For sixty years, AFS Intercultural Programs Philippines (AFS IPP) has surmounted challenges and celebrated milestones in pursuit of its mission to provide intercultural learning opportunities to Filipino communities. Between 1956 until 1979, the organization exchanged more than a thousand Filipino and six hundred American students, until its operations were halted for the next twenty years. In 2000, the returnees of the historical winter program convened and committed to re-establish the organization with the aim of investing in nurturing future leaders. Today, almost two decades after, AFS IPP has reached significant heights with more than 60 AFS communities, almost 300 affiliated schools, and hundreds of sent and hosted participants.
Yet for all our past achievements, our mission and goals are far from accomplished. As the world has become vastly more globalized and recently also increasingly polarized, AFS is more relevant than ever. The times they are a-changing’, as Bob Dylan famously put it, and so should AFS in order to stay relevant in today’s fast-changing society.
Staying true to its reputation as a trailblazer and market leader in both the exchange industry and in intercultural education, AFS IPP is proud to share with you the AFS IPP Vision 2020—a three-year strategy designed to deliver mission driven-impact, with a framework that repositions AFS IPP as an educational organization supported by academic institutions, educators, teachers and students, and recognized by like-minded public and private organizations, focusing on three goals: Develop Active Global Citizens, Globalize Schools and Institutions, and Expand Access to Intercultural Education. These goals will concentrate on four key areas of actions including programs, volunteerism, advocacy and operational excellence.
Aligned with the implementation of this strategy is our redesigned organizational structure. Starting in 2018, we are launching a tripartite co-creation system process bringing in the AFS School Club, AFS Community and the AFS IPP National Office to work together in delivering our programs and services. This renewed structure incorporates the changes and innovations needed to achieve the set strategic goals through prioritization and harmonization of policies and procedures without disregarding the local realities in the country.
We are transforming the way we operate to effectively and efficiently deliver intercultural learning opportunities in the country. Hence, we will continue to meet and bring inspired people together to ensure AFS IPP remains at the cutting edge. Throughout this transformation, we ask you to stay engaged, connected and committed in shaping the future of volunteerism, intercultural learning, and global citizenship.