Tasks related to this fellowship include:

• Supporting the Education team’s communications and media strategy: internal stakeholder communications as well as working on an external media plan that includes social/digital media (www.afs.org/blog/icl, our digital library, Facebook), conferences, etc.
• Managing the AFS Intercultural Link News Magazine: coordinating article submissions with authors from around the world, writing (as appropriate), editing and proof reading articles, contributing to design and layout, finalizing production and distributing to our global readership.
• Plus additional responsibilities related to education and intercultural learning in AFS as a part of a team comprised of fun and passionate people who work to help people improve interactions across cultures.

Skills: For this fellowship, candidates should:

• Have strong communications skills from strategy development to content creation (especially writing) to production (digital and otherwise);
• Have excellent planning and organizational skills with high attention to detail;
• Be highly creative, solutions-oriented, and pro-active;
• Have basic or better design sensibilities & layout skills;
• Be technology-savvy and able to work in various online and digital environments;
• Be interested in intercultural communications, global skills development and/or international relations and education;
• Be able to work both independently and as a part of a collaborative team;
• Have excellent spoken *and* written English skills (fluency two or more languages preferred);
• Familiarity with AFS or intercultural exchange programs a plus, but not required.

The fellowship is full-time for a commitment of 9 to 12 months. It is based at AFS Intercultural Programs’ offices in NYC, covers some expenses and provides a stipend.

Intercultural Link Newsletter Magazine

If you meet these requirements and are interested in applying for the fellowship, please e-mail AFS International at icl@afs.org. Provide a brief description of yourself, examples of how you meet the listed requirements for this fellowship, your motivations for applying for this fellowship, and what you could bring to this fellowship. In addition, please attach a current resume and two writing samples in the form of a newsletter article and/or blog entry.

We regret we cannot reply to all inquiries.

AFS is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.

AFS Intercultural Programs seeks a senior level intern with an educational and/or professional background in Intercultural (Ic) Communications to support the AFS Intercultural Link Learning Program. The Learning Program is a global training and assessment program for AFS volunteers (44000+) and staff (800+) that enhances AFS’s educational approach to intercultural relations.

The intern will support the Learning Program Manager with ongoing Program activities: provide support to Program trainers; support the work of the Curriculum Design Team; administer assessment tools and track results; improve and format Learning Session Outlines; archive intercultural material; support with Program marketing and promotion; organize virtual meetings and events; communicate with the AFS international community and Intercultural Learning Team to develop content for our Newsletter and Blog.

Qualifications

We welcome applications from candidates who are bright, motivated, self-directed, interested in intercultural issues, have a strong sense of humor, and meet these internship qualifications:

• Be in or have recently completed a degree in Intercultural studies (or similar) and be familiar with and readily able to refer to theories, concepts, and current research and practices;
• Have experience in teaching and curriculum development in formal and/or non-formal education settings;
• Be highly creative, solutions-oriented, and pro-active;
• Have excellent organizational skills; be structured and detail-oriented;
• Have excellent spoken *and* written English skills (writing samples will be required, fluency in two or more languages preferred);
• Be technology-savvy and able to work in various online environments;
• Be able to work with Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Word);
• Have some experience in event management or logistical coordination;
• Be able to work both independently and as a part of a collaborative, multicultural team;
• Familiarity with AFS or intercultural exchange programs a plus, but not required.

This is a full-time (~40hrs/week) internship is based at AFS Intercultural Programs’ offices in NYC starting in early September 2012, and with a minimum duration of 6 months, with the option to extend. A stipend will be provided and some costs will be covered. Some flexibility required.

To Apply

Serious applicants should e-mail icl@afs.org no later than 15 August, 2012 with “Intercultural Link Learning Program: Senior Internship” in the subject line and attach the following documents:

• A cover letter providing a brief description of yourself, examples of how you meet the listed requirements for this internship, your motivations for applying, and what you can offer AFS.
• A current CV/resume
• Two brief writing samples (no longer than 3 pages each). These can be articles you have already written, school papers or other samples on a topic related to the focus of the internship that demonstrate your professional and/or academic writing style.

