Program Reviews

My time in Cuenca was extremely difficult especially the first two months but it challenged me to grow in every aspect of my life! It gave me professional work experience, improved my Spanish, and allowed me to create friendships with Ecuadorians and participants. I appreciated that every participant got their own room in the host family home. It was a great mix of integration with a host family while respecting that participants need space. We were able to go on excursions to the Amazon, too! It was hard to get used to a new environment and family, but with time you really get to know everyone.

My decision to participate in AMIGOS de las Américas was one of the best I've ever made. I spent six weeks living in a rural town in Cocle with one other partner from the United States. During our stay we helped the community build a playground out of recycled materials and taught camps to children after school each day. I made many lasting friendships with community members with whom I continue to text and talk with on the phone to this day. This experience also allowed me to solidly my Spanish fluency - although all levels of Spanish ability can thrive in AMIGOS. I developed many valuable skills during my time in Cocle such as problem solving, cooperation, confidence and independence. The experience was very challenging and pushed me out of my comfort zone but therefore was extremely rewarding. Through AMIGOS I also gained access to a network of alumni and peers and I have continued to return to the organization, first as a vet trainer and then as a member of the National Youth Alumni Council. I am confident that AMIGOS will stay with me for many years to come.

My daughter participated in the Amigos de las Americas program as a senior in high school. She went to Paraguay for six weeks to be fully immersed in a new culture and gain knowledge about the world. The local training for months prior helped her to feel more confident about what she might experience once in Latin America. She ended up having a health issue and returned home early from the program. The level of health and safety in place through Amigos was stellar. As a parent I am now fully invested in the program because of how this situation was addressed. I feel 100% confident sending local youth through the Amigos program. I have stayed very involved with the organization for the past 8 years and see this as a top program in the US! Amigos is an experience than will impact youth for years after they participate.

Some of the best weeks of my life include the six weeks I spent in a rural community in Nicaragua. In 2011, I challenged myself in ways I did not think were possible. By living with a host family and working with community members on a collaborative service project, I strengthened my Spanish speaking abilities, leadership capacities, and cultural competency. My community in rural Nicaragua is one of the most beautiful places I have ever traveled to. I spent many hours hiking through the lush green mountains with another volunteer from the U.S. (my partner in community) and local community members. Each week, we were visited by our Project Supervisor, an AMIGOS staff member, that checked up on our health and the progress of our community service project. 8 years later, I am still in communication with my partner in community and my Project Supervisor. The community of AMIGOS is truly spectacular and full of inspiring people that are dedicated to creating positive social change.

Throughout my application, training, and summer experience, I felt supported by Amigos staff. Amigos headquarters in Houston, TX supports chapters all across the U.S. Chapter members provide in person training and workshops to local chapter volunteers. I currently serve on the Urban Chicago Chapter board, and I am excited to share AMIGOS with you! Thank you for reading, and I hope you check out the amazing AMIGOS website and social media.

I did Amigos as a high school student in 1986 & 1987. My teenage son went to Chimborazo in the summer of 2018. I can speak to being both a volunteer as well as a parent, and I can confidently say that Amigos is a life changing experience. I like to say that my son came home with his eyes wide open. He was fully immersed in a new culture. He lead town hall meetings (in Spanish!!). He formed relationships with his host family that he continues to maintain. He became more independent, more confident and more engaged. No cell phones for 7-weeks, he came home well read and well rested. His love of reading returned as he
swapped novels with other volunteers over the summer.

I am so excited to have this shared experience with my son. There is nothing else like it!

this trip was the best decision I've ever made! i had an awesome support network in Panama of supervisors and staff. we had check ins with our supervisor all the time where they would ask us about how everything had been going and they always made it easy to talk/go to them. the first week was filled with briefing, which i had not expected but was very grateful for because of how safe it made me feel. going into our homestay i was nervous because i pretty much had no language experience. i immediately knew that i was going to love my host mom! she was cute and little always filling me to the brim with food. i also loved my host dad who had the sweetest laugh and was always curious about life in america. i adored my host sister who played endless games of cards with me. i will never forget walking to the local tienda with her and getting dulces for the entire family every night. i also adored the local schoolchildren who always tried to give me little toys and who always wanted to play with the "Gringas". getting on that plane was the hardest thing in the world for me because i had felt that i had made a second family and really belonged in that town of two hundred people.

