AFS-Greater Puget Sound
Volunteer Opportunities and Information
AFS-Greater Puget Sound offers several opportunities for individuals looking to donate time or money toward the success of our area and the advancement of our mission. If you have 10 hours a month or 10 hours a year to spare, AFS-GPS has room for you. We are continuously looking for individuals, families or groups that have something to give.
Volunteer Positions
There are many ways to become involved. Some of the activities and projects volunteers do for us include being a representative to local schools, interviewing potential students and/or families, organizing fundraising events, facilitating at orientations or being an AFS student/family liaison. Each duty requires a different level of commitment.
School presenter/school representative: Working with our schools is one of the most important positions an AFS volunteer can have. Without our schools, we would not send or host any students. Throughout the year school presentations help to draw students to the benefits of undertaking an AFS experience. As well, these presentations open up student’s minds to the idea of hosting an international student in their home, something they can then discuss with their parents.
Sending interviewer: Each year AFS-GPS sends more than 50 U.S. students overseas for an exchange experience. Each one of these students must have an at home personal interview. We are continuously looking for volunteers interested in talking with our prospective students and their families to ensure they have the necessary information about the exchange process and to make sure they are the right candidates for an AFS experience.
Host Family interviewer: Similar to that of a sending interviewer, the host family interviewer conducts in-home interviews of potential families applying to host our international students. The interviewer is also a resource for these families regarding AFS policies and procedures.
Orientation facilitator/volunteer: A minimum of ten orientations occur each year between our American students, our International students and our host families. The orientations require volunteers to facilitate small group sessions of 5 to 15 people. The facilitator works as a guide, giving out information but also requesting feedback from the participants. As well, many of these orientations require a set-up crew, cooks and a cleaning crew, so even if you are not interested in being a group facilitator, there are plenty of jobs needing to be accomplished at our orientations.
Student/Family liaison: Each hosted student and his/her family is assigned a liaison. These liaisons work as a link between the hosted student, the host family and the host school. The liaison is available for advice (support) on adjusting to various situations that may arise during the exchange experience and/or as a resource in AFS policy and procedure.
Community volunteer: Each area of the Puget Sound is need of additional volunteers to help with various small tasks throughout the year; from helping at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport during the arrival/departure process each year to coordinating a small AFS get-together, our Community Volunteers are the backbone of our success.
For further information on any of these positions or for other volunteer opportunities, please contact Christine Stevens or click here to begin the volunteer registration process.
For those of you that would like to help out but don’t have the time to do so, please contact Nancy Henderson for donation information.
AFS Returnees
Those of us at AFS-GPS are always interested to hear from our recent returnees. If you want to share your story, become a volunteer or just reconnect through an AFS social event, contact Christine Stevens for more information or check out our current calendar of events.
Volunteer Registration
All of our volunteers must register with AFS-USA and be approved by a local Area Team member. The process is simple and doesn’t require much time. The safety of our AFS students is paramount to us. To register as a volunteer, click here.
Already a Volunteer? Please be sure you have completed the Volunteer Agreement.
