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Background and Purpose
The Foreign Service Youth Foundation was established in 1989
to coordinate the Department of State efforts to assist
Foreign Service youth. Its primary goal was to develop
programs for Foreign Service young people and to ensure
their funding. The Foundation grew out of the
recommendations of the "Youth Project Committee" formed in
January 1989 by the Associates of the American Foreign
Service Worldwide (AAFSW), the Family Liaison Office (FLO)
and the Overseas Briefing Center (OBC) at the Department of
State.
To read more, please read
our
brochure.
Click
here to read our Annual Report for 2007.
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AWAL
(Around the World in a Lifetime), FSYF's high school youth
development program, was originally a teen club established
by Foreign Service teens in 1983. Today its membership is
worldwide. In the metro area, globally mobile teens
volunteer their time in a monthly community service project.
They also meet to maintain their FSYF connections and share
their experiences. Recent activities have included skating,
Six Flags Adventure Park, family picnics, international
potlucks, bowling, movies, the Holiday Swing Dance Bash, and
professional sporting events.
Click here
to view the calendar of events for upcoming
Washington, DC area youth events.
Globe
Trotters
is the FSYF
middle school youth development program. It meets monthly.
Recent activities have included painting pottery, movies,
holiday shopping, and pizza parties.
Click here
to view the calendar of events for upcoming
Washington, DC area youth events.
Diplokids
is a fun, activity group for all
elementary aged Foreign Service kids and their parents. . If that is you, come join the
fun. You can come sometimes or all the time and you can even
help plan the fun things that we do!!
Click here to view the calendar of events for upcoming
Washington, DC area youth events.
AWAL and
Globe Trotters' events also provide FS kids the opportunity
to discuss important issues for globally mobile kids, such
as how to make friends, how to say good-bye to friends, how
to communicate across cultures, common sense dating, values,
how to survive the first week of school in the United
States, and coping with international transitions.
FSYF sponsors overseas youth clubs too.
Click here to learn about the overseas clubs and how you
can start a club at your post.
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FSYF
sponsors several training programs designed to help FS young
people meet the challenges of a mobile lifestyle. These
include:
AWAY Day
- an
outdoor obstacle course, promoting leadership and team
building skills. The fall AWAY day focuses on reentry
skills, and the spring AWAY day is geared to help those
about to confront the challenges of a new assignment
overseas.
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Since 1996, the Foreign Service Youth
Foundation and the Foreign Service Institute's Transition
Center have sponsored a worldwide contest for production of
a video by children ages ten to 18 that depicts life at post
from their unique perspective. The top three videos win cash
prizes.
Click here
to view the rules for this year's rules OBC Kid Video
Contest.
Since 1993, FSYF has sponsored the Annual
Clements International Foreign Service Youth Community
Service awards. Click
here to learn more about this award and
how to nominate a candidate. In 2005, the State Department
Federal Credit Union and the Foreign Service Youth
Foundation, launched a new Foreign Service youth art
contest.
Click here
to find out more.
In 2006, FSYF and the State Department
Federal Credit Union began an annual art contest for Foreign
Service children of all ages.
In 2007, FSYF and Diplomatic Automobile
Sales founded a new essay contest for Foreign Service High
School and Middle School students.
Click here
to read about this year's essay topic
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FSYF, as
part of its mission to inform parents on the issues involved
in raising children abroad, has published two books:
Notes from a Traveling Childhood and Of Many
Lands. These publications are an excellent resource
for FS families and have been instrumental in bringing the
issues of Foreign Service youth to the attention of the
Department of State and other Foreign Affairs agencies. Read
more about them on the
FSYF Publications Page.
FSYF also sponsors seminars, lectures and panel discussions
for parents on transitional issues. Each fall, FSYF welcomes
families back to the Washington area with a Welcome Back
Picnic. This annual event includes a speaker on reentry and
education in the DC area and group training activities for
teens and preteens.
Click
here to take the Parent Survey.
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Join FSYF!!!
Participation in FSYF youth development programs will build
confidence and self esteem in your children and provide
opportunities for them to meet others who have "been there."
We also welcome parental assistance on individual projects,
service on the FSYF Board and financial donations.
All Foreign
Service families at posts around the world are invited to
join. Overseas young people can subscribe to and write for
the quarterly newsletter(s). Overseas families also can join
the network of FS families worldwide. If you are returning
to the U.S. soon or already there, you too can subscribe to
the newsletter and also take part in the DC area events. A
three-year family membership is only $30. To join now, click
here
Membership Page.
The Board of Directors of the Foreign Service Youth
Foundation is made up of Foreign Service parents, former FS
youth and State Department representatives. We welcome
committed persons to join the Board. If you would be
interested in serving on the Board, please contact Melanie
Newhouse, FSYF Executive Director, at
fsyf@fsyf.org.
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