Why become a volunteer?

Volunteering in NZ

Volunteers are the lifeblood of AFS. By signing up you’re doing your bit to foster inter-cultural learning and promote world peace. You’ll be a force for good joining 30,000 volunteers from 50 countries.

Volunteering is for you if you’re interested in:

• learning about other countries and cultures, and sharing your knowledge of New Zealand
• interacting with people who share your sense of adventure
• promoting peace and understanding
• making friends and contacts from all over the world

Don’t worry if you haven’t been involved with AFS before. We’ve got a great local AFS support network which can bring you up to speed and excellent resources to help people taking on specific responsibilities.

Volunteering is fun, satisfying and rewarding. You can help in all sorts of ways, whatever your skills or time available.

You could support a local student and their host family. You could interview potential AFS students and host families. You could represent AFS at a community event. You could help AFS promote its work in schools. You could help coordinate activities in your local AFS chapter.

Many volunteers are people who have returned from an AFS exchange abroad or local families who have hosted an international student and want to continue their involvement.

If you have skills in areas like accounting/finance, IT, event management, team building or coaching, media/PR or English tutoring, we especially want to hear from you.

But you can help in other ways too. You could provide a meeting place for AFS gatherings or sponsor outreach activities for students or host families or put up AFS posters at your sports club or business.

Here’s what some of our people have to say about volunteering:

“This is an organisation which has enormous capacity to make positive change in the world, enabled by the work volunteers undertake. To work for AFS is both exciting and challenging, as there are always new perspectives, new beliefs and cultural differences to consider and learn, as well as a world of like-minded people to meet and share our dreams with.” Claire Becker Gledhill, AFS Christchurch Pegasus Chapter

“Why have we been involved with AFS since 1988? It’s the people, the AFS kids, the huge expansion to our lives and outlook, and the invaluable intercultural competency learning and cultural self-efficacy that the AFS organisation imparts on all of its participants.” Leo & Catherine Hitchcock, AFS North Shore Chapter

For more information about volunteering with AFS, explore our Volunteering in NZ section, or email info-newzealand@afs.org or call 0800 600 300.