Editor’s Note: Student Union is written by students at Hampden Academy, Brewer High School, John Bapst Memorial High School, Old Town High School, Mount Desert Regional High School, Ashland Community High School and Schenck High School in East Millinocket. The weekly column is a joint effort among the schools, the Bangor Daily News and Acadia Hospital. This week’s column was written by Brewer High School students. Their adviser is Sherri Thomas.

Imagine that you could spend a year in a different country learning about its culture and another language, or that you could have the opportunity to act as host to someone from another country in your home for a year.

For 85 years the American Field Service, or AFS, has led the way in foreign exchange students programs, according to information on its Web site. The program began during World War I when a group of Americans volunteered to drive ambulances for the American hospital in Paris. The great sense of compassion from the volunteers made it possible for the growth of the program.

Proof of this was when in World War II, American Field Service’s volunteer force, composed of civilians, was positioned in Europe, Syria, North Africa, India and Burma. After the war, volunteers from AFS chose not to abandon the service; they stayed working to enforce the peace during hard periods of hostility.

The idea of enforced peace through the nations made AFS think further into the future; they wanted their mission to continue. They began the exchange program in 1947 with a small group composed of 52 high school students from 10 different countries who came to and lived in the United States for a whole year.

Conflict showed up when two enemy nations, Japan and Germany, were added to the program. Currently, the program is stronger than before with more that 290,000 participants from 52 countries and more than 100,000 volunteers around the world donating their time, energy and love.

The AFS experience is appreciated not only by students, but also by the families and societies that welcome them. Mark Fox, a host parent from Orrington, said, “The AFS program is one that we had heard about but were not familiar with until we had the opportunity to host a wonderful daughter from Japan. The key to the whole program is to show the future leaders of the world that America is a country willing to work with any country to bring peace, democracy, understanding, and dialogue between nations.”

Within the program, student participants learn culture, language and a sense of tolerance, realizing how big the world really is and the many differences it has. Sarah Lindner, a German exchange student at Brewer High School said, “Students from all over the world come to Maine every year and face their biggest challenge in life. And after a year, they can say they do not speak just one more language, but they also change themselves and make friends for a lifetime.” Clearly, AFS accomplishes the goals it originally set.

When the American volunteers vowed to keep the AFS program going, their next goal for the world was to create peace through global neighbors. In the last half-century, more than 300,000 students have participated in the AFS program.

Today, AFS goals enable people to act as responsible global citizens and show a great deal of respect within their own nationality. AFS seeks to affirm faith in the hearts of people participating in the program. It encourages participants to respect the host country’s policies on human rights relative to race, sex, language, religion and economic-social status. AFS goals are to work to make people’s lives better, to foster a better understanding for one another, and to provide more fulfillment in their lives.

Pat and Craig Rand, host parents in Brewer said, “AFS gave us an opportunity to meet young adults from several countries and cultures. Our foreign exchange student has blessed our lives with her dynamic personality and her sweet spirit, making it a positive experience for each of us.”

Their daughter Brittany Rand added, “It’s been a great experience living with a foreign exchange student. Not only did I learn about her home and lifestyle, I also had the opportunity to meet many of the other AFS members and spend time with them.”

Charlie Grant, a participant support coordinator for the AFS Dirigo Maine area, said, “This is a program that I have worked with for 30 years. I have hosted a lot of students and it is a great experience to learn about cultures and to expand your family. Our first foreign exchange student came from Israel in 1976, and we still keep in touch with her family.”