"Smiling Youth" Photo Competition

A photo exhibition with the theme "Smiling Youth" will be held from October 18 to 26 in Bruges, Belgium. Organized by Jan Robberechts, Belgium/68, as part of the Twentieth Century Anniversary Celebration of AFS in Belgium, the exhibit, to be shown in the Government's Palace in Bruges, is intended to portray youth reacting optimistically to the world of today.

Open to photo entrants everywhere, the event will feature black and white prints, colored prints, and colored slides, with a total of six thousand dollars in prizes to be awarded in various categories. AFS Returnees may enter the competition without charge; others must pay a participation fee of $2.50. The deadline for photo submission is September 1, 1969. Prior to entering the competition, write (airmail suggested) for entry form and information to: "Smiling Youth", American Field Service, Paleizenstraat 110, Brussels III, Belgium.

The French Have a Word For It

Jacques Hund, France/69, insists his classmates were exaggerating when they pointed out his resemblance to the young man in this cartoon. He did, however, submit it for our enjoyment. "Ponytail," by artist Lee Holley, is here reproduced through the courtesy of the King Features Syndicate.

Miss Touchdown

You don't have to be a red-blooded male to love football, as was proved by Elizabeth Lefken, Germany/69 to Lawrenceville, Illinois. Her New Year's weekend was spent at the Cotton Bowl game and activities in Dallas, Texas, as the guest of Sports Illustrated Magazine.

Participating in a Senior Class fundraising campaign, Elizabeth sold subscriptions under the Quality School Plan, Inc., magazine sales program. Writing why she would like to attend a football bowl game, she entered a Sports Illustrated contest and was one of the twelve winners. Her host family, Dr. and Mrs. Hugh Mayr and daughter Dorothy decided to accompany her on the trip.

AFS in Print

AMERIKA CHITHI ("Letters from the U.S.") is penned by Ramarani Misra, India/64. Written in her national language, Oryia, the illustrated book is published by Sri Ananta Misra of Cuttack, India. The work, a collection of letters, portrays all facets of Rama's year in Mill Valley, California. Noted scholar Dr. Mayadhar Mansinba, who wrote the preface, characterizes the book as "illuminating and interesting." Rama has completed her M.S. in Political Science from Banaras Hindu University.

A CHICAGO DAILY NEWS article by Diane Monk told about Antoine Bertrand, France/69, who is the first AFS student to urban Chicago, Illinois. Entitled The "Real" Americans, the feature contrasted Antoine's pre-arrival conceptions of America with the more realistic picture he now holds. The article also dealt with the pros and cons of AFS urban expansion. Reacting to a visit with fifty Chicago-area suburban AFS students, Antoine emphatically stated that, "I wouldn't trade places with any of them."

In colors as bright as Japan itself, a recent picture story in JOGAKUSEI KOUSO featured Kathy Sternberg, Americans Abroad student to Japan/ 69. The magazine, an upbeat publication for teenage girls, featured Kathy at home, at school, and at leisure.

MALE MANNERS: THE YOUNG MAN'S GUIDE, authored by Kay Corinth, SEVENTEEN Magazine Editor, and Mary Sargent, contains a section on AFS. Published by the David McKay Co., the book is for teenage boys, and covers manners and living. Young gentlemen seeking guidance may read about AFS in the chapter on "When You Travel."

Word that See-Foon Chan, Singapore/63, appeared in PLAYBOY Magazine (December, 1968) spread through AFS/Int'l. Headquarters. And, lo and behold, in a section on Oriental beauties was See-Foon shown romping bare . . . footed in the waters of the legend-filled Tiger-Balm gardens---fully clothed. A Singapore University student, she is already famous as one of Malaysia's champion tennis players.

Feeling Groovy

The Australian National Pop Magazine called it the "Grooviest Wedding of the Year." And what with the bridal party in authentic Edwardian dress, the photographers snapping away, and the discotheque wedding reception---it might well have been!

All of this fanfare and more attended the wedding of Richard Wright and Kerri Ferguson, Australia/65 and assistant to the Overseas Representative in Australia. Both pop singers, they recently became a personal and professional duo. The well-publicized event was also an AFS affair, since Americans Abroad students in Sydney and Kerri's host parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kitzmiller, Sr. of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania were present. Both sets of Kerri's parents hit it off "smashingly," and at the insistence of Mr. Ferguson, Kerri walked down the aisle with two fathers.

A Portrait in Dedication

Mr. and Mrs. Howard Wielar are making a unique contribution of their time and talents towards preserving the AFS experience. Since 1962, each AFS student staying the year on Long Island, New York, has the opportunity to have a photo portrait of himself, compliments of the Wielars.

A professional photographer, Mr. Wielar, aided by Mrs. Wielar, spends about two days photographing and finishing the portrait. Accompanying the gift are three-dozen wallet-sized pictures. The Wielar's contribution does not stop, however, with the joy that they bring to the student and his own family. A portrait and pictures are also presented to both the student's host family and school, where the portrait is displayed. All is gratis, since, as Mrs. Wielar says, "The stacks of mail we get not only from the kids but from the families as well is all the thanks we want."

Long ago, the Wielars, decided that "the world's only hope lies in people getting to know one another and what better place to start than with the young. . ." The images which they catch and create are an excellent introduction.

AFS On the Air

ABC-TV's Virginia Graham Show "Girl Talk" recently featured three current AFS students who were well able to hold their own discussing education, religion, and cultural comparisons. Conversing with Virginia Graham, the show's hostess, were Iclal Kosukavak, Turkey; Beatriz Leon-La Cruz, Peru; and Margareta Ryd, Sweden. "Girl Talk," one of the programs most frequently watched by women, is syndicated nationally.

Knight-errantry at Addis

Your editor has received this story about participants in the AFS Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Conference. While touring H.R.H. Haile Selassie's Imperial Gardens, the group stood before a cage containing three sleek, powerful cheetahs. An attendant ran up and opened the cage, inviting everyone to step in and pat the cheetahs. After a moment of fearful silence in which no one moved, came a male voice booming from the midst of the crowd: "Ladies first . . ."

A Five-Star Film

Dr. James Parke, who authored "The Happening at San Gimignano" in the last issue of OUR WORLD, also put the story on film. Adding his own musical and vocal sound track, Dr. Parke donated the original to AFS/ Intl. and a print for presentation to AFS/Italy. The film preserves the colorful occasion for the AFS treasury of great events.

