4/18/2005 - From Australia to Guatemala, a Trajectory of Service with AFS
This month we feature Jane Read’s experience in Guatemala with the AFS Community Service Program. The program is designed for adults 18 years of age or older who want to volunteer with local organizations that address community needs. There is a wide spectrum of local needs in the more than 50 countries served by AFS. Our AFS Partner in Australia is doing a fantastic job of expanding the demographics of the program and giving those willing to perform this valuable service, like Jane, an opportunity to do so.
Ever since the 1970’s when her brothers and sisters embarked on AFS programs to the USA, Jane Read dreamt of going on an exchange program herself. Instead of lamenting turning 50 this year, this AFS volunteer and host mother to many students, decided to make her dream a reality. Director of a preschool in a town of less than 400 people in southern Australia, Jane is currently spending her long-service leave from work on a Community Service program, volunteering at a large school and orphanage located in Zacapa, Guatemala.
Jane was awarded an AFS Alumni scholarship for her longstanding commitment to the AFS mission. This scholarship was provided by generous donations from AFS alumni, who are dedicated to enabling other Australians to have the life changing experience of a cultural exchange program. Jane has been in Guatemala for some months now and in her own words, this Australian native, tells us about her experience and her history with AFS:
Jane’s Story
“My sister Jill was awarded an AFS scholarship in 1968 to study in Pennsylvania for 12 months. This was the beginning of our long family relationship with AFS. In 1969 my parents were among the founders of the AFS Launceston Chapter, our local AFS group in the Australian state of Tasmania. The way the students were selected for their AFS exchange programs was a very homelike, community oriented affair. My mother would put on a big meal for the students at our home, and while their interviews for program selection were taking place, the scholarship candidates enjoyed swimming in our pool and having a great time.”
”In 1971, we became an AFS host family. My parents hosted a young woman from California who enrolled in the boarding school my sister and I were attending in Victoria. That same year, I applied for my own AFS scholarship. When I received the news that my application had been unsuccessful, I was devastated, I had been looking forward to the opportunity for so many years. In those days, we could only participate in the exchange programs if we had won a scholarship. With the benefit of hindsight, however, I now believe that I was probably too caught up in the excitement of AFS and I was perhaps not yet mature enough to understand the benefits of the exchange program.”
“And so, our lives went on, with no involvement with AFS again until 1995 when my sister Jill’s eldest son, Lauchlin, applied and gained a scholarship to study in Japan. A few years later, her second son applied for AFS and he traveled to Brazil for his exchange program. With her two sons now having their own AFS experiences, Jill became involved with AFS at the executive level and hosted students who were placed at our local school.
“It seemed to me that it would be a long time before my children would be old enough to go on an AFS exchange, so not wanting to wait to renew my links with AFS; I applied to host an AFS student at our home. I was eager for my children to have the experience of living with and learning from someone from a different culture. And so it was that in 1999 we hosted our first AFS student from Russia. Since then it has been an annual rollercoaster, as well as hosting that student from Russia, we have hosted students from Germany, Japan, Venezuela, Italy, France, Hungary, Hong Kong, Colombia and Thailand. It has been the most incredible six years of my life.”
“It was during the fortnight’s stay in our district of a group of students from South America in 2001, that my daughter Emily decided that she too wanted to take up the challenge of becoming an AFS student. After spending a year in Japan on an AFS program, she went from a being a very quiet, introverted child, to an outgoing and confident adult who now holds the position of Student Representative in the Launceston Group.”
“Since Emily’s exchange in 2002, my niece Alexandra has been to Costa Rica in 2003. Last year my goddaughter Amelia undertook a 6-month Community Service Program to Paraguay, and my son Thomas undertook a year exchange to Hungary. It seemed that my family’s turn to participate in AFS came sooner that I had expected!”
“As you can see, AFS really is a part of this family’s life. I currently hold the position of Selection Coordinator in the Launceston Group, which I have held for the past three years. I am also the AFS State Coordinator for Tasmania. My sister’s husband, Mike, is now our local chair, becoming the final member in our immediate family to make a personal connection to AFS.”
“Jill and Mike have also hosted AFS students several times, and this year they are hosting a Colombian girl on the Community Service Program. We have also recently introduced another family member to the joys and benefits of AFS, with my brother Tom and his family hosting a girl from Denmark on the Community Service Program.”
“Last year I was offered a partial scholarship by AFS to undertake volunteer work in Guatemala for 13 weeks. To be given the opportunity to live and work in the community of a third world country is amazing, as to personally experiencing an AFS exchange program had been my lifelong dream. I have worked in childcare for a quarter of a century and I have considerable knowledge in this field. In preparation for my program I attempted to study Spanish at night school for five months, and devoured as much information as possible about Guatemala and its fascinating history and culture. On arriving in Guatemala I received another 2 weeks language instruction before joining my project in an orphanage near Zacapa.”
Jane finished her story hoping that what she had related had given us an insight into her reasons for joining AFS on her Community Service Program. We can only say that, not only has she given us an insight, but has opened up a whole world of her personal AFS experiences that we hope will inspire those, who might be thinking of going on their own exchange program with us. It is never too late…
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