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Thank You, AFS Host Families
As the president and CEO of AFS-USA, I have seen first-hand the lifelong impact people experience when students from other countries spend a semester or year with an American host family. Having spent more than 35 years of my life working with student exchange, I am still inspired daily by the transformations that occur — not only in the lives of AFS students, but equally as much in the people who host them.
The exact phrase I hear nearly every time — whether the exchange is new or happened years ago — is “This changed my life.”
I want to express my appreciation, respect, and gratitude to you for taking part in this endeavor of creating a more just and peaceful world through citizen exchange. I’m especially appreciative of all the hard work, creativity, and energy that you put into making sure your family and student have meaningful memories that will last a lifetime. It isn’t always easy, and it can be hard work, but hosting makes a profound impact on the lives of individuals, communities, and the world. Though everyone experiences highs and lows while on this journey, I hope your time together stays with you for many years to come.
Without you, AFS would not exist to make the world a more just and peaceful place.
Thank you again!
Tara Hofmann
President & CEO
AFS-USA, Inc.
Explore these Newsletter Highlights
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“My wife and I are physicians, and she grew up in a global medical family, living abroad for a number of years in Haiti as a child. We both studied abroad in college and later medical school, and then continued medical missionary work through our careers, working for weeks and sometimes up to a year, in medical settings around the developing world.
We were primed therefore to respond favorably when contacted 12 years ago (by who knows what chain of people, events, and email) about a young man from China, who needed a replacement host family. Jin Lai spent the second [high school] semester with us and ultimately had a successful year. One thing led to another, and we became [AFS Volunteer Liaisons], then more active volunteers, as we’ve continued hosting for over a decade now.
We’ve always believed in global family – that those of us with advantages in the U.S. have an opportunity to build relationships with people and families abroad. And through our medical work, and now through hosting and volunteering, AFS has given us a wonderful gift – our very own global network of young people (some no longer quite so young) whom we will always consider family. Thank you AFS.”
Dr. David Ubogy, longtime AFS-USA host parent and volunteer from Illinois
Fun Fact: Host siblings 14 and older can apply to volunteer!
Whether you’re feeling a sense of relief, grief, or something else altogether since your student(s) have left, all feelings are valid and normal. Here are five coping strategies to help you with the transition.
- Take Time to Reflect on your Experience: Try journaling or creating a scrapbook of your experiences together to find a healthy outlet for processing your emotions and cementing your favorite memories.
- Seek Support from Fellow Host Families: You’re not alone in processing this transition. Connect with other host families or AFS volunteers in your community who may be going through a similar adjustment process. Or listen to other AFSers stories on the AFS Exchange Podcast.
- Keep in Touch: Maintaining regular communication with your student can help with the transition. However, recognize that your student may need space from you to readjust to life back home and initially may not be in touch with you as often as you might like.
- Embrace New Opportunities: Engaging in new activities, pursuing hobbies, or visiting new places can help with the transition. Consider cooking some international recipes or starting your own International Diners Club.
- Engage in New Cultural Experiences: Try getting involved in the international community in your local area, signing up for a language class or taking part in a local cultural event. You might even consider becoming a host family again in the future or staying involved with AFS as a volunteer, in a role such as a liaison.
Remember that AFS is here for you throughout this transition and beyond.
Through introducing your student to a traditional holiday meal with family and friends and supporting your student’s efforts at school through extracurricular activities and classroom presentations, you have created a ripple effect that promotes embracing cultural differences and nurturing cross-cultural connections. You have fostered global awareness and made a difference in the lives of the student(s), school, and community members with whom you’ve interacted throughout this experience.
Your nurturing role can shift from host parent to community connector through sharing scholarship opportunities for students and educators or even sharing what you learned about your school’s hosting experience with the local AFS volunteer team or future host families. If you’re interested in strengthening AFS connections in your school community, you can reach out to a local volunteer or begin the volunteer registration process. ‘Log In’ here with your host family username and password. (No need to create a new account.)
Fun Fact: In 2026, AFS-USA awarded $895,000 to 140 participants across the country.
Earlier this week, you should have received an email with the link to the AFS-USA Customer Service Evaluation survey for host families. This is an opportunity for you to tell us about your experience hosting with AFS during the 2025-26 school year. This survey helps us learn more about how we can better support and serve host families and hosted students in the future. The deadline to complete the survey is Monday, August 17. If you have questions about the Customer Service Evaluation, please email us at cse@afsusa.org. Thank you!
Do you have any advice or wisdom you’d like to pass on to the next generation of host families? Did you notice a small thing you did or said that made a big impact on your student? Submit your best tips and ‘Aha!’ moments here, and we can share them with future host families in next year’s Global Family Explorer editions.
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“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you.
It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” - Anthony Bourdain
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