Activities & Events

 

Welcome-Back Picnic

 

Away Days

 

Teen Trips

 

Newsletters

 

Teen Re-Entry Workshops

 

Contests

 

Social Groups

 

 

Throughout the year, FSYF organizes events and activities for Foreign Service youth of all ages. From a welcome-back picnic for families to a re-entry workshop for teens to social gatherings for younger kids, there’s something for everyone. Whether you are in Washington, DC or across the globe, we hope you’ll take advantage of all that FSYF has to offer.

 

Welcome-Back Picnic
Every September, FSYF organizes a welcome-back picnic for Foreign Service families that recently returned to the DC area from overseas. Whether or not your family falls into that category, we hope you’ll attend—to make new friends, reconnect with old ones, and welcome home your colleagues. The picnic offers food and fun for the entire family.  See pictures of the 2009 Welcome-Back Picnic on YouTube at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypGCElyzMvA 

 

Away Days
Every spring and fall, FSYF organizes an Away Day for kids and teens. Away Days are outdoor adventures for Foreign Service youth ages 8-18 with a focus on team-building, leadership skills, and fun! Participants use body and mind to tackle age-appropriate challenges with guidance from experienced facilitators. Although designed as a confidence-building activity for those who are moving overseas or who recently returned to the U.S., the bi-annual event is open to and appropriate for all Foreign Service youth.

    Fall 2009 Away Day
      November 7, 2009
      All Day (exact times to be determined)

      Freedom Challenge Course at George Mason University Prince William Campus

      More information coming soon
      RSVP to fsyf@fsyf.org by October 26th

   

Teen Trips
The Foreign Service lifestyle is often hardest on teens, especially those who find themselves in the DC area after a childhood spent overseas. FSYF aims to connect teens with their Foreign Service peers, who can act as valuable sources of friendship, advice and support. Teens who meet at FSYF events tend to identify with each other, form easy friendships, and seek out opportunities to get together. At the same time, their busy academic, extracurricular and social lives can leave little room for FSYF activities. FSYF hopes to plan at least one major teen trip every year—possibly an overnight trip—and are willing to organize more upon request. Send your thoughts and ideas to fsyf@fsyf.org.

 

Teens may also like to take part in the annual re-entry workshop—either as new returnees or as “experts” on the teen panel. For more information, see the "Teen Re-Entry Workshop below.

 

Newsletters
FSYF publishes a quarterly newsletter — Here, There & Everywhere — written by and for Foreign Service kids and teens. The newsletter includes articles, illustrations, photographs, short stories, poems, recipes, song lyrics etc. around a given theme, and is published every February, May, August and November.

 

All Foreign Service kids and teens are invited to contribute to Here, There & Everywhere. Those in the Washington, DC metropolitan area are encouraged to participate in writing workshops held the month prior to publication. The three-hour workshops are an opportunity to brainstorm, share ideas, offer advice and encouragement, and make new friends. FSYF provides materials and lunch. Foreign Service youth who are not in the DC area or cannot attend the writing workshops are invited to submit their newsletter contributions by fax (703-636-2611) or e-mail (fsyf@fsyf.org).

 

For more information, click here.

Teen Re-entry Workshop
In the early fall, FSYF organizes a re-entry workshop for teens who recently returned to the United States. This fun and informative event offers teens the opportunity to share experiences, ask questions, and make connections with other Foreign Service teens who are “new” to the DC area. The event is led by experienced facilitators and includes a panel of teen “experts” who returned to the U.S. during their teen years and lived to tell the tale.

 

For more information about re-entry, click here.

 

    2009 Teen Re-entry Workshop
      Oakwood Apartments, Capital Room

      501 N. Roosevelt Blvd.

      Falls Church, VA 22044

      September 26, 2009

      10 AM – 2 PM
      $10 to cover the cost of lunch
      RSVP to fsyf@fsyf.org

 

Contests
Every year, FSYF sponsors four contests: art, essay, video (in partnership with FSI), and community service. Foreign Service kids in the U.S. and around the world are encouraged to enter one or more contests. For more information, click here.

Social Groups
FSYF sponsors several social groups for Foreign Service kids in the DC area.
    • Diplokids: For FS kids in elementary school
    • Globetrotters: For FS kids in middle school
    • AWAL (Around the World in a Lifetime): For FS teens

FSYF program directors organize and lead activities for the different social groups. Recently, groups went ice skating and played laser tag.

For more information about FSYF social groups, click here.