discover amigos was the best summer of my life. as soon as i met everyone in the houston airport i knew i would love the program. the supervisors were the B E S T and i think everyone on the trip would say that we call them friends not supervisors yet they do their job well and make sure everything is safe and well. the host family i stayed with was amazing and made me feel so welcome even though i didnt speak the same language as them. they cooked full meals, made sure i was off to school on time in the morning, and we loved sitting down to a good card game in the evenings. my favorite part about the homestays was just sitting with my host family at night, bouncing my host baby on my lap while my host aunt would braid my hair and my host uncle would tell me about his trips to china. going to the school was a blast and i think i can say for us and the school kids that we all had so much fun playing and laughing together. i now can say i have 20 new best friends from this trip some of whom i plan to go visit even if that means having to fly to go see them. best trip of a lifetime and im already looking into next year and planning all my next trips with amigos.

Amigos insured that I grew up the day I left Mexico. My host family and community were the most influential people of my life. To this day everything I do I think of them, how I can make them proud, my privilege and when can I return. Our project although challenging was the point of growth for me. I can not explain further the depth and impact this experience has had on me but I do recommend it to those who are willing to respect the amazing culture that exist in Yucatan. We have to preserve and conserve it.

I was a volunteer on the 2016 Chimborazo, Ecuador project. It was the first year that AMIGOS had operated in Chimborazo, and regardless, I had an amazing experience.
Throughout the entire summer, I felt safe and supported by my project staff, who worked hard to ensure that us participants had positive experiences. Not only did I have a supportive team of project staff, but I also had an incredible host family who was willing to help me through any issues that may arise. I lived with them in a small community at about 12,500 feet, where a typical day consisted of working with my host family in the garden, playing games with local children and youth, walking to the local store or $0.10 ice cream, and working to plan a new community store.
Since my participation, I have become active with AMIGOS as a trainer because my experience was that impactful. I developed leadership skills, gained independence, improved my Spanish, and learned about myself. I would highly recommend an AMIGOS program to any high school or college student eager to learn more about a new culture and get out of their comfort zones. It is important to note, however, that AMIGOS is probably not a good match for young people looking for a touristy trip, as AMIGOS focuses much more on cultural immersion than anything else.

I was a participant in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2014. I knew very little Spanish when I arrived. Despite my language shortcomings, my host family remained patient with me. We learned to communicate through playing cards, doing magic tricks, and other fun bonding experiences. My Spanish improved over time and by the end of the summer I could even make jokes in Spanish!
I have worked with several volunteer abroad organizations, and Amigos by far has the best safety element. There is an on-call emergency response team available 24/7 a supervisor that spends 24 hours in your community every week and escorts you to the clinic when you're sick, a list of behavioral standards to abide by with your safety in mind (no riding motorcycles, or other dangerous behavior).
One thing that really makes Amigos stand out compared to other volunteer organizations, is the rigorous training that participants go through before departing for their summer. You build skills such as how to facilitate activities and how to hold community meetings, so that you can be useful in supporting the community once you arrive.
Amigos was my first time using my Spanish and my first time out of the U.S. Needless to say, I was scared. However, by being bold and getting out of my comfort zone, I realized that I am capable of doing anything. By intentionally pushing my personal boundaries to pursue relationships with people, I realized that they are neither as scary nor judgmental as I had worried. While they did chuckle at my alien accent, I learned to accept their reactions as opportunities to laugh at myself and as indicators for where I can work on self-improvement. In addition, I became more welcoming of others who differ from me. After being trusted to lead a development project in a foreign country in a foreign tongue, I really do feel like I can do anything.
In addition, the leadership ladder at Amigos is amazing. In 3 years, I have climbed the leadership ladder from participant, to volunteer trainer, to full-time trainer, and now this summer I will be a project supervisor. I look forward to continuing to climb this ladder, whether that be in the form of project director, on-call staff, or any of the other numerous opportunities Amigos provides for young people.