Families in the Clarksville area can help build bridges of intercultural understanding by sharing their homes and daily life with exchange students. AFS is now looking for host families for high school exchange students coming from more than 90 countries in August and September.

Each year, AFS welcomes more than 2,200 international students to the U.S. These are outstanding young people who were selected in their home countries to study in U.S. high schools and are eager to experience what it's like to live in America. Sharing daily life with a teenager from another country and culture is a rich and rewarding experience and is a wonderful way for you and your family to bring more understanding into the world.

Current AFS host parent said, "It really boils down to that we all just want to raise our families the best way we can. Taking away that 'us versus them' mentality and putting it into 'we're all in this together, how can we live harmoniously and accept and learn from each other' makes you realize we're all just trying to achieve the same goal."

Host families provide a bed and meals, share their daily lives with students, and help guide and support students as they would their own children. Families and their hosted students receive ongoing support from AFS Staff and experienced, local volunteers.

Families in the Clarksville area interested in learning more about hosting an international exchange student, reading incoming student bios, and more can contact Barbara Wills, AFS Public Relations Chair for the Miss Tennky Area AFS Team Chair, by emailing [email protected] or by phone at (931) 3787258.

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About AFS

AFS has been a leader in international high school student exchange for over 70 years. Each year, AFS-USA sends approximately 1,000 U.S. students abroad, provides more than $4 million in scholarships and financial aid, and welcomes more than 2,000 international high school students, who spend 10 months studying at U.S. high schools and living with U.S. host families. More than 4,000 volunteers in the U.S. make the work of AFS possible.Volunteers in the area are always needed. Go to www.afsusa.org/volunteer-with-afs to see more and register. Locally contact Becky Heywood at [email protected].