Serious applicants should e-mail icl@afs.org no later than 15 August, 2012 with “Intercultural Link Learning Program: Senior Internship” in the subject line and attach the following documents:

• A cover letter providing a brief description of yourself, examples of how you meet the listed requirements for this internship, your motivations for applying, and what you can offer AFS;
• A current CV/resume;
• Two brief writing samples (no longer than 3 pages each). These can be articles you have already written, school papers or other samples on a topic related to the focus of the internship that demonstrate your professional and/or academic writing style.

We regret we cannot reply to all inquiries.

AFS is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. The intern will join a team comprised of fun and passionate people dedicated to promoting life-long learning for all.

ICL improves the way we connect to other people.

Learning about other cultures through the concepts and theories of intercultural learning allows people to understand the meaning and context of culture, and then use that knowledge to interact with people from different cultures in a more understanding, cooperative and respectful way. Enthusiasts of theoretical intercultural learning find that particular achievement as an end unto itself and the field’s raison d’être. However, this is not always the goal in mind for people working with the concepts and theories of international relations. Intercultural learning focuses on the interpersonal and individual level, while international relations focuses on the state and organizational level, particularly with emphasis on the concept of cultural soft power.

One of the most studied areas within the field of international relations revolves around how states (not necessarily cultures, see last week’s post) should measure and invest political and economic power. Scholars have an ongoing discussion about different types of influence, such as soft power.  Soft power is the political influence one state can have on other states via perceived attractive qualities. Culture plays a key role in this theory, but can have a very different perspective from the distinct field of intercultural learning.

Culture plays a role in this international relations concept because many

International Relations is more focused on State to State interactions

who study the subject believe that a state’s popular culture, society, history and general way of life can lead to international admiration. It is the hope that increased interest in a national culture will also increase willingness of other states to cooperate with the government of that culture. In terms of international relations, this is one clear goal in mind when some engage in cultural exchange. As you can see, this type of goal greatly contrasts with the goal of a cultural exchange from an intercultural learning perspective.

Cultural exchange in an intercultural learning context has more of a two-way focus. In intercultural learning, the overall goal of exchanging cultural qualities is not to attract a higher level of cooperation with a state or organization. In contrast, the goal of studying culture in an intercultural learning context is to leverage difference and to increase mutual understanding and tolerance to improve interpersonal cooperation.

However, sometimes the two subjects overlap. International political scientist  Milton C. Cummings has described the term cultural diplomacy as “the exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs and other aspects of culture, with the intention of fostering mutual understanding.” This interpretation of soft power has more of an orientation towards intercultural learning.

While soft power in an international relations context can include such aspects of cultural diplomacy, a clear goal has been to use it as a way to increase the influence of the state internationally. In contrast, by increasing intercultural understanding, enthusiasts of intercultural learning have a very different focus, one that is far removed from the use of cultural soft power in international relations. Cultural diplomacy, like most aspects of intercultural learning, is about people-to-people interaction with mutual understanding as the end result. Studying culture in an international relations context does not always have only this goal in mind.

In many ways participants in AFS exchanges regularly engage in this sort of citizen diplomacy. While living abroad, AFSers, whether consciously or not, learn the ideals, practices, and beliefs of their home and host cultures. At the end of the program, the AFSer should have a greater understanding of culture. This is the goal that makes intercultural learning distinct as a field of study and differentiates it from others. It is consequently essential that AFS everywhere employ the unique intercultural learning theories and techniques to ensure that culture learning and adjustment are facilitated properly and with the greatest chance of success.

Paul Edinger is a strategic operations intern for the Intercultural Learning department at AFS International, where he works to facilitate the implementation of ICL strategy throughout the AFS Network. His time at AFS began in April of 2011 with the Development and Branding department and he continues in 2012 as an intern for ICL. Prior to joining AFS he taught English, Spanish and computer literacy courses to Guatemalan and Salvadoran immigrants to the United States while obtaining his B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in Latin America. He completed minors in Anthropology, Political Science, Latino Studies, and Spanish Language Studies.

Since I have a B.A. in International Studies, my experiences share some similarities to AFS and Intercultural Learning, but my understanding of the subject was at the most basic level.  I came from studying the realms of politics, history, security, conflict resolution and a bit of economics thrown in for good measure.  Of course I was aware of the fields of Intercultural Studies, but this time last year, I considered the concept of intercultural learning to be little more than an interesting, but mainly theoretical, lens through which to view those from different cultures.

