8/10/2007 - Local family knows that peace begins at home
McGuffey family signs petition to support peace through student exchange
August 2, 2007, New York, NY—The McGuffeys recognize that in a war-plagued world that is in desperate need of solutions, every effort counts. That’s why they’re turning theory into practice and signing a petition to promote peace through a phenomenon they have witnessed first-hand—student exchange.
AFS, a leader in international high school student exchange, is launching a petition drive in honor of the organization’s 60th anniversary, and asking the world’s leaders to expand student exchange programs around the world to promote a new kind of diplomacy. With 30,000 active volunteers and nearly 12,000 exchange students annually in over 50 countries, the organization is difficult to ignore.
The McGuffeys of Duncanville, TX have been a host family in the past, and they are now looking forward to next week when they will be providing a home for two more exchange students.
“AFS is about helping people recognize that although we have a lot of differences in traditions and languages, when we get down to it we’re all the same,” said James McGuffey. “We’re a lot more alike then we are different.”
Started after World War II by former volunteer ambulance drivers with a mission to promote understanding and avoid future conflicts among people, AFS is founded on promoting intercultural acceptance and a diverse worldview. Today, this vision is carried out by the exchange students and volunteers who participate in the AFS program and, in particular, by the host families who welcome these foreign students into their homes.
“It’s like having an extended family,” said McGuffey. “I can talk to the students the same way that I talk to my biological children.”
The peace petition effort will culminate during the AFS 60th anniversary celebrations in New York on October 26-28, during which time representatives from AFS and other notable international personalities plan to present the signatures to the United Nations. Until that time, AFS urges anyone who is interested to sign the petition at www.exchanges4peace.org and make an individual effort to initiate international change.
Originally posted here: http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_39319.shtml
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