Team covers most of the state of Indiana and a small part of Michigan near the South Bend/Elkhart area. We are scattered in such cities as South Bend, Terre Haute, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Richmond, Plymouth, Lafayette, and others. And we are always looking for new volunteers!
We bring high school students from all over the world to live in our area for year-long or semester-long programs. While here, they attend local high schools, make friends, and become a part of their host family.
This year (2009-2010) we have 32 students from 16 different countries:
