11/1/2007 - AFS 60th Anniversary Celebrations a Resounding Success
From October 26th through the 29th, AFS Intercultural Programs celebrated its 60th Anniversary by bringing hundreds of people from all over the world to New York City.
The Embassies of Malaysia, Japan, Brazil, Paraguay, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Office, the Swedish Consulate, the Austrian UN ambassador, and the Swiss consulate opened their doors to AFS on Friday. These informal gatherings were an opportunity to welcome international guests, reconnect with old friends and meet the new members of the AFS community. Each of these gatherings marked the profound influence AFS has had across the globe.
The second day of the celebration was dedicated to a World Peace Forum held at Columbia University’s Alfred Lerner Hall. Close to 700 people packed the hall to listen to J. Brian Atwood’s opening speech, during which he took the opportunity to evoke great peacemakers throughout the ages. Quoting Baruch Spinoza, Thomas Merton, Jawaharlal Nehru, and the philosophers and theologians that have explored the concept of “just war,” Atwood articulated the complex and difficult challenges those who work for peace face.
Between morning and afternoon panel discussions, the attendees gathered once again for a stirring speech by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Burns’ films “The Civil War” “The War” and others have examined the horrors of war and the experiences of the everyday people that are affected when societies mobilize on a large scale to engage in wholesale slaughter. He praised AFS for the work it does to educate young people about the importance of intercultural exchange and learning so that the next generation can have the necessary tools at their disposal to prevent war and promote peace.
After the World Peace Forum, the AFS community boarded a boat that took to the east river and sailed around Manhattan while participants danced the night away. Sunday morning was spent touring the gospel churches of New York’s Harlem neighborhood.
A closing ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in mid-town Manhattan marked the end of the celebrations. The 60th anniversary weekend was a great success, and it will propel AFS forward into its next 60 years of providing first-class intercultural experiences to thousands of young people.
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