AFS is vitally concerned with expansion in 1969. The first connotation of the word is quantitative, suggesting our keen interest to enlarge the number of students, families, schools and nations participating in AFS programs. In recent years, the energy of AFS/Int'l. has been directed primarily toward strengthening staff, organization, and physical and financial resources, and clarifying policies and communications between all the far-flung parts of AFS. Now we feel an urgent need to turn more effort toward quantitative growth.

The ensuing article by William Orrick, newly appointed Vice-President, Director of Programs, outlines this objective. I urge all friends of AFS to examine how they may assist in its fulfillment, starting with the search for qualified host families and schools for both students to the U.S. and Americans Abroad students, and extending into all voluntary service required to support each activity.

Expansion must, however, proceed with continued concern for qualitative factors. Our inherently complex undertaking---to provide rewarding relationships for widely diverse students, families and schools---presents us with two previously unrecognized problems every time we solve one old one.

It is fortunate that all who shape or administer AFS policy are continually challenged by suggestions about how the programs should be handled. This is a by-product of daily communication with thoughtful people, young and old, throughout the world. Thus, I feel it appropriate that Stanley M. Smith, Director of Overseas Operations, presents in this issue his observations on the multi-national program concept which many people at AFS/Int'l. and in AFS organizations around the world have been studying. In an unstable period of shifting values, strained loyalties, international tensions, and new needs, flexibility of organization and thought is needed to keep our programs relevant to contemporary conditions.

From its inception AFS has always seemed to me to be a radical movement, not in the sense of seeking to destroy the establishment, but as a pervasive force reshaping established patterns by enlarging the self-awareness and the empathy of individuals. Limited perspectives cannot be overcome merely by persuasion or intellectual examination of another culture. Thus, AFS is founded on the belief that sharing meaningfully in the daily life of another family and school adds an emotional dimension to the insight required for the analysis.

Because of its students' unusual openness to experience, AFS has created the deepest, quickest involvement I know in a foreign culture. It has introduced for students, families, and schools fresh concepts that grapple with realities in a shrinking, interdependent world. Always it has sought racial, religious and economic diversity among its students, host families and volunteer workers. These concepts are at least as timely today as they were twenty-two years ago when they were first tried, but the techniques which implement them require constant revision.

Expansion, which realistically includes both improved methods of operation and increased numbers of students, will be possible only if we have general agreement on the means we use and the ends we seek. There are two concepts which seem to me particularly important.

First, AFS is a private organization concerned directly with people, not nations, but inherently operating in a framework which necessitates cooperation with national governments. In discussion with a government official, I never hesitate to present AFS as a program which can serve his nation's interests, for the impact of AFS promotes the long-range, general interest of all mankind, in which each nation surely has a stake. We welcome the support of governments provided this does not redirect our activities toward some narrowly defined national interest undermining our broader purposes.

At the same time, we accept the restraint of not seeking as an organization to enter domestic controversies or international disputes. We recognize the constantly repeated truth that cultural exchange and politics do not mix well, with cultural exchange always suffering when they are mixed. Under the AFS banner we have neither sought to organize picket lines nor ostentatiously to topple the pillars of society anywhere, but still AFS has remained a powerful force of enlightenment and change.

AFS is also a generator of vast amounts of idealism and social energy which inevitably seek outlets. Since the organization does not provide adequate opportunities for the release of all this energy, some Returnees drift away from it, particularly when they feel AFS acquiesces to social or political conditions they find objectionable. This is, of course, a universal problem for any diverse activity dependent on cooperation from many parts, and daily we face the gap between theory and practice, between what is desirable and what is possible.

However, there must be compromises if we are to operate in a world of conflicting ideas and purposes. I hope we can agree that the point at which AFS should organizationally cease to cooperate with local custom or national policy should be when either of these factors begins to inhibit our capacity to provide enriching relationships for a student and a family. There is a fine but terribly important distinction between efforts to propagandize and efforts to build understanding. We must preserve our clear commitment to the latter, leaving each individual free to use his new personal and social insight in his own way.

I hope Returnees will as individuals be actively involved in their national political life, and in the vast problems of international relationships. I trust, though, they will recognize the importance of not placing AFS as an organization in positions that will undermine its continued effectiveness in doing those limited things which it has demonstrated it can do well.

The second concept is that we should recognize our almost total dependence on voluntary workers. The loyalty, faith, service and financial contributions of tens of thousands of private citizens cumulatively determine the perimeters of our operations. An organization so constructed is inherently democratic in nature, for little can be accomplished that is not willingly implemented by its voluntary workers. Their support will be lost if we pursue policies generally unacceptable to them. On the other hand, I recognize the responsibility of leadership to use its perspectives and influence to shape opinion. We administer extraordinarily complicated relationships that may not be fully grasped by any single part of the organization. AFS Trustee Members and officers must always be encouraged to exercise their judgment, and never be bound to agree automatically with each shrill voice of protest.

If we can assess these elements realistically, I am convinced we can move ahead in strengthening and enlarging the programs to which we are together deeply committed. Our relationships through AFS offer each of us a unique opportunity for personal growth, fresh insights and meaningful contribution toward the peaceful world we all desire.

In a memorandum to the AFS Board of Directors stating the need to increase the number of students to the United States, Arthur Howe, Jr. characterized his projection as ". . . what might reasonably be approved by the Directors as our objective for each country's Winter Program in the light of managerial capacity at AFS/Int'l., strength of our national organizations throughout the world, financial resources, quality of candidates, political and educational realities, inherent problems of placing and properly handling certain kinds of students and a look in the crystal ball."

This proposal to aim at a target figure of 4600 Students to the U.S., an increase of 1500 over the next four years, is obviously an ambitious but not impossible goal. The AFS Board of Directors has endorsed his recommendation. However, hitting the mark of such an objective will require the best efforts of all of us, particularly our volunteers throughout the AFS world community.

There are cogent reasons for such an increase. Each year the number of highly qualified applicants received from overseas is growing. As a result, more U.S. placement opportunities are needed to accommodate countries that desire to share in AFS and that we would like to include, recently enrolled countries which started with minimal numbers of students, and countries with long-established AFS programs.

A high priority is placed upon reaching into new areas and strengthening recently established ones. However, such an expansion might result in a reduction in the number of Students to the U.S. from longer participating countries. To avoid any cutback AFS/Int'l. considers two categories of countries as possible new program entrants: 1) countries previously active in AFS which have withdrawn, generally because of political factors, and 2) more countries in Eastern Europe. (The recent addition of Yugoslavia has meant much to us, both substantively and symbolically.)

