Download - AFS Intercultural Programs

ONE VOICE
Every year more than 100,000 AFS
students, volunteers, Returnees, hosting
and sending families, schools, AFS Partner
staff and supporters in more than 80
countries and territories join what they call
“the experience of a lifetime.” We call it AFS
Intercultural Programs.
In 2007, we surveyed these AFS
stakeholders and we asked them, “are we
doing a good job?” The response from the
83 percent of survey respondents was “Yes!”
But how does AFS ensure that we continue
to be supportive, trustworthy and inspiring
all around the world? How do we continue
to provide the best possible personal growth
experiences? How do we speak with one
voice and have an AFS that is recognized
globally for its unique brand of intercultural
educational exchange programs?
To answer this question, Partner
representatives, board members and
volunteers from AFS organizations around
the world gathered in early March of 2008
with AFS Intercultural Programs staff and
branding experts at the AFS Global Branding
Seminar held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Focusing on what was essential about AFS,
their time together was used to develop a
draft statement of the AFS Global Brand
Platform reflecting AFS’s promise to its
stakeholders, naming the recognizable
attributes of the AFS brand, and pinpointing
the location of AFS within the competitive
landscape.
The AFS Global Branding Seminar was
both an opportunity for participants to be
educated about global branding, and an
opportunity for AFS leaders to discuss their
perceptions and experiences with branding
experts from around the world in a facilitated
exploration. The AFS Brand Platform was the
major output of these discussions.
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