The Foreign Service Journal, October 2015

62 OCTOBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS We Want to Hear fromYou on Facebook The American Foreign Service Association is continuously seeking ways to not only inform but engage our mem- bers. We want your feedback on issues of importance to you, your careers and your families. We’ve recently posed questions to our Facebook followers to get an idea of their views and experiences on important topics. For instance, we asked whether our followers had received personal notifica- tion following the two Office of Personnel Management data breaches; the numer- ous responses revealed that an overwhelming amount of members had yet to hear anything regarding their status. This feedback tracked with other input we’d received through email and by phone, which allowed us to have a better sense of the needs of our members as we com- municated with OPM, Capitol Hill and management at the foreign affairs agencies on the issue. We plan to do more online outreach in the future. With about 70 percent of our members stationed overseas at any time, social media has proven to be an excellent way for us to get your perspective. We encourage all members to follow us on Facebook and get involved in the conversa- tion. You are our eyes and ears; the more we hear from you, the better we can repre- sent you. Of course, social media is far from the only way to con- tact AFSA’s staff and elected officials, who are always happy to be of assistance. A list of contacts can be found at www.afsa.org/staff. In addition, AFSA post reps working at embassies and consulates around the world are a key conduit; find yours at www.afsa.org/postreps. You may also wish to partici- pate in our online discussion forum at community.afsa.org. And, as always, you can email us at member@afsa.org . We look forward to hearing from you. n —Ásgeir Sigfússon, Director of Communications DESIGNEDBYJEFFLAU. Annual Foreign Service Youth Awards Ceremony ART CONTEST Ages 5-8 FIRST PLACE: Adriana Singh, Cotonou SECOND PLACE: Annika Bitner, Jerusalem THIRD PLACE: Luciana Belon, Paramaribo Ages 9-12 FIRST PLACE: Moses Smith, Harare SECOND PLACE: Jacob Newman, Mbabane THIRD PLACE: Caroline Toyryla, Vientiane Ages 13-18 FIRST PLACE: Cora Deininger, Washington, D.C. SECOND PLACE: Camryn Carswell, Ramstein- Miesenbach THIRD PLACE: Ericka Betts, Santo Domingo ESSAY CONTEST Middle School FIRST PLACE: Liam Rathke, Washington, D.C. SECOND PLACE: Elizabeth Wong, Kigali THIRD PLACE: Stephen Harvey, Guadalajara High School FIRST PLACE: Ari Albalak, Bridgetown SECOND PLACE: Cassidy Chang, Gaborone THIRD PLACE: Diego Rubey, Bogota K I DV I D CONTEST FIRST PLACE (TIE): Madeline Faber, Moscow Daphne Valen and Sloane Valen, Vancouver HONORABLE MENTIONS Aurelius Barrus and Daniel Razick, Georgetown Joshua Hendriksen, Amman Caroline and Gabriela Ousley Naseman, Chennai COMMUN I TY SERV I CE AWARDS Joshua Smith-Sreen, Nairobi Gregor Chisholm, Amman Shannon O’Meara, Nassau (Honorable Mention) ACADEMI C MER I T AWARDS FIRST PLACE: Claire Young, Seoul SECOND PLACE: Erik Enstrom Schofer, Vienna AAFSW MER I T SCHOLARSH I P AWARDS HIGH SCHOOL/GAP YEAR MERIT AWARD: Patrick Odlum COLLEGE MERIT AWARD: Meredith Hilton BEST ESSAY AWARD: Sofia Tipton JUDY FELT MEMORIAL VOLUNTEERISM AWARD: Kendall Thompson On July 10, Director General Arnold A. Chacón, the Family Liaison Office and the Foreign Service Youth Foundation hosted the 2015 Youth Awards Ceremony at the Department of State’s George C. Marshall Center. Foreign Service children received awards for their art, essay writing, video production, community service and scholarly achievements. The ceremony also recognized awardees of the Associates of American Foreign ServiceWorldwide Merit Scholarship Award program. To learn more about the FSYF and AAFSWawards, visit their websites at www.fsyf.org and www.aafsw.org. n