Program Reviews

I was a staff member for this program in summer 2020, and I was so impressed by not only the communities we immersed ourselves in and the curriculum we taught, but also the group of teens that participated. Get involved with AMIGOS if you want the best opportunity possible to step outside of your comfort zone, learn about the region with a heavy dose of cultural humility, and experience what true collaboration with partner organizations looks like. In this project, we spent 10 days in a cloud forest community, learning about sustainability and conservation through a combination of local tours, impactful volunteer opportunities, in-house workshops, and ecotourism excursions. We then ventured to a remote town on the Atlantic coast, accessible only by river boat, where we worked with a partner organization to protect the local sea turtle population against poachers and other threats. We built upon each work or volunteer opportunity with interactive lessons on power and privilege, intercultural exchange, climate justice, and youth leadership. Students who choose to do AMIGOS care deeply about the world and their place in it, and this trip has the power to widen their perspective even further! I would strongly recommend it to those who are traveling to the region for the first time, as Costa Rica is an easy country to travel through, and has a very developed ecotourism base to learn from.

Learning through knowledge of other cultures is invaluable, the recognition that the land we live in is in crisis is inevitable and the small steps we can take to seek a better future are right in front of us.

The culture of the Ecuadorian Coast gives an endless number of new places, far from each other but with a clear theme to think about and is; What are we doing to save our land and ourselves? What can we change in our daily lives? How are we protecting the animals and species that inhabit the planet, such as sea turtles or whales?

This experience was beautiful not because of the landscapes you can find, but because of the questions you can ask yourself and the answers you find in the middle of a farm or in front of the immense sea, seeing the beauty of a giant whale near the boat you are in or exploring the islands where the whales and sea lions are, as well as trying different kinds of food, without the need to use foods based on animal protein.

We can all do something small to change the course of our resources and take care of our planet.

I had the time of my life on this trip. Not only did I get to learn so much about the community and about coffee farming, but I made so many new friends and I learned a lot about myself. I can tell you that spending over a year in quarantine as a 15-16-year-old was not fun. Other than the company of my wonderful family, I was really deprived of social interaction. Being on this program introduced me to 22 other people that I am proud to call my friends and AMIGOS family. This trip connected me with so many people that I would have never gotten to meet. I learned so much from the other participants and from the community members that I got to meet. Personally seeing how coffee farmers lived was an eye-opening experience. Hearing and learning about their struggles highlighted what it is truly like to be a farmer. I gained invaluable knowledge and had the experience of a lifetime. This summer was one of the best summers I've had in a long time and I got to let loose a little. I wasn't pressured by other people to appear a certain way or act a certain way, I could be myself and let out some of my inner child. It was an entirely different experience. Not having to worry about what the people in my life think about me, what I'm going to make for breakfast, and what I'm going to do that day allowed me to truly soak up the opportunity. Every day was filled with activities and excursions that always left me in awe. I am so extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to experience this and I hope you choose to experience this as well. Pura Vida!

If you are looking for a challenge, finding yourself, your goals and fuel (motivation), making life-lasting relations, and experience the amazing culture and hospitality of a beautiful country while you explore and appreciate nature, great lakes, and active volcanoes, stop thinking about it and come to the Nicaragua program. You will discover colonial cities and unique mixed cultures within the country. Going to excursions to natural reserves, canyon trips, and waterfalls and appreciate the flora and fauna of a tropical land while you learn about renewable energies and the potential that Nicaragua has in this area from the voice and knowledge of tops of the experts and partner organizations working in this area. Also, you will have the opportunity to engage with locals that will be as excited as you to talk, teach and learn and create amazing bonds and friendships. As a Program Coordinator in this program, I felt really proud of myself, my team, and the volunteers we were working with and very happy to show my country and its culture while we all learn and live as a big family and awaken our leadership and many other skills. You will definitely get out of your comfort zone and the only thing you will regret is not coming.

This experience changed my life. Not only did I make new friends but I learned lessons that I will keep with my throughout the rest of my life. It gave me a new understanding of a different culture and improved my Spanish so much. I went in with no idea how it was gonna be and this experience definitely exceeded my expectations. Trying new food, meeting new people, and learning more and more Spanish were some of my favorite parts of the experience. I would definitely recommend AMIGOS to anyone!!

