American Field Service

The American Field Service (AFS) was established in 1915 by A. Piatt Andrew, a political economics professor at Harvard University and a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Started as a volunteer ambulance corps in 1914, it has evolved into an international foreign exchange organization.

Student Exchange Program

In September 1946, Stephen Galatti, president of AFS established the American Field Service International Scholarships. During the 1947-48 school year the first students came from ten countries including Czechoslovakia, Estonia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Syria. Since then, the American Field Service has operated a student exchange program, including mulilateral exchanges, in which countries other than the US exchange students with each other. As of 2005 there are 54 AFS organizations worldwide, serving 75 different countries, providing exchange opportunities for over 11,000 students and teachers annually. AFS is one of the largest volunteer-based organizations of its kind in the world with 30,000 volunteers worldwide and more than 8,000 in the U.S.

Related Topics:
1946 - Stephen Galatti - Czechoslovakia - Estonia - France - Great Britain - Greece - Hungary - Netherlands - New Zealand - Norway - Syria - Student exchange program

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