Sharing and Learning Together to Empower Schools
AFS organizations around the world often come together to work on a common issue and help empower their volunteers and staff to better deliver intercultural learning opportunities. In January 2015, AFS Italy and AFS Costa Rica partnered to exchange best practices and work together on improving our organizational relations and cooperation with formal education institutions. The workshop gathered a group of 30 AFS volunteers from around Costa Rica who collaborate with educators. AFS Italy provided their expertise and support for this event and was represented by a non-formal education facilitator at the workshop.
This event was an opportunity to explore some of the many areas in which AFS works with schools and educators, to devise yearly action plans, and discuss strategies for fostering a better collaboration with Costa Rica’s Ministry of Education. Participants strengthened their facilitation skills and worked on designing intercultural learning activities adaptable to formal education settings.
This was an empowering experience for the volunteers who can now better facilitate teacher seminars on inclusive and cooperative learning activities, diversity in classrooms, and tools for intercultural communication and values.
AFS appreciates these opportunities to create shared learning spaces for volunteers and staff to develop common ground in our educational approach across our worldwide network. Workshops like this allow AFS volunteers to develop and bring new and diverse perspectives to their work. The AFS Italy and AFS Costa Rica partnership and collaboration with formal education institutions also enhances the the global educational experience of Italian exchange students in Costa Rica. By looking at the development of specific global and intercultural competencies, these young people become not only technically trained, but also morally responsible global citizens.
Next steps for AFS Italy and Costa Rica include creating joint strategies to support the educational process of exchange students in both countries and working closely with high schools hosting AFS students in Costa Rica and Italy to promote intercultural learning in classrooms.
Written by Maria Fernanda Batista Lobo, Intercultural Learning Responsible, AFS Costa Rica