The actual key to expansion, however, is obviously the finding of more good home placements for all. For this we must look to our 2887 established U.S. Chapters, 2519 of which are sponsoring a total of 3040 students for the 1968-69 program year. Thus, a simple bit of subtraction shows that at least 268 more young people---one student for each Chapter not actively participating---could be profiting from a year's stay in the U.S. This figure rises above "at least" when one considers that two-thirds of the current sponsoring Chapters are able to support more than one student. Additionally, many communities with several schools have the potential for new Chapters and, consequently, more students.

AFS presently has the potential for approximately three hundred additional students per year. In light of these possibilities, the hoped-for number of 4600 by 1973 does not seem overambitious. Our efforts, then, must be directed toward the encouragement of multiple placements in some schools, a more vigorous search for good AFS families, the reactivation of Chapters which have for one reason or another dropped out of the program, and the establishment of new Chapters.

And where shall we look for these new Chapters?

Basically, our greatest reliance must be upon our volunteer workers in existing Chapters, our District Area Representatives, and our U.S. Returnee Association. AFS field workers know best where, in their particular geographical areas, lie the greatest untapped resources for new Chapters. Many Returnees have voiced a strong interest in bringing AFS into inner-city and other urban schools. A recent recommendation, termed a "diversity proposal" was passed by the Executive Board of the U.S. Returnee Association:

"Be it resolved that the U.S. Returnee Association endorses the proposition that Americans Abroad placements and American host families must represent the broadest spectrum of the American society. Bearing in mind the decentralized structure of AFS, the U.S. Returnee Association urges that every effort be made to obtain qualified placements and host families from a diversity of economic, religious, ethnic and racial backgrounds.

"To promote this resolution, the U.S. Returnee Association offers its services and resources and specifically suggests it engage in the following: 1) investigate urban public and parochial school systems regarding the formation of new Chapters; 2) to meet with AFS Chapter, Divisional representatives to discuss the desirability of such diversity; 3) conduct seminars, conferences, and workshops involving AFSers from overseas, American host brother/ sisters, U.S. Returnees and representatives of the several diverse groups; 4) consider the possibilities of soliciting expanded Returnee contributions to AFS/Int'l. earmarked for the purpose of obtaining this diversity."

The broader role of AFS/Int'l. in the effort to achieve a substantial increase in numbers obviously will be that of coordination, planning and information. Because of the size and complexity of the AFS organization, it is most important that there be effective coordination of everyone's efforts, as well as long-range planning. Information of the hope and intention of AFS to expand has been carried to volunteer workers through field trips made by New York staff members and at area conferences in Chicago, California and Atlanta. Articles such as this one and others in this issue Of OUR WORLD spread the word to more people.

A further step toward coordination of efforts is the creation of the position of Assistant Director of the Winter Program for Chapter Relations. It has long been felt that the important and sensitive area of our relationships with field workers deserves even more attention than it receives. Though the bond between AFS/Int'l. and our Chapters and Field Representatives is strong and warm, occasional misunderstandings develop. As a result, assistance which Chapters need to become substantial and on-going organizations is not always immediately forthcoming.

This is quite understandable when one considers the number of Chapters involved, the distance of some from New York Headquarters and the workload of our divisional personnel. A Chapter Relations Assistant working with these personnel and making fairly frequent visits to the field can improve this essential area of communication. Such a person can make a significant contribution to our present effort to increase the number of Chapters and schools in the program.

The extension of the Americans Abroad program, we hope, would keep pace with that of Students to the U.S., improving on the present ratio of about one to two, or at least maintaining it. In the three-year period from 1966 to 1969, the number of students from the U.S. increased from 1227 to 1441. However, the discrepancy between numbers involved in the Americans Abroad programs and Students to the U.S. is ever a source of concern. Of course there are many valid reasons for the gap between Americans Abroad and Winter Program numbers and our overseas colleagues have been working valiantly to achieve the successful expansion of Americans Abroad numbers. No matter how frequently we state that AFS is not an exchange program in the most precise sense, every U.S. community that receives an overseas student is hopeful of having a comparable opportunity for one of its own people, and disappointed if this is not possible.

A valuable thought for those of us who are setting our sights on expansion may be found in the following quote from Mr. Howe's proposal to the Board of Directors: "Most important of all, however, will be the effectiveness with which we administer our present programs. Whatever the national trends and however cleverly we may present AFS, the growth of the Winter Program will be determined primarily by its quality, the response of volunteers to its purposes, and its impact on the lives of people here and around the world."

AFS has intensified its search for new Chapters. Unlike gems, these Chapters are not "discovered." They are created, mined, and polished in a never-ending process. This is the story of one successful Chapter's foundation.

"Golden, Colorado" suggests many connotations---the lure of the wild West, high mountains and clean air, and above all the promise of "Gold!" The cries of "Eureka!" have long faded from Golden, but in their place is a community of 9,000 which has settled into solid progress and prosperity. And from this growth has emerged a shining example of the successful AFS Chapter.

At the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Golden lies separated by fifteen miles of flat, suburban terrain from Denver and is situated in a small valley enclosed by high hills. Thus, Golden is both isolated from and related to urban life. Home of the Colorado School of Mines and one principal industry, it has one Senior High School, which draws 850 students and is part of a county-wide system of nine high schools. Coursework is progressive and run on a computerized modular system, a program which allows for a great deal of attention to individual student needs.

Such a community seemed prime for AFS activity in 1961, when Jed Fisher, a member of the Senior Class, met a party of AFS bus trip students in Washington, D.C. An interested Jed learned much about AFS purposes, programs and operations. He contacted AFS/Int'l. and received program literature, as well as the name of a Boulder, Colorado Chapter Member whom he could contact for more specific, practical information.

Jed's course of action indicates the student-oriented direction which AFS in Golden was to take. Presenting the idea first at an all-school assembly, he received strong backing. Building from this, Jed tackled the next County School Board meeting, where he explained the programs and, in behalf of his peers, requested approval of AFS as a student-supported activity in the County high schools. Unanimously, the Board approved, and once again it was back to Golden High, where Jed organized an AFS Club. Inviting several adults to a meeting in the Fisher home, the indefatigable Jed again presented AFS. As a result the adult section of the Golden Chapter was formed.

