Program Reviews

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.

This was an incredible experience. I made many friends and connections. I loved improving my conversational Spanish and communicating with the local communities. Working with the organization Grupo Phoenix was the highlight of the trip for me. I would love to return in the future and do a gap year or join the training staff. The training staff on our trip were incredible. They were always available for anything we needed and were so fun to talk to as well. I would definitely check Amigos out for an immersive, cultural, and different experience.

As a former Amigo myself (Ecuador 1990), and a parent of a 2 time Amigo student traveler, I have had long experience with the organization.
My daughter has traveled twice in the last 3 years to Costa Rica with Amigos. This year (2021) was obviously impacted heavily by COVID-19, and so was a different trip. The students were unable to stay with a family, so there was less overall exposure to the culture and daily life. That being said, Amigos worked hard to give the kids an immersive experience and put them in touch with the amazing environment in Costa Rica.

I signed up to go to Costa Rica with AMIGOS after my brother had gone on an AMIGOS trip himself in 2019 to the Dominican Republic. I went alone, and while I didn't know anyone who was going on the trip with me, I was excited even though I knew that my experience would be different from my brother's due to COVID restrictions. Despite missing out on the host family part of AMIGOS that is normally a staple, I still had an amazing time on the trip. Everyone I came across, such as staff and fellow volunteers, were very friendly and approachable. I learned a lot about agriculture and how farmers adapt and work with their surroundings to make the best product possible. All in all, I felt like I grew significantly as a person thanks to my time in Costa Rica while making connections with great people and a great place.

Creating connections with international volunteers, living in eco-friendly hostels, cleaning beaches, improving leadership, visiting natural reserves, admiring Ecuador's biodiversity were any of the activities that as an AMIGOS volunteer I consider I've lived during this experience. I was one of the 15 volunteers that participated in the AMIGOS' program called La Costa here in Ecuador; what I could say about this program is that terms such as climate change and environmental conservancy were present during our trip of three weeks across the Ecuadorian coast. We lived amazing experiences visiting places surrounded by nature. We helped in the conservancy of beaches, water sources, and mangroves. I'm extremely sure that the rest of the volunteers improved their Spanish skills as I did with my English skills as a native Spanish speaker. Also, the experience was about created connections between local communities and people from this beautiful country filled with magic places and natural beauty that inspires love in everyone who visits it.

I absolutely loved this program. My Spanish improved dramatically and I had an experience unlike anything I've ever done. Living with Ecuadorians (some of whom were my age), I got to learn a ton about Ecuadorian politics, culture, and language. We lived/helped on two different farms over the course of the trip, so I got to live within really special communities. The second farm was run by 3 amazing indigenous women who participated in our discussions and taught us about their history/traditions/language (Kichwa classes were SO cool). I did this in 2021, so the program was very COVID-conscious, and all of the volunteers (American and Ecuadorian kids) lived together in a pod with a few staff members. Because we were all together, when we weren't working on the farm or climbing mountains, we got to have really deep and enlightening conversations about societal/political issues, in the US, in Ecuador, and globally - with people weighing in with perspectives from all over the US and Ecuador! Overall, this was an amazing way for me to expand my own perspective by experiencing a culture/language in a respectful, culturally-sensitive way.

I had a great time on my AMIGOS trip Nicaragua and learned so much! It was a great opportunity to learn more about other cultures, educate myself on sustainability within communities, meet new people, and practiced my Spanish. I learned so much about the history of every city we visited and the work we did around renewable energy was very engaging and educational. My only piece of feedback I would have would be around the curriculum we did as it was a bit repetitive and straight forward, and I felt I didn’t learn that much from it. However, other than that I had a great experience and made lots of friends!