Orientation and Follow-up
Orientation and follow-up are integral components of the AB program. They are vital in creating a meaningful and successful experience and ensuring it has a lasting impact in the lives of the participants and the communities with which they share their experiences. From the first orientation session to the final follow-up session, AJWS considers each member of the group to be an active program participant and expects full participation in all programming.
Each group has at least eight hours of orientation programming during which campus staff prepare participants for the program and lay the groundwork for the educational curriculum. AJWS provides campus staff with some required activities and materials as well as additional guidelines and suggestions for those sessions. AJWS will make every effort to arrange for your group leader or another AJWS staff person to attend and participate in one of the sessions.
Topics covered during orientation include:
- an introduction to AJWS and the in-country host organization;
- cross-cultural preparedness activities;
- an introduction to grassroots sustainable international development.
Each group is required to complete a group follow-up project after the program. Each participant must also complete an individual follow-up project. To facilitate the planning of the group follow-up project and to process their experiences in the field, each group meets at least twice after their return home. These meetings are planned and led by the campus organization staff person.