The student AFS Club set about raising the necessary funds, accomplishing the task largely through the door-to-door sale of AFS Student Bonds. Adults appointed a committee to interview prospective host families. By Spring of 1962, the family had been selected, the money raised, and Golden awaited its first AFS student, from Japan.

With patience and understanding, the few difficulties experienced by the new student were resolved and his year was a successful one. Since 1963, Golden has welcomed eight more students from a broad geographical area---Sweden, Italy, Turkey, Germany, Thailand, Paraguay, Afghanistan, and Peru. Five Golden students have become Americans Abroad to Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Italy, and Brazil. And Jefferson County now boasts, in addition to that of Golden, six other AFS Chapters.

From this background, Golden concludes that its program is "successful," as a result of support given it both by the student body and the small but effective adult group. An examination of this two-part structure---its successes as well as its problems---will give a fuller analysis of Golden as a representative of other AFS Chapters.

From its beginning, the AFS Club at Golden High School has been a relatively autonomous body, with adults keeping a "hands off" attitude towards day-to-day guidance. Student members attend meetings of the adult Chapter, where specific goals and possible means are suggested. Relying on close coordination with their advisors and the Principal, the Club works within the framework and policies of the school.

Because of its initial success and popularity, AFS activity absorbed a great amount of student time and gave rise to much interclass competition. The situation precipitated a reorganization of school philosophy and policy regarding student activities and methods of fundraising. As a result, AFS income was sharply reduced, but the storm was weathered and the Club has since enjoyed full faculty understanding and cooperation.

Another situation which, unfortunately, recurs, is lack of general interest in AFS. Some forty to sixty students are dues-paying members of the Club, but not more than a third are really active. Fall is the peak season for enthusiasm---the new student comes, Americans Abroad applicants are interviewed, and the all-school AFS fundraising carnival is held. Active participation wanes throughout the remainder of the year. Additionally, Club membership is less popular among boys than girls. Efforts are now made to bolster interest through more Club, public, and school functions.

Active Club members, however, face another hurdle. As most students are transported by school bus, and as the daily program does not allow time for activities, there is no opportunity for full-membership Club meetings. Night gatherings are unsuccessful, due to transportation problems. Thus, work must be done during the day by individuals or by small committees whose members have the same free periods.

Consequently, strong adult support and counsel-have been very important factors in the success of AFS/ Golden, although the program is truly a student one. Adult assistance comes in the form of host family and Americans Abroad applicant interviews, and the assurance of needed funds which cannot be raised by the students.

The search for better interviewing techniques is a never-ending one for Chapter adults, all of whom take part in the process. Assignments are carefully made, with experienced interviewers always present. More than twenty man-hours, spread over three to five sessions, may be involved in selecting each applicant recommended to AFS/Int'l.

Fund-raising is handled through dances, dinners, teas, and entertainments. Various community clubs and the Chamber of Commerce make contributions. (Funds for Americans Abroad students have in the past been supplied by the students themselves, although this is not a requirement for application.) Again, as in the problem of maintaining student participation, Golden geographics play a part in effectiveness. Because most students live beyond the hills that separate the business district from the surrounding suburbs, many AFS students have lived with families who trade at shopping centers and attend churches outside Golden. Thus, it is difficult for Golden residents and businessmen, from whom AFS seeks financial support, to become acquainted with these students. More talks to community clubs by the current AFS student and returned Americans Abroad participants are being encouraged.

The most serious confrontation of the adult group is the finding of a President. The time involved in such an office, as well as other reasons, has been a discouraging factor. Luckily, the Chapter has had strong Presidents who have handled the most routine tasks and called on members when needed. Membership numbers about twenty-four; both accretion and loss are low, with new members coming largely from host families and Returnees

Withdrawals generally represent loss of interest accompanying graduation of a youngest child. Both adult and student groups are expected to benefit from a projected doubling in 1970 of enrollment at Golden High School.

But what of the immediate future? For the next few years, AFS/Golden expects to continue on its present basis of slow growth. Adults must continue to find new members and strong presidents. Student interest must be maintained and increased. One guiding precept applies to both: AFS in Golden must sustain its sense of purpose and accomplishment. If AFS is to be a community program, it should receive community support, largely through the efforts of the students. If this is possible, and it seems highly probable, AFS will continue to be an open window on the world for the youth of Golden.

Dr. Howard Simpson's nineteen years as a Golden resident serve him well in portraying AFS in that community. A geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Denver Federal Center, Dr. Simpson has been an active Chapter Member for five years, serving for three as President. His wife, equally active in AFS, and four children also enjoy getting to know the AFS students in Golden.

No Chapter succeeds without really trying. Here, Chapters tell of their development, from infancy to continuing maturity. Quoted and phrased material was submitted by the following Chapter Members:

President DEE SIDNER with Charlotte Jennings et al.---Norris, Tenn.

President ELIZABETH ELLIS---Chapel Hill, N.C.

Area Representatives (South West Missouri)
PHILIP AND EVELYN JONES---Joplin, Mo.

. . . NORRIS, TENNESSEE

"The town boasts a post office, a grocery store, a hardware store, a drug store, a gas station, and a restaurant. Rumour hath it that when mail delivery was proposed at one time, the residents protested. Where but at the Post Office would they meet their neighbors for a friendly chat if they did not go after their mail? While all this adds to the charm of the small suburban town, it does not produce much potential expansion for the AFS group. The future growth here depends partially on whether there is any expansion in Norris itself."

Population: 1400 --- School Enrollment: 420

Chapter Origins: Tiny Norris, near the city of Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains, lies in close proximity to a wide variety of cultural activities and natural scenery. In 1960, three faculty members joined with interested citizens to form the Norris AFS Chapter, which has flourished with ten Students to the U.S. and six Americans Abroad.

Factors Affecting Expansion: Norris, with only one industry, has always faced the problem of limited finances, and fund-raising must be done on a very personal level. The Chapter feels that it can raise sufficient funds for only one student. Additionally, there is the difficulty of finding more Chapter members and host families in a small area.

Solution: The adult AFS Chapter works with the Junior AFS, which functions through the School, to create community interest and funds. Activities keep present interest alive among current members and engender participation among new residents.

"All of our Americans Abroad have been members of previous host families, who show the greatest interest in applying. However, people have gotten the feeling that one depends entirely upon the other. This year our AFS student was placed in a home with no AFS affiliations; thus, we are hoping to dispel the feeling that things are cut and dried."

. . . CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA

"The initial outreach toward AFS participation in our community was like a handshake; a gesture between two people in agreement: two people reaching out---one eager to 'talk' about wise investment and understanding and the other willing to 'walk' into action."

Population: 25,000 --- School Enrollment: 900

Chapter Origins: The "talker" in 1954 was a University of North Carolina graduate student who had been actively associated with AFS. The "walker" was a local businessman with civic interests. The result was sponsorship of the first AFS student in 1954 by a group of community clubs. In 1959, the Chapel Hill Chapter was established and now reaches forty-eight to fifty family units.

Factors Affecting Expansion: "The grandaddy of all frustrations for AFS in Chapel Hill is the nature of the town, with the lives of residents and over fifteen thousand university students closely intermingled. Within a few square miles there are innumerable opportunities and diversions to attract response and invite involvement. However, though it means AFS is only one opportunity among hundreds here, it can stand tall in the line."

Solutions: A concerted effort toward building community awareness and action has increased the stature of AFS. The tradition of the AFS-sponsored "Chapel Hill Old-Fashioned Fourth of July" has been created. The celebration, which embraces all elements of the community and its environs, results in fun, funds and publicity. Summer visits of AFS bus trip students are significant, as are international dinners with talent programs, sponsored by the student AFS Club.

"Without learning the reasons why, many people say that AFS is a very worthwhile 'student exchange' program. Others know its history, observe it closely, and join its supporters casually. Then, there are the families and students whose lives have been closely involved or who have nurtured a continuing voluntary interest. The latter group feeds the pulse beat of this venture and know that AFS is not a program so much as it is people."

. . . JOPLIN, MISSOURI

"Student interest in AFS steadily increased, which though valuable and gratifying, changed the operation of the AFS Chapter. No longer was it possible for the students to meet in the evenings at home with the adults and discuss Chapter matters. Informal mixers and get-togethers which had been so delightful in the earlier struggling years became massive affairs requiring some large suitable meeting place and Napoleonic planning."

Population: 40,000 --- School Enrollment: 2800 students, in two schools.

Chapter Origins: Students in 1960 conceived the idea of having an AFS student in Joplin and, with the aid of civic clubs and interested adults, brought it to fulfillment with the establishment of a Chapter and the arrival of two students. Now, Joplin student membership totals three hundred in two school clubs. Twenty-two students from twenty-two countries have come to Joplin, which has also sponsored four Americans Abroad.

Factors Affecting Expansion: Joplin, surrounded by prairies and the Ozark Mountains, is an old mining town and the trade center for 250,000 people. Drawing upon a wide range of organizations and individuals for funds and participation, the AFS Chapter continues to maintain two students per school each year. For the present they have turned attention to making a large community increasingly aware of the liveliness and significance of AFS. They are hoping someday to encourage the formation of two separate chapters.

Solution: Chapter and Clubs have recently sponsored and become involved in more city events: The Spring Festival brings AFS students, Americans Abroad and host brothers and sisters from parts of Missouri and Oklahoma to enjoy and participate in four days of Joplin activity. AFS students made and manned a float for the town's first Fine Arts Festival.

"Our experiences have given us the greatest confidence in letting the students go as far as they will go in AFS. In this way, the pitfall that AFS locally may get into the hands of a clique is avoided ... A strong student organization never precludes the necessity of an active, concerned, experienced Chapter, made up of people whose interests are with the younger generation."

Groups of AFS supporters did not, like Athena, spring fully-formed from the helmet of their parent Zeus. Building on increasing numbers of Winter Program Returnees, organizations around the world gradually developed in size and strength, each in their own way. While not similar in structure to Chapters in the United States, they are, counterpoints. Here are two successful examples---the evolution of the National Organization in Belgium and the birth of a Swiss Local Committee.

Counterpoint one ---Belgium

In the past twenty years, AFS in Belgium has grown from a rosy baby into a happy and strong adolescent. The Belgian AFS office has moved from a portfolio to a closet, to a room, to an apartment, and now to larger quarters. Everything grows bigger---even the list of rejected applicants.

The infant days of AFS/Belgium began in 1948 under the nurture of La Jeunesse Belge à l'Etranger (Belgian Youth Abroad), an organization for the procurance of high school and college scholarships to all countries for Belgian students. Stephen Galatti had contacted the group's president, who arranged for school headmasters to make a selection of students on the high school level.

During the early years, students departing for the United States had few contacts with AFS. Some applicants met Returnees informally, but an organized orientation did not exist. The small number of these Returnees made expansion difficult; experience has proved that AFS is best publicized by Returnees in their immediate surroundings.

To solve the problem of orientation and guidance, Mme. Louis de Leener and Mr. Eric Struyf, Sr., the father of an AFS participant, were asked to form a comité de patronage until there were a sufficient number of Returnees to assume the responsibility. Around this time, Returnees, actively speech-making in their own schools, then began a de facto body, which would later develop into the Returnee Association. The Returnee group served as a "lower court" in the selection process, ranking next to La Jeunesse Belge à l'Etranger's three-member "high court," called the "Three Buddha's." Although selection standards did not change, the injection of Returnees developed a new interest in the applicant's personality and ability to adapt to new surroundings.

AFS/Belgium gained momentum and confidence; at a 1956 European Chairman Meeting, it noted that organizational problems were much the same everywhere. Cooperation was essential, and spirit grew with more Returnee get-togethers. In fact, AFS/Belgium had a flag at that time, but the historical object got lost in a café. AFS selection on a local committee level was begun, and was coordinated at the Brussels office, which was eventually run by AFS Secretary Colette van Dorpe, a 1958 Returnee. Furthermore, AFS enjoyed the official patronage of the Belgian Ministry of Education. The Americans Abroad program had, meanwhile, been developing parallel to the program for Students to the U.S. with the Summer Program beginning in 1951; the School Program, in 1957.

Problems arose in 1958 during the Brussels World Fair. The influx of visitors decreased the number of families able to host students. A report of that year stated that "A way must be found to keep Returnees interested in AFS." Along with problems came progress, however, as AFS moved into its first independent office which, although it initially lacked a telephone, became a center of AFS life.

Further renovations occurred in 1960, when Jacques Contant, a 1952 Returnee, became AFS Representative. In addition to introducing psychological testing, he moved selection responsibility from the local committees back to the AFS central office. The Americans Abroad Program progressed more rapidly, due to invigoration and multiplication of personal contacts.

