Activities & Events
Welcome-Back Picnic
Teen Trips
Newsletters
Teen Re-Entry Workshops
Contests
Social Groups
Throughout the year, FSYF organizes events and activities for Foreign Service youth of all ages. From a welcome-back picnic for families to a re-entry workshop for teens to social gatherings for younger kids, there’s something for everyone. Whether you are in Washington, DC or across the globe, we hope you’ll take advantage of all that FSYF has to offer.
Welcome-Back Picnic
Every September, FSYF organizes a welcome-back
picnic for Foreign Service families that recently returned
to the DC area from overseas. Whether or not your family
falls into that category, we hope you will attend—to make
new friends, reconnect with old ones, and welcome home your
colleagues. The picnic offers food and fun for the entire
family. See pictures of the 2009 Welcome-Back Picnic
on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypGCElyzMvA
Teen Trips
The Foreign Service lifestyle is often hardest on
teens, especially those who find themselves in the DC area
after a childhood spent overseas. FSYF aims to connect teens
with their Foreign Service peers, who can act as valuable
sources of friendship, advice and support. Teens who meet at
FSYF events tend to identify with each other, form easy
friendships, and seek out opportunities to get together. At
the same time, their busy academic, extracurricular and
social lives can leave little room for FSYF activities. FSYF
hopes to plan at least one major teen trip every
year—possibly an overnight trip—and are willing to organize
more upon request. Send your thoughts and ideas to
fsyf@fsyf.org.
Teens may also like to take part in the annual re-entry workshop—either as new returnees or as “experts” on the teen panel. For more information, see the "Teen Re-Entry Workshop below.
Newsletters
FSYF publishes a quarterly newsletter — Here, There
& Everywhere — written by and for Foreign Service kids and
teens. The newsletter includes articles, illustrations,
photographs, short stories, poems, recipes, song lyrics etc.
around a given theme, and is published every February, May,
August and November.
All Foreign Service kids and teens are invited to contribute to Here, There & Everywhere. Those in the Washington, DC metropolitan area are encouraged to participate in writing workshops held the month prior to publication. The three-hour workshops are an opportunity to brainstorm, share ideas, offer advice and encouragement, and make new friends. FSYF provides materials and lunch. Foreign Service youth who are not in the DC area or cannot attend the writing workshops are invited to submit their newsletter contributions by fax (703-636-2611) or e-mail (fsyf@fsyf.org).
For more information, click here.
Teen Re-entry Workshop
In the early fall, FSYF organizes a re-entry
workshop for teens who recently returned to the United
States. This fun and informative event offers teens the
opportunity to share experiences, ask questions, and make
connections with other Foreign Service teens who are “new”
to the DC area. The event is led by experienced facilitators
and includes a panel of teen “experts” who returned to the
U.S. during their teen years and lived to tell the tale.
Contests
Every year, FSYF sponsors four contests: art,
essay, video (in partnership with FSI), and community
service. Foreign Service kids in the U.S. and around the
world are encouraged to enter one or more contests. For more
information
click
here.
Social Groups
FSYF sponsors several social groups for Foreign Service kids
in the DC area.
• Tiny Trekkers: For FS toddlers
• Diplokids: For FS kids in elementary school
• Globetrotters: For FS kids in middle school
• AWAL (Around the World in a Lifetime): For FS teens
FSYF program directors organize and lead activities for the
different social groups. For more information about FSYF
social groups,
click here.
