Arbeitskreis gemeinnütziger Jugendaustauschorganisationen

The circle -profit youth exchange organizations (AJA ) is the politically and religiously independent non-profit umbrella organization of youth exchange organizations in Germany that is committed to the promotion of long-term student exchange as a means of cultural understanding. At the Institute for the International Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany ( IJAB eV) represents AJA is the only organization to long-term student exchange.

Development

AJA was founded in 1993. Their demands are AFS experiment eV and Partnership International eV closed Intercultural Encounters eV, German Youth For Understanding Committee eV, together based on common quality criteria. Since then, the Rotary Youth Service have joined Germany eV ( RJD ) and Open Door International eV the AJA. Speaker of the AJA is an annual rotating basis one of the directors of the member organizations, since 2004 has AJA also a representative office in Berlin.

Activity

AJA to alert the public attention to the education effect of one-year student exchange attentive and help shape its development -promoting.

Doing so, he expressly for securing quality in international student exchange and develops its members with common quality criteria, which are intended to provide guidance to all interested in the field of youth exchanges. In improving the environment and recognition policies of foreign school years, the AJA is working closely with national and international actors in the policy. Here AJA puts special emphasis on the development of youth exchanges in the new EU Member States and the development of financial funding opportunities by policy, to make the student exchange in the future in all countries and for all students possible.

As an umbrella organization coordinating AJA always to the exchange and cooperation between its members and represents them to the media and politics.

Furthermore, AJA cooperates nationwide with numerous schools, there to optimize the promotion of intercultural learning.

In the course of its work, the AJA publishes opinions, criteria catalogs and information on various topics and acts as organizer or partner in various projects and conferences. These are presented in excerpts on the AJA website.

Youth Exchange

The collaboration with its members and with external actors from different sectors of social, political and economic life mean for the AJA to emphasize the benefits of youth exchanges and develop.

Youth exchange means for the AJA

  • Personal development and professional qualifications through training of social and intercultural competences
  • Intercultural learning through reflection on own and other cultural identity,
  • International understanding through the promotion of understanding and responsibility towards one's own and the foreign culture,
  • And ultimately contribute to the foreign cultural policy through intercultural dialogue, stimulate the youth as ambassadors of the home or the host country to the.

Quality in the youth exchange

Based on voluntary work lead the AJA organizations around the world through long-term, education-oriented student exchange programs. Regardless of skin color, religion and political beliefs they want to promote their work, intercultural learning, understanding, self-responsibility, tolerance and respect for other ways of life and thus contribute to democracy and peace education.

The AJA members are doing together based on common quality criteria that characterize the profile of the organizations. Quality in international youth exchange means for the AJA and its members,

  • To promote the global exchange by sending and receiving programs,
  • Provide for the purposes of non-profit, all funds exclusively for educational programs, program development and scholarships,
  • Implement voluntary work as an organizational principle for all members,
  • Careful before selecting and supervising to ensure during and after the exchange year and
  • A transparency of cost and performance guarantee.
74628
de