All this changed once I saw first-hand the vast array of work that AFS Intercultural Programs accomplishes.  I learned that it is wrong to simply understand Intercultural Learning as an academic approach to cultural interaction with only limited practical application.  Intercultural Learning is nothing less than a powerful tool that allows an individual to know how to understand and navigate what makes each of us different. What a useful, relevant and practical skill to possess!

At first glance the fields of International Relations and Intercultural Learning may seem very similar.  Yet the two subjects in many ways speak different languages. An enthusiast of International Studies learns about a nation with a nod to formal culture, whereas an enthusiast of Intercultural Learning may learn about the same nation with a nod to subjective culture. For example, International Relations is a field that is generally more focused on analyzing all the possible factors of why the particular nation as a whole may act. In contrast, Intercultural Learning is a field that is slightly narrower and focuses specifically on the possible cultural factors behind people’s actions within the same nation. Therefore, International Relations is more system oriented and Intercultural Learning is more oriented towards understanding individuals within their own cultural contexts.

There is a definite learning curve I currently navigate as I further understand how intercultural learning is a field that is unique, essential and practical. This is the first post in a weekly series dedicated to describing my process becoming familiar with intercultural learning.  I will take a subject every week, and look at it through intercultural learning ‘lens’ and comparing it to international relations ‘lens.’

So far this process has allowed be to really come to appreciate the value of ICL as an important tool that I can use to adapt when I interact with people from different cultural backgrounds. This is the heart of the AFS mission–understanding and respecting difference.  My journey to understand the distinct and useful qualities of Intercultural learning will lead me to have an even deeper understanding of AFS’s work, since the two are intertwined.

Look for my post next week about one diplomat’s six winters in Central Asia!

Paul Edinger is a strategic operations intern for the Intercultural Learning department at AFS International, where he works to facilitate the implementation of ICL strategy throughout the AFS Network. His time at AFS began in April of 2011 with the Development and Branding department and he continues in 2012 as an intern for ICL. Prior to joining AFS he taught English, Spanish and computer literacy courses to Guatemalan and Salvadoran immigrants to the United States while obtaining his B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in Latin America. He completed minors in Anthropology, Political Science, Latino Studies, and Spanish Language Studies.

AFS Intercultural Program is seeking a senior level intern with an educational and/or professional background in Intercultural (Ic) Communications to support the AFS Intercultural Link Learning Program. The Learning Program is a global training and assessment program for AFS volunteers (44000+) and staff (800+) that enhances AFS’s educational approach to intercultural relations.

The intern will support the Learning Program Manager with day-to-day activities in the development and refinement of the program and curriculum design. Additionally, s/he will communicate with the AFS global community related to project implementation and assessment around Learning Program events (in-person and distance), among other Intercultural Learning Services departmental tasks.

We welcome applications from candidates who are bright, motivated, self-directed, interested in intercultural issues, have a strong sense of humor, and meet these internship qualifications:
• Be in or have recently completed a degree in Ic studies (or similar) and be familiar with theories, concepts, and current research and practices;
• Have teaching and curriculum development experience in formal and/or non-formal education settings;
• Be highly creative, solutions-oriented, and pro-active;
• Have excellent organizational skills and be detail-oriented;
• Have excellent spoken *and* written English skills (writing samples will be required, fluency in two or more languages preferred);
• Be technology-savvy and able to work in various online environments;
• Be able to work both independently and as a part of a collaborative, multicultural team;
• Familiarity with AFS or intercultural exchange programs a plus, but not required.
This is a full-time (~40hrs/week) internship is based at AFS Intercultural Programs’ offices in NYC starting in February 2012, and with a duration of 6 months, with the option to extend. A stipend of will be provided and some costs will be covered.

To apply, please e-mail icl@afs.org no later than 13 January, 2012 with “Intercultural Link Learning Program: Senior Internship” in the subject line. In an attached cover letter, provide a brief description of yourself, examples of how you meet the listed requirements for this internship, your motivations for applying, and what you could bring to this opportunity. In addition, please attach a current CV/resume and two brief writing samples.

We regret we cannot reply to all inquiries.

About AFS: AFS is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. The intern will join a team comprised of fun and passionate people dedicated to promoting life-long learning for all.