INTRODUCTIVE  
NOTES

THE ORGANISATION

AFSAI has been working since 1958 in the field of intercultural education and it is active with both long and short-term exchanges. It is a non-profit NGO and we develop long-term and short -term exchanges with both European and non-European partners. The structure of AFSAI is based on the voluntary work of its members: the majority of them are youngsters who have participated in one of the programs proposed by the association and carry out their voluntary work on a voluntary basis. The local chapters of AFSAI co-operate with the National Co-ordination Office in Rome, which strictly co-operates with the Board of Managers of the Association.

The majority of the activities promoted by AFSAI refer to three main areas:

• in the sphere of intercultural education, through international youth exchanges;

• to the development and consciousness of European Citizenship through programs and projects in the frame of European Youth Programs;

• generally to the sector of youth mobility and national, European and international voluntary youth service;

AFSAI has already organized and developed different youth activities under the Youth for Europe Program and the European Voluntary Service Program. Through this activities we try to give our members the possibility to have intercultural experiences in Italy and abroad and to offer this possibility also to youngsters that because geographical or economical difficulties have not easily access to these experiences.
Participants in our activities are usually young people involved in AFSAI at local level and who have never had the opportunity to participate in an international activity. So far, we have mostly worked with students, unemployed, people with disabilities, youth workers and young people living in disadvantaged areas.
One of the aims of the exchange activities organized by AFSAI is to offer participants the opportunity to have a direct experience in the preparation, organization, realization and evaluation of a project. For participants it is important to live for a few days in a multicultural atmosphere, letting them the possibility to show the main aspects of their own culture, sharing all kind of information and experiences. This will help them, for sure, in their personal development in the future. We also believe in the importance of the multiplying effect that every activity has in the sense of involving new young people in other youth activities.

BACKGROUND

AFSAI (Association for Intercultural Training, Exchanges and Activities) was born almost forty years ago (October 1958), when a group of individuals, many of whom were youngsters, decided to found an association, which had as its goal intercultural exchanges between people and nations.
During the subsequent years and even until today, AFSAI statutory goal has been followed with ever-growing success, exemplifying always the particular characteristic of AFSAI: an association formed by youngsters, which proposes programs for and with young people.
In 1971 AFSAI acquired legal status under Italian Republic Presidential Decree no. 922 of May 27th.

STRUCTURE

The structure of AFSAI is based on the voluntary work of its members: the majority of them are youngsters that have already participated in one of the many programs proposed by the Association and carry out their work on a voluntary basis, either grouping in local chapters or through commissions constructed during the general assembly. The local chapters co-operate with the National Co-ordination Office, that strictly co-operates with the Board of Managers of the Association.
The supreme decision making body of AFSAI is the annual general assembly of its members. This body, in addition to programs orientation, direction and management, provides for the election of the members of the board of managers.
A small nucleus of professionals work instead in the National Co-ordination Office, devoting themselves to administration, co-coordinating and directing the work of the volunteers in the various local chapters. They also carry out the resolutions of the general Assembly and Board of Managers, organizing the different programs and maintaining relations with national and foreign partners and other contacts.

FINANCES

AFSAI has a not for profit status and bases the greater part of the incomes of its budget on the fees offered by the members who participate in the association’s programs; the expenses are relative to the general administrative costs and for the costs involved in the management of the programs organized.

PROGRAMS

International Culture and Youth Exchange

Italian youngsters abroad
The association offers to young people aged between 16 and 30 and resident in Italy the opportunity to spend a year abroad in one of more than 30 countries of the five continents with which AFSAI is federated.
During their stay abroad, the youngsters (hosted by families or selectively chosen communities) follow a program which is based in a year/semester period of voluntary service characterized by cultural, social and solidarity work (18 - 25 years old);

Foreign youngsters in Italy
Foreign youngsters from more than 30 countries that annually exchange with our association are hosted by Italian families and communities, who are particularly sensitive and motivated.
The youngsters, according to their age, attend high school or take part in voluntary projects. The aim of their experience in Italy is to increase the value of reciprocal understanding between different cultures and, at the same time, to develop a specific knowledge and practice in the field of voluntary work and solidarity.

Adventure in Real Communication

The Association offers to youngsters aged between 16 and 17 and living in Italy the possibility to stay a year or a semester in the United States of America, attending a high school equivalent to the senior Italian school with frequency legally recognized by the Italian State.

During the stay abroad the youngsters are hosted by families, accurately selected by our American contact.

Twinning between Italian and American high schools is also possible for the realization of class exchanges, included in the school educational program.

European Voluntary Service

AFSAI offers, to young people aged between 18 to 25, interested in a quasi-professional experience of voluntary service and to deepen the understanding of a foreign language and society, a program, financed by the European Union, that provides a stay in one of the 15 European Member countries for a period of 6 to 12 months with involvement in social work projects for the marginalized sector of the society.

Youth for Europe

In the nature of shorter stays there are instead cultural exchange programs organized for groups of young people. Usually such programs involve European countries and provide for a reciprocal exchange. The contents of these programs are directly related to the interests of the young participants: for instance they could be related to the environmental situation, to the social and cultural promotion of marginalized youth, to the youth co-operation among different countries and/or other issues of youngsters interest.

Co-operation and Partnership Seminars (Action 5 of the European Program YOUTH)
The subjects of these seminars and meetings are strictly related to the issues of youth, intercultural learning and the relationship among private and public institutions and youth organizations, their needs and their proposals.

Training courses for youth exchanges’ workers
AFSAI develops and organizes training courses for youth workers in the sector of international youth exchanges.
These courses are directed to young people members of youth associations and organizations either active at local and regional levels or active at national level. These courses aim to train trainers who could be able to multiply these training courses in their own associations and organizations as well.

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

IN ITALY

In the effort to realize its programs, AFSAI enjoys collaboration with other youth organizations, who, not having direct contact at international level, do not always succeed in constructing a building comparison through their local commitment and the supra national dimension that every project has potentially. AFSAI collaborates with several local administrations in the actualization of its projects, programs and seminars.

Abroad

AFSAI co-operates and is federated with diverse organizations and foreign agencies, most of which have international character. Meanwhile, AFSAI is trying to develop their partnership links so that we can organize our activities and programs with other organizations in other countries with which we have never co-operated before.
Actually we are organizing contact making activities to find organsisations/groups/assoaciones/centers with whom we can collaborate for the realization of short term and other activities co-financed by the programs in favor of youth mobility of the European Union.