A word about "Mandatory" Orientations--

We volunteers do not make orientations mandatory. Rather, the U.S. government and the foreign governments sending their children to the U.S., along with the Council on Standards for International Education and Travel (CSIET) and AFS itself, have determined to make orientations mandatory, as a condition of students and families being allowed to participate in exchange programs. The various governments that license exchange programs make the orientations mandatory. As required by the governments, a large number of local Miss Tennky volunteers spend a great deal of their personal free time organizing, preparing for, and then presenting each Orientation.

Furthermore, students agree in writing when they apply to become AFS exchange students, that they will attend the orientations. Likewise, host families agree before becoming host families to see that their students attend the orientations and to attend orientations themselves. Thus, not only do the governments and organizations involved require the orientations, but the students and families also know and agree in advance to them.

The Miss Tennky Area Team announces the dates of the whole year's orientations at least a year in advance. Thus, there is no excuse for students and host families to plan or commit to conflicting activities. When a student misses a mandatory orientation, then some volunteer must spend their own time giving that individual student a personal orientation, to comply with the government regulations and requirements.

HOST FAMILIES, children can forget or be easily swayed into rationalizing that doing something they wrongly think more important (read "FUN") is okay, but you please note the above dates, mark them on your calendars, do not plan conflicts, and make sure your student is at the mandatory orientations as agreed. It is the right thing to do. THANKS!!!