The province of Manabi where la Costa Program mainly takes place has been hit by El Nino natural phenomenon in 2008, which affected the communities greatly. El Nino produced massive rainfalls and this led to landslides due to the deforestation that had being going on for decades. Many community-based environmental organizations formed and reforestation initiatives arose. In 2016 the province also suffered from an earthquake and since then there were different movements to support natural construction with bamboo, for being earthquake resistance and sustainable, as well as typical from the area. This context makes this region a great place to learn about climate change, and how communities overcome natural disasters.
At this project volunteers stay in a permaculture farm, and visit 2 other farms. With all of these experiences, volunteers get exposed to permaculture, organic agriculture, sustainable cattle ranching, natural construction and so on.
In this program volunteers interact and work hand in hand with several youth led organizations that are working towards various environmental initiatives, such as beach clean ups, turtle conservation, the study of the tropical dry forest, etc.
We also get to do a lot of fun stuff like chocolate making, handicrafts, salsa dancing and nice hikes
We ended this trip with a renewed sense of possibility…possibility to live an alternative lifestyle that is in harmony with nature, and therefore can assure our own survival through generations.

First off I recommend amigos to anyone remotely interested in getting an international experience. My year was unique due to COVID so that meant I did not do a home stay but instead traveled in a group of 19 volunteers. Because this was the first year they tried this type of program there of course were a few unforeseen challenges but the staff worked hard to overcome these. Overall the activities were meaningful however the hands on work was much better than the activities conducted in the hotel basement. It overall was a great experience in large part due to my fellow volunteers.

Spending three weeks in Colorado with really cool people is an experience I will never forget. We started in Denver, made our way to Salida, and drove to Durango as our last stop of the trip. Along the way, I learned about wildfires, regenerative farming and why the bighorn sheep population is dwindling. We also identified aquatic creatures to determine the health of the Arkansas river, learned about traditional ecological knowledge, and had many jam sessions in Big Betty (the van). I had fun cooking dinner, playing games and leading a hike. Going into the trip, I had no idea what it was going to be like but it ended up being one of the best summers of my life. I would definitely recommend this program since I had a blast!

I participated as a volunteer with Amigos when I was in high school, and this year as a staff member. During non-Covid times, I see the Amigos summer programs to be like a mini peace corps service. The summer programs usually revolve around service, cultural immersion, language learning, and more. Due to the pandemic, the programs this year have been very different. Our team not only took many precautions to prevent Covid-19 spread, but the summer program was shorter overall with less service. Although there were changes to what were were able to do within the communities that we stayed in, the volunteers were given many impactful opportunities for growth and experience. Some of the programs highlights included intensive, in-person Spanish classes, excursions throughout the country to see much of Nicaragua, working with our partners (cooperatives, organizations, small businesses, etc.) within the different communities, and more!
Something that makes Amigos de las Americas programs different then many other programs is that Amigos does not give volunteers and/or staff luxury housing or treatment while in their host countries. If you are going to Panama with Amigos, you will live like the average Panamanian. That is the same for if you go to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, etc. The living conditions are normally bare, simple, and can be very difficult for some people. Although this may scare some people away, it is something that makes this organization so unique, and really gives the volunteers and staff alike the opportunity to live in authenticity in their host country and community.
With Amigos, young people have the opportunity to create lifelong connections, grow their confidence in traveling alone, speak a different language, and more. Amigos programs are extremely impactful, and help many young adults learn about their passions and widen their global perspective.
I highly suggest Amigos de las Americas if you are a young adult looking for a very authentic, sometimes challenging experience in Latin America to push you to learn about yourself and other countries around the world.

This was an amazing experience. This year the groups project focused on sustainability and climate change. Two things I’m very passionate in. I made lots of new friends from all over the country and in Nicaragua as well. This was the highlight of my summer and I would definitely encourage anyone to check out their programs. I would love to come back in the future and become a project staff or do a gap year program. My Spanish definitely improved through this group by conversations with native speakers.