Amigos de las Américas | Volunteer Global

Introduction

Amigos de las Américas (AMIGOS) has summer abroad, gap year, and gap semester programs for high school and college students. The international, nonprofit program empowers young adults to grow as leaders and increase their multi-cultural understanding through training and community service projects in Latin America.

No other program offers the comprehensive training, support and complete immersion, that AMIGOS offers. You will return home more confident in your leadership skills, comfortable in your Spanish conversation skills, and more globally aware and engaged with the world. The benefits you will receive stretch far past your summer experience: whether you climb the AMIGOS leadership ladder by applying to return as Project Staff or enjoy the benefits of a network of tens of thousands of successful and connected alumni around the world.

Types of Projects

in 2012, AMIGOS will offer 6-8 week summer-abroad programs in 10 countries in themes ranging from environmental health to children's rights to digital culture.

Volunteers in all projects live with host families, in groups of two to three Volunteers per community. In addition to the project theme that the Volunteers in every community within that area will focus on, the Volunteers will also work with on an individualized comminity-based initiative. The Community-based Initiative Process allows communities to envision, identify, propose, implement and evaluate a unique community project ranging from building a community center to painting a mural to planting trees to protect a local watershed.

Locations

2012 Project Locations:

Colombia
Costa Rica
Panama
Nicaragua
Dominican Republic
Peru
Ecuador
Paraguay
Honduras
Mexico

Project locations are still subject to change. Check out http://www.amigoslink.org/projects for the most up-to-date list.

Accommodations

All Volunteers live with host families, chosen with the expertise of our parter agencies. Most communities are rural, but a few projects include semi-urban areas.

Only one or two other Volunteers live in the same specific community, and in most cases they each have a different host families. Volunteers live with the same host family for the entire summer. Most Volunteers sleep on camping cots under mosquito netting, while some have the luxury of a bed.

Modern conveniences vary greatly, electricity and running water may be unavailable or inconsistent, while some communties may have those amenities and even internet access. The most successful Volunteers remain flexible, innovative, and open-minded about what kind of accomodations they are assigned. After all, they are sharing the life and culture of the families who call it home.

Prerequisites