AFSA/Elderhostel History

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AFSA's Elderhostel program was started in 1996 by AFSA Retiree Representative Ambassador Bill De Pree and alumna Lillian "Petey" Mullin, in an effort to help AFSA raise public awareness of the Foreign Service and the need for effective American diplomatic resources. Ward Thompson then coordinated the program for many years. Currently, Program Coordinator Janice Bay and Program Assistant Ásgeir Sigfússon administer AFSA's Elderhostel programs.

Students (hostelers) include mostly retired professionals active in their own communities, who apply for the Foreign Service programs through the written and online catalog of the nonprofit Elderhostel, which reaches nearly a million recipients. They travel to one of our sites to spend one week learning about the Foreign Service. Each week may feature a particular geographic theme or a more general presentation of U.S. diplomacy, with examples of the important issues with which American diplomats deal.

In the first 9 years, we have reached over 4300 Americans from all parts of the U.S., through nearly 100 programs held in the DC area, San Diego, Tucson, Atlanta, Seattle, Colorado Springs, St. Petersburg (FL), Chautauqua (NY), Tiburon (CA), Austin (TX) and Portsmouth (NH). (Note: The San Diego program will no longer be offered.)

At all sites, hostelers hear lectures by Foreign Service retirees and enjoy program variations with a local emphasis. For example, in DC, where AFSA presents several programs in March-April and September-October each year, the groups have a session at DACOR (Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired) Bacon House and visit the Foreign Service Institute, the State Department, and an embassy related to the week's topic. Our Tucson program has focused on Mexico and has included presentations by Diplomats-in-Residence and American consular officials from Tijuana and Nogales, plus sessions with Immigration and Customs officials. The Atlanta program features cooperation with the Carter Center and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In Portsmouth, the State Department's National Visa and National Passport Centers provide tours and briefings for the hostelers.

AFSA encourages retirees in other parts of the country to organize an Elderhostel program locally, using the curriculum and format we have developed. Course content can be adapted to available resources:

• Foreign Service representatives at local military commands or universities
• Presence of foreign consulates, U.S. Customs, Immigration and Agriculture officials at international airports
• Backgrounds of retired colleagues in the area

You may contact the AFSA Elderhostel program at the following address:

AFSA Elderhostel
2101 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20037
1-800-704-AFSA (within the U.S.) or 202-338-4045, ext. 508
Fax: 202-338-6820
E-mail: bay@afsa.org, asigfusson@usaid.gov, elderhostel@afsa.org