For the past few years, AFS in Belgium has been faced with continuing problems of finding host families and stimulating Returnee enthusiasm. In 1967, a restructurization of the National Board allowed several subcommittees to gather and act independently, in order to activate help by Returnees, parents, and other interested persons.

Thus, in the spirit of "contestation" and questioning, the 1968 General Assembly revealed the work cut out for AFS in Belgium. Returnee reorientation must be tackled, so as to make the first year at home easier and more profitable. The "paper war" on applications must be fought with better strategy and equipment. And the question "AFS---and after?" must be faced with involvement and creativity.

Unlike the lilies of the field, AFS in Belgium did not grow without toil. Although preparing for a grand twentieth anniversary celebration in 1969, it realizes that twenty years mark the entrée dans le monde, not the end of learning and developing. We must not grow self-complacent, but like the young AFS student stepping into a new world, we must open our eyes and our hearts, be ready to adapt ourselves, to adopt new viewpoints and to learn. The AFS participant grows aware he is a limb in a body called Humanity. Through the growth and development of AFS, this awareness is constantly renewed.

Counterpoint two ---Burgdorf, Switzerland

"Our Overseas Representative asked me to make some propaganda for AFS in school. The next morning I took the principal's office by assault and told him I wanted to better inform the students on our program. He gave me the opportunity to talk to the classes, and five days later I sent two family applications to the National Office. This was the big start of the Americans Abroad program in Burgdorf."

Population: 16,000 --- Gymnasium Enrollment: 400-500

Committee Origins: Upon his return in 1962, Alfred Markwalder, Burgdorf's first Student to the U.S., set about building a local AFS structure. In addition to acquainting students via personal contact and letters, he wrote a bulletin, sent to 150 families, extolling the programs. Through payment of a yearly membership fee, those interested were entitled to become "passive" members of AFS. The successful procedure was repeated yearly to increase enthusiasm and income.

Expansion: To date, Burgdorf has received eighteen Americans Abroad and claims a total of nine Students to the U.S. What was formerly a one-man Committee grew with Returnee numbers. As Committee size increased, Returnees were available to assume the offices of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer---all formerly held by Alfred alone. Through the Committee's smoothly coordinated efforts, community participation increased and Burgdorf has year after year found families for Americans Abroad students. In 1967, it hosted a successful three-day trainstop for twenty-eight School Program students completing a year in Switzerland.

"It's not that our Committee never had troubles or difficulties with students and families, but that we could solve them satisfactorily. A good reason why our Committee work was so successful---we were a team and everybody was eager to give as many people as possible the chance to learn about our ideas and ideals."

What kind of a man is George? What is his background? What makes his mark indelible? While there are few among us who can fathom any human being's fullness, there are life dimensions that, when merged, do offer some means to a measure.

First Dimension

George Edgell, raised in Boston, has a many-faceted heritage. His parents had innumerable interests ranging from cultural activities to horse breeding, and his father was Director of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. At an early age George lived for a year in Rome and at fourteen he spent another year in Paris attending a French school. After receiving his B.A. degree at Stanford University, he pursued graduate studies in literature at Harvard. During World War II, in the United States Army, he served in France and Belgium, earning the rank of Major.

Second Dimension

George's private interests manifest his personality. He maintains an attractive apartment in Manhattan, surrounded by his books and music. There he has entertained countless AFS friends with his culinary talents, which have earned him something of a reputation as an international chef. At the same time, he is actively involved in the running of his family's New Hampshire farm. George, as did his parents, has a connoisseur's eye for, and appreciation of, art, and is an avid opera fan.

His years of writing the monthly "Eagle" letter gave tens of thousands of students a taste of his craftsmanship with words. He speaks French, some German, and with varying degrees of proficiency reads several other languages.

Third Dimension

His AFS career began in 1949, when through his family's friendship with Stephen Galatti, he became aware of, and involved in, this organization. In the words of Mr. Galatti, "The day George Edgell decided to come to AFS was the best day for every student who has come here . . . " At that time, AFS consisted of sixty students from abroad, George's prime responsibility was their selection, placement and supervision in the United States. The demands of his work required that he make innumerable trips overseas. He admits to losing count of the number of times he has travelled abroad but estimates that he has visited "about four dozen countries."

George's vision and wisdom contributed to establishing the solid foundations of AFS screening policy that resist superficial evaluation of applicants. Current placement, counseling, orientation and reorientation practices all bear his stamp.

Fourth Dimension

But what intangible quality has made George Edgell's name a hallmark to AFS Returnees all over the world? A man of decisiveness and grace, he possesses an imaginative wit, cultured mind, and impressive breadth of knowledge. More importantly, he has an extraordinary understanding of and a rare empathy for young people, as literally thousands of Returnees could testify from personal experience.

The sum of these parts has been displayed throughout George's twenty years of volunteer service to AFS. It is awesome to contemplate the depth and spread of his influence on the lives of students and families, and on AFS organizations throughout the world.

That he is admired, that he will always have a place in the hearts of all associated with AFS was portrayed dramatically at the Washington, D.C. Armory during the 1968 Midway Meeting. When George delivered to the three thousand departing students what he referred to as "Your Going Home Talk," the jubilant audience became pensively quiet. With his closing words, many of the fervent young eyes fixed upon him were filled with tears. Suddenly there was a break in the tenseness, and the silence became charged with a resounding roar of "George, George," as the enthusiastic crowds, hands outstretched, rushed to the platform to express their farewell to him.

Perhaps what truly captured-for the few of us who noticed---the meaning and impact of that moment, were the tears in George's eyes as he walked out of the hall but not out of the hearts of those who were there.

This is the measure of a Man.

"Talk-In Together" is the result of persons connected with AFS around the world. The Editors extend appreciation to the following, who contributed parts to the whole: Brazil--Silio Boccanera, Maria Helena Villela Correa, David Lima; Denmark---Inge Birkholm, Jens Nielsen; France---Benedicte Briot, Peter Pompei; Germany---Barbara Helmers, Ursula Steinberg; Italy---Alessandro Foresti, Roberto Ruffino; Japan---Yasuo Okamoto; Netherlands---Carla Fasting, Frank van der Wal; Norway---Maria Hogetveit Berg, Gail Stevenson.

The term "language camp" conjures up visions of idyllic communion with nature and roughing it in tents. On the contrary, lecture sessions and hours of hard study await our "campers" in a setting which can be either urban or isolated. Springing from the need to familiarize incoming Americans Abroad students with their host country's language and culture, the camps---not all work and no play---are another means of facilitating adjustments to new surroundings.

