The FSA Youth Exchange was founded in 1996 by Lodie de Jager who was a German school teacher in the Free State from 1984.  The FSA has its roots in the tours and exchange visits he arranged for his students to Germany.  From 1991 – 1996 he was stationed in Germany from where he was responsible for the exchanges from and to South Africa.  He returned to South Africa in 1996 to found the FSA.  The FSA operates as a closed corporation.  

FSA Youth Exchange has two offices in South Africa. The office in Naboomspruit (Alta Botes) organizes the exchange for South African pupils to Germany. The office in Boksburg (Suzanne Baker) is responsible for the incoming German pupils and South African host families.

In Germany the FSA office is situated in Bielefeld.  The programme leader, Petra Jacobi, organizes the exchange for German pupils to South Africa, is responsible for the South African pupils during their stay in Germany and the host families in Germany.  Although working together, FSA in South Africa is an own juristic entity independent from FSA in Germany.

The FSA Youth Exchange in South Africa has three programmes to Germany as well as programmes to South Africa.

To Germany

1.  June – July       ( 4 weeks)

2.  Nov – Jan         ( 6 weeks)

3.  Dec – Jan         ( 4 weeks)

 To South Africa

1.  Four / six weeks programme July /August.  Four different date groups determined by German school holidays in different provinces.

2.  Ten-week programme from July to end September (term 3)

3.  Four / six weeks programme  December / January.

4.  Ten-week participation (term 1 or term 2).  (individual dates as arranged)

 A few German students get permission from German schools to visit on individual dates for one or two school terms.

From 1996, approximately 5 288 learners from South Africa were selected to participate in the exchange programme, and approximately the same number of German learners participated in the programme.