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AFSA NEWS: THE OFFICIAL RECORD
The AFSA News section of The Foreign Service Journal includes monthly meet-
ing decisions and actions of the AFSA Governing Board, as well as columns by
elected constituency VPs on current Foreign Service issues. In 2016, AFSA News
stories covered speaking events by AFSA officials and meetings with partners in
Colorado, Texas, Florida and elsewhere. AFSA News also covered events held at
association headquarters, profiled professional excellence in the Foreign Ser-
vice, and reported on historic events, such as the first Foreign Service Night at
Nationals Park, where members of the Foreign Service were recognized. A new
2016 feature in AFSA News, ”Retiree Corner,” highlights retirees who speak to
students or community groups, sharing their stories and awakening a new gen-
eration to the work of the Foreign Service, and also provides useful information
to retiree members.
ONLINE SERVICES AND SOCIAL MEDIA
AFSA’s website continues to grow and improve; the addition of 99 years of
Foreign Service Journal digital archives in early 2017 will make it an even more
important resource not only for our members but academics, students, journal-
ists and history buffs. We also continue to engage with our members and others
through our various social media outlets – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and
Flickr. Please follow AFSA on social media, so you never miss any of our updates.
A SPOTLIGHT ON PAIN POINTS
One way to spur conversation and seek solutions to common Foreign Service
problems is to use the power of a Foreign Service Journal spotlight. The Janu-
ary-February issue took on the highly sensitive topic of mental health care in
the Foreign Service, bringing in many voices to both explain the evolution of
services over time, information about services and support today, as well as
shining a spotlight on problems. That focus—and follow-up features on support
for FS children with special needs—generated a lot of attention and has helped
advance the conversation with the Bureau of Medical Services and other State
Department offices in an effort to improve the situation. Another issue of the
Journal that generated much attention and appreciation for its focus on a
real-life problem was the October focus on “Living with Air Pollution” in the
Foreign Service.
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