We are thrilled to announce that Friendship Ambassadors Foundation teamed up with AFS Intercultural Programs to offer their Global Competence Certificate, a research-backed online learning program that helps people build the abilities needed to work across differences and make meaningful social impact at home and around the world.  AFS is a leader in empowering young people from all backgrounds with essential global skills – and the passion for making a difference.  For over 100 years, AFS has been impacting the world in the areas of international student exchange, intercultural learning, and volunteering.

“We are very fortunate to have such a strong partner in AFS, who shares our desire to help our youth develop into active global citizens striving to make the world a better place for people,” says Andrew Macdonald, Executive Director at Friendship Ambassadors.

“COVID-19 shows us how incredibly interconnected we are even as we each experience the pandemic uniquely. Solving it and other global challenges require that we apply the very best of our global skills—like navigating uncertainty without fear, practicing active open-mindedness, and embracing diversity to discover complementary strengths. Working together and using tools like the Global Competence Certificate to hone these skills, Friendship Ambassadors and AFSers demonstrate how youth around the world do not wait for leadership from others: they understand and are acting on this need now,” adds Melissa Liles, AFS’s Chief Global Engagement Officer.

To celebrate this new cooperation, we were offering all AFS and FA Alumni a discount of $15 off YA26 Virtual Full Program Fee and $10 off YA26 Conference only. AFS and FA conducted a joint session during YA26 on the impact of COVID 19 on global citizenship and intercultural learning.