AFS (worldwide) has been chosen the Overall Winner in the Social Achievement category of the 2003 Associations Make a Better World awards program. The program, run by the American Society of Association Executives, in coordination with the Global Forum of Societies of Association Executives “recognizes outstanding examples of associations who make a significant contribution to societies and economies world wide.”
AFS was honored for the role that its organizations around the world have played connecting Muslim and non-Muslim peoples in many different cultural settings.
Cooperation between Muslim and non-Muslim peoples
Moved by the events of September 11, 2001, AFS successfully engaged its network of organizations around the globe to increase understanding, communication and cooperation between Muslim and non-Muslim peoples, resulting in a wide variety of activities including educational forums, community service, outreach to Muslim immigrant populations in Western countries, and several first-time intercultural exchanges between Muslim and non-Muslim countries worldwide.
Insights into daily life in Jeddah
United States of America: Exhanges With Saudi Arabia 20 young Americas went to Yeddah in Saudi Arabia on a 3 week exchange in the summer of 2002. During the stay they were hosted by Saudi families and took part in an extensive program to get better insights into daily life in Jeddah.
“I came home yesterday with half of my heart missing. I left a part of myself with myself with my host family and after three weeks I was not the same person. We need this program as a country to help explain that Saudi might be around the world but we are all human.”
-A young AFS student
Projects undertaken by AFS Iceland, Indonesia, Egypt, Brazil, Costa Rica, Malaysia, the People´s Republic of China, Turkey, Hungary, Belgium, the Russian Federation, Germany, Thailand, Italy and USA contributed to the award.