Conceived and formulated by AFS overseas organizations according to each country's need and experimentation, the language camps have developed autonomously and steadily increased in number. In 1958, Germany and Denmark formed the first two camps and since that time, seven more have joined the roster. And with the increasing number of students and the cancellation of ocean voyages (formerly a means of orientation) the language camp appears to be an even more expanding concept within the structure of AFS.

In addition to orienting students to language and culture, the camps also provide participants an introduction to AFS personnel, thus strengthening relations between the two. These volunteers, usually Returnees, are responsible for camp planning, operations and management. Initially, they select the campsite, using as their criteria adequate space and study facilities, accessibility, moderate prices, and a reasonable amount of freedom from distraction. For these reasons, some are located in picturesque, somewhat isolated surroundings; others, at sites with more urban contacts.

Serving primarily as the students' counsellors, camp personnel nevertheless work tirelessly and at various times as teachers, recreation leaders, nurses, and even last-minute cooks. Just as operations represent a joint effort by volunteers, so also is financing a shared responsibility. AFS Overseas and AFS/Int'l. Headquarters are joined by other voluntary support, with some camps receiving government subsidies from the host country.

Varying in time span from one week to one month, duration is set according to evaluation of what is needed for maximum student benefit. Some countries believe that too long a session causes restlessness; others feel that brevity does not give students sufficient exposure to the language. Methods are also adjusted to student needs. These and other aspects may be illustrated by examining several camps, in order of formation.

* Denmark, one of the longest-functioning camps, last year hosted twenty-eight students, who maintained a strict 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. schedule of classes. Held on the scenic island of Funen, the camp was four weeks long, since AFS in Denmark feels that the barrier between English and Danish is a great one. A professional teacher and two chaperones provided background on Denmark's language and culture. To break the routine, cultural movies were shown and trips were arranged into the countryside, with bicycles provided by the local AFS committee.

* Germany, on the other hand, believes that professional teachers are too expensive and lack good contact with students. Returnees, it is felt, make up in devotion and personal interest what they might lack in teaching skill. Thus, at the most recent camp, which lasted nearly three weeks, there were six Returnees, or about one to every ten of the fifty-seven students. The location, near Munster, was chosen to combine the best features of past sites.

* Norway attempts to combine the professional and personal by encouraging Norwegian Returnees preparing for teaching careers to serve as instructors. Situated at Trollvasshyta, a sturdy and charming ski lodge in Oslo's nature preserve, the camp, conducted for two and one-half weeks, offered a formal approach to language, along with information about the Norwegian school system and individual host communities. Morning instruction was on the broader aspects of grammar. Afternoons were spent in cultural and historical orientation with free time for hiking, swimming, and sight-seeing. Returnees provided evening and Sunday recreation.

* The Netherlands' camp varies from those in most other countries, beginning after students have been with families for one month. Camp operators feel that at this time the students have greater motivation to speak Dutch, since they realize the frustration of not being able to communicate easily with people. A teacher laid the groundwork, and students set their own speed of study, reading newspapers for practice and speaking only Dutch the second week. A fine of one Dutch cent for those speaking English conquered many inhibitions! Attended by eight students, the two-week camp was held in Spier, a tiny Northeast village surrounded by woods and heather, lakes and grazing fields.

* Japan, which has conducted camps since 1963, two years ago began following the so-called "Dutch system" of sending students first to host families. Held for two weeks at the Inter University Seminar House at Hachioji, Tokyo, the camp was staffed by Returnees who worked as language instructors and lecturers, teaching with the aid of textbooks contributed by a Tokyo company and leaflets provided by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Each day language classes were interspersed with a cultural lecture and various sedentary and active pursuits. A two-day excursion included a visit to the Zoo, Ministry of Education, and the AFS/Japan office.

* Italy set its camp in the secluded Alpine resort of Antey Saint Andre at the foot of the Matterhorn. In a hotel, the three-week camp for twenty-two students used a professional teacher. The staff included the Overseas Representative, who interviewed students individually and lectured on Italy. Conversational approach to teaching was emphasized initially, with lessons in grammar.

* Brazil also established a camp in 1968 and aimed at total adjustment to a new environment. Again, the stress was on conversation, with Returnees dividing the students into two competitive groups designated "yellow" and "green" (colors of the Brazilian flag.) Division was on the basis of the extent of past language experience. Informal teaching periods with the individual students or groups of two or three proved quite successful, as did conferences intended to clear any doubt the student might have about his or her Brazilian life.

* France's camp was also instituted last year and was held at the Maison d'Echanges Internationaux. Language Laboratories of the University of Lille were at the students' disposition. The teacher, a university professor, employed audio-visual methods, and practical French was stressed during the last few days. Free time found students walking through Lille and enjoying cafés, movies, and dances. Each of the seventeen students spent one evening as a dinner guest in the home of a French family. This opportunity led to profitable question and answer sessions.

From these examples may be seen the creativity and effort invested in each language camp. And the results seem to fulfill the intended purposes. There are, of course, countries who do not prefer the camp method. They believe that immediate exposure to language and customs in home life is adequate. In other countries, the student is entitled to private tutoring lessons.

However, criticisms from participants are few, and mainly stem from the existence of student eagerness to meet with the host families. During the last few days of camp, its effectiveness may suffer from such divided attention. More often, unfavorable comments are based on occasional incidents of disorganization or poor teachers.

A good camp, then, teaches the language well, enabling the student to communicate more quickly. For the AFS student, who arrives like a newborn in a world of unfamiliar sound, the "talking together" may seem at first like a visit to the Tower of Babel. In the words of Denmark's Jens Nielsen, an instructor in 1968, "The students found the camp very valuable; they arrived as helpless as any, but the day they left the camp they felt they were a little more fitted to face the experiments ahead."

A sign for the times-students bid an original "see you later" to Japanese hosts.	Linguisticians stand back-to-back and face-to-face with Danish.

A study in repose.---Dutch is face down as one camper faces up to the sun.	An extra-curricular Sunday afternoon introduced Americans Abroad, accompanied by French Returnees, to the charms of Boulogne.

Should a seventeen-year-old Italian or Australian student applying for an AFS scholarship have the option of being placed in Japan, Brazil, or the United States? This is the question many Winter Program Returnees raise when they say AFS expansion should include Multi-National Programs. Other Returnees feel that a Multi-National Program is beyond the present capacities of AFS organizations around the world.

