Amigos de las Americas Review 2021

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.