Венесуэла

A beautiful Caribbean country with an exciting mix of different climates, customs and traditions — Venezuela is a great place to jump start your intercultural experiences. Whether you go to the mountains, the coast or the plans, you will always get to enjoy the buzz of Spanish.

Venezuelan teenagers love spending time with their families, or socializing with friends. They enjoy dancing and music from all over the Caribbean and the rest of the world. They will be happy to show you their moves and teach you how to dance!

People & Community

Extended family members tend to be very close and spend a lot of time together. They can be very conservative and protective of their children, no matter how old they are. You should always tell your parents what you are going to do and ask permission. You should also check out opportunities to get involved in community work, arts, sports, and other local activities. 

School

Secondary schools in Venezuela focus either on humanities or on sciences. School days run from 7 a.m. to 1 or 2 p.m. and you should be academically motivated and willing to participate in extracurricular activities.

Language

The main language spoken in Venezuela is Spanish. Having a basic knowledge of English or Spanish will be an asset in the beginning and will help you learn more. Local volunteers may help arrange independent language study for you during the first months. 

Food

The Venezuelan cuisine is quite varied and it reflects the diversity of climates and cultures in this Caribbean country. No matter where in Venezuela you are, you should try the delicious pabellon (rice, shredded beef in stew and black beans), arepa (ground maize dough filled with meat, cheese or vegetables), or a typical Christmas meal called hallaca (a corn tamal stuffed with a stew of different kinds of meat or seafoods).

Let AFS guide your intercultural adventure

Go abroad with AFS to discover who you really are, make new lifetime friendships and immerse yourself in a fascinating intercultural experience.
TEEN PROGRAMS (UNDER 18 YEARS OLD)

Our learning program will prepare you for an amazing AFS intercultural experience. The program begins at your home country with a pre-departure orientation and continues with orientations and other supported learning activities and facilitated conversations will help you maximize your experience, cope the challenges of navigating a new culture and community and gain knowledge, skills, and a global understanding, throughout your time abroad, and as you return to you home country. AFS volunteers will be there to support and guide you and your host family through your learning journey abroad.

ADULT PROGRAMS (18 YEARS OR OLDER)

The Global Competence Certificate (GCC) program will support your intercultural learning experience. This state-of-the-art program prepares you to successfully navigate new cultural environments—during your AFSNext experience and long after you finish the program. Online intercultural learning modules combined with in-person sessions help you develop practical and global skills, knowledge and attitudes that employers need and mission-driven organizations believe will help achieve their social impact goals. You will receive your certification upon completion of the training program.