The official AFS/Int'l. response to Multi-National Program enthusiasts has been to assert the desirability of the idea while pointing out that AFS is not yet ready to move in this direction. Last year, a small committee of New York staff members was asked to explore the ramifications of a Multi-National Program. It was given carte blanche to invent a model program, in order to clarify the practical problems which would need solutions

This article does not purport to summarize the Multi-National Planning Committee's report, but it raises the major considerations involved in this area of expansion.

So much can still be done to realize the potential of our existing programs, that in many ways AFS is not ready to launch a Multi-National Program. Many U.S. Chapters and overseas committees are just learning how to counsel AFS students, and many still have trouble selecting qualified AFS candidates. The professional capacity and experience of our offices and representatives varies widely, and they already seem overworked. More black Americans should and can participate in AFS. The number of American AFS students is still about half the number of students AFS brings to the U.S. Developing countries have only begun to find their place in the AFS world. Existing financial resources strain to fulfill our basic needs.

With these problems in mind, is it foolhardy for AFS to contemplate expansion into the realm of Multi-National Programs? Probably not, if we look at the historical development of AFS from 1947. Mrs. Dorothy Field, who has worked with AFS in New York since 1941, remembers one of the first times the idea of expansion was formally discussed at AFS. Sometime in 1950 a member of the AFS Board of Directors asked Stephen Galatti, "How many students do you think AFS can handle, still maintaining the personal care you feel is so important?" Mr. Galatti paused and then said, "About five hundred a year."

The AFS program did capture people's imagination and grow. Little could the early AFS supporters imagine that today we would be giving personal care to 4500 students per year. AFS just plunged ahead in the faith that individuals who care will step in and help. It functioned pragmatically, learning from experience, and thrusting enormous responsibilities on any Returnee or volunteer who would assume them. AFS can only move ahead insofar as it has the support of Returnees, host families, and volunteer committees. This is the spirit in which a Multi-National Program may someday come to life.

Two major considerations indicate that AFS is in a propitious position to create a Multi-National Program. First, AFS already enjoys a vast network of Returnee and adult committees which handle selection of Students to the U.S. and make the Americans Abroad program possible. AFS overseas offices coordinate the work of the volunteers in forty countries.

Many communities outside the United States which recruit host families for Americans Abroad students might well enjoy receiving students of other nationalities, just as many experienced U.S. Chapters feel their communities benefit by receiving students of a different nationality each year. We could build a Multi-National Program on this existing network of people and offices. Secondly, through trial and error in the selection, placement, and counseling of the approximately 47,000 students so far in our programs, AFS has developed a unique reservoir of expertise and practical experience. From the beginning, AFS assumed ultimate responsibility for the well-being of each student on the program ---without which we feel it would be almost immoral to thrust a seventeen-year-old student into a family in a foreign country. A great many problems can be averted by knowledgeable selection and placement, but the students and their host families still need an organization to which they can turn if serious problems arise. A Multi-National teenage program should incorporate these safeguards into its operations.

How could AFS start a Multi-National Program? The Multi-National Planning Committee wrestled with this problem theoretically, knowing well that AFS national organizations will eventually have to play major roles in actual planning. The Committee's scheme looks roughly like this: 1) The Multi-National Program would, in principle, be inter-continental: British AFSers might go to Thailand, not France; Australians might go to Japan, not New Zealand. 2) The first year's operation would be experimental, involving only enough students and countries to measure its effectiveness. (Ten countries and fifty students were suggested for a start.) 3) Selected countries would be invited to submit candidates and prospective host families for the Multi-National Program. 4) Final selection and placement would take place at AFS/Int'l. Headquarters, since that is where there is the greatest concentration of people experienced in selection and placement. Later these functions might be transferred to some regional offices outside the United States. 5) AFS/Int'l. would work with each overseas office handling Multi-National AFS students to guarantee essential supervision and counseling for all participants.

Sound financing is a prerequisite for a Multi-National Program. The U.S. Chapters, which supply about fifty per cent of the cost of running AFS, could not be expected to bear the cost of cultural exchange activities between countries outside the United States. As a start, AFS might accept governmental or foundation monies to bring a Multi-National Program to life, but it would eventually have to become largely self-financing. Most of the money to cover transportation, medical expenses, administration, and extras would have to come from participating countries, AFS fund-raising and from the participants' natural families. Money raised should be "pooled" in order to assure the participation of students from less wealthy families and from developing countries and to equalize transportation costs.

Already a great deal of money raised for AFS outside the United States is spent largely on various aspects of the Americans Abroad program. For example, the national AFS organization in one European country manages to raise about two hundred dollars a year for each Americans Abroad School Program student, covering the costs of school uniforms, books, language training, and orientation activities. The student is, of course, housed and fed by his host family. Yet AFS/Int'l. still pays for the office staff, transportation, and medical expenses. To support its share of a Multi-National Program, the national AFS organization in this country might have to raise three to six times as much for each student received. Hopefully the level of fund-raising outside the United States can grow, as various countries and their AFS organizations develop---and as more and more people realize that cultural exchange is more than a mere sentimental gesture; it is a far-reaching investment in international understanding.

A Multi-National Program would eventually alter the equilibrium of the world-wide AFS structure. This seems worth some soul-searching analysis in advance.

The first thing to be affected might be the Americans Abroad program. The serious inequity between the number of U.S. high schools receiving AFS students from overseas and the number of American students placed in AFS programs abroad is diminishing, but the strength of our existing programs would be seriously undermined if some AFS organizations denied places to American AFS students to enlarge the number of participants from other countries.

Secondly, were English no longer the common linguistic tie among AFS Returnees, would they lose their identity with AFS?

Thirdly, the complexities of administering and maintaining a large Multi-National Program make the mind boggle. National AFS offices would have to bear greater responsibilities. Their staff members should have more opportunities to gain experience working in other AFS offices or at AFS/Int'l. The question of our relationships with Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education would demand special attention, particularly as AFS would be seeking student visas for its Multi-National students.

If AFS launched a successful Multi-National Program, it would add another idealistic dimension to our activities around the world. In some countries it would dispel the false notion that AFS is primarily an instrument of U.S. foreign policy. It might open a dramatic channel for Eastern bloc countries to form closer ties with the rest of the world. (They could enter the AFS programs by sending AFS students to countries other than the United States.)

But above all, whatever AFS does, whatever direction our program takes, we must sustain the "AFS spirit" of concern for each participant in our program.

Our World, continued
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