Reviews
Would you recommend Amigos de las Americas?
16 reviews
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(2017-05-16 13:00:38.0)
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!
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.
(2017-03-28 15:27:07.0)
Amigos de las Americas is a very unique experience, to say the least. I chose to participate in this program and continue to love it for the depth of cultural immersion which it provides, which I have never seen rivaled by any other program. The program places you in a small community in Latin America with a host family where you, officially, are there to realize a community development project and host after-school activities with the community's children. However, unofficially, you also dedicate yourself to the project of observing, learning from, misunderstanding, occasionally being confused and frustrated by, and finally appreciating another culture, as well as improving your communicative Spanish, and developing personal friendships. As a participant I was guided all the way by a wonderful supervisor, who provided me with excellent one-on-one mentorship. A great aaaaand challenging program. Well worth it.
(2017-03-24 12:05:02.0)
I was a volunteer in the summer of 2013 in Azuay, Ecuador, where I lived in an Indigenous community high up in the Andes. My community was a bit different from neighboring Mestizo communities, which allowed me and my partners to immerse ourselves in a culture that not many outsiders get to experience. We completed a CBI (Community Based Initiative) project in collaboration with community members, and also facilitated workshops with kids in the community which was a lot of fun. My time with AMIGOS drastically improved my Spanish as well as my leadership skills such as fundraising, organization, and facilitation. I attribute my success in college to AMIGOS, and I feel like I am a very independent and goal-oriented person today because of my volunteer experience. AMIGOS is such an incredible organization because of the amount of freedom it gives high school students and its incredible support network in the US and Latin America. I cannot say enough good things about AMIGOS!
(2017-03-23 14:38:00.0)
I volunteered with AMIGOS the summer of 2013 in Madriz, Nicaragua and it was truly one of the most rewarding and formative experiences I have had. AMIGOS sets itself apart from other similar organizations in that it truly engages the people in the communities involved so that they have leadership over the projects happening within their communities. Also from the viewpoint of the volunteer, AMIGOS provides an amazing community and support system and at the same time allows each volunteer to have a great deal of independence while they are in community. Volunteers are placed in communities with one or two partner volunteers and asked to collaborate with the community to plan and complete a project (that could be anything from a trash disposal system to community gardens) and teach after school camps with the children in the community. AMIGOS is an organization that leaves both host community and volunteer feeling like they have gained something valuable from the experience.
(2015-12-22 07:44:50.0)
I would recommend this to a friend or anyone who I believe would be right for this. I think this is a wonderful opportunity and it would be a great way to experience another culture and its ways of life!
(2015-07-02 20:50:42.0)
It sounds like a very awesome, unique, and great learning experience.
(2013-11-13 20:32:56.0)
From what I know and hear AMIGOS is a great organization to work with and be a part of. You get to be a part of something greater than yourself. Truly believe it worth time investing in .
(2013-11-11 14:52:21.0)
AMIGOS is unique. It is the only international exchange program in existence that trusts volunteers to be independent and leaders, challenges them to achieve what they think they cannot, and provides a truly immersive experience. I was a volunteer in Nicaragua where I lived in a community of 300 people, and in Honduras the next year. I am still in touch with my host families 10 years later. AMIGOS provides opportunities to be creative, to take on increasing responsibility and leadership from the start, and the most rewarding summers imaginable.
(2013-11-06 12:14:33.0)
My first review is below, after I finished volunteering for the first time with AMIGOS. I am still in love. In 2011, I went to San Pedro, Paraguay, as a project supervisor. AMIGOS has a proven training curriculum and in-country structure that simultaneously prepare you for inevitable challenges and demand more of you than you can possibly imagine achieving. I have been able to accomplish more (in terms of personal growth, professional skills, and concrete project objectives) with this organization than in any other experience in my life. The AMIGOS mission is fundamentally positive in that it recognizes that everyone, in every host community and within the group of extraordinary young people that participate in AMIGOS, has something valuable to offer and, if encouraged to be an active change agent in their environment, can achieve more than they can possibly dream.
(2013-11-06 12:10:22.0)
Amigos gives unbelievable leadership opportunities to young people. Their model is one of true immersion that allows for total cultural integration and improvement of language proficiency. AMIGOS has completely changed my life, allowing me to live and work in three different countries: twice as a volunteer and once as a staff member. I still keep in contact with my host families... I have even gone back to visit and I have become the godmother of my little host sisters. Being an Amigos is not easy, but it is in every way worth the challenge to get outside your comfort zone and learn something new about yourself and about the world. I cannot recommend AMIGOS more highly.
(2013-11-06 11:19:40.0)
Amigos is a phenomenal organization in the sense that it gives young people the opportunity to experience another culture independently as a young adult. Amigos volunteers are held to high standards, and as an organization Amigos has proven time and time again for the last 50 years that teens can rise to the occasion and implement some of the most impactful community based development projects that I have ever seen. I have worked with many volunteer "service" and leadership programs over the course of my high school career, and one thing that seems to plague many travel volunteer experiences for youth nowadays is a sense of "voluntourism" that puts the experience and development of the volunteer far ahead of the volunteers work with a community or project of any kind. Amigos not only avoids the exercise of this paradigm, but fosters the polar opposite by giving volunteers a truly immersive experience and fostering the importance of genuine connection with culture and community.
(2013-09-19 14:47:43.0)
I would absolutely recommend AMIGOS to any young person seeking personal development and an opportunity to serve abroad.
The program is well organized and gives students the flexibility and power to take ownership of projects. I was able to teach in a local school, organize community events, and gain health education experience.
I do want to put it out there that this is NOT a study abroad. Volunteers are not in hostels and the days are full of hard work -- not luxury day trips. It is 2+ months of living in a rural community. Too many volunteers do not realize before they go that some communities do not have running water. I slept on a cot most nights in a bedroom with my host siblings. Embrace the opportunity to live a life so different from your American life, and you will thrive. Get used to feeling awkward and asking for help. The "hard" of this program is what makes it so great. Love AMIGOS and remain involved to this day.
(2009-02-04 09:53:50.0)
I first volunteered with AMIGOS in the summer of 2001. It was an amazing experience that led me back to AMIGOS several times in the past 8 years. Each time my leadership skills are challenged and grow immensely. AMIGOS is unique not only because of the great amount of responsibility that it puts on youth to run the programs, but because of the focus on sutainable community development that is led by volunteers, and more importantly local community members. The projects are diverse and no matter what your interests, you can find your niche and work with the community to make your summer incredible and memorable! The communities are always so happy to work with AMIGOS and you will become really close to a lot of people that you will never forget, and who will never forget you.
(2008-12-01 14:00:16.0)
Amigos is an amazing organization. I was a volunteer in Veraguas, Panama in 2006 for eight weeks. My time spent there remains to this day the most adventurous, challenging, and rewarding experience of my life! I would recommend Amigos to anyone who is looking to improve spanish skills, live in a new culture, give back to the world that has given you so much, and challenge yourself to a summer outside of your normal comfort zone. Since my first summer I have since volunteered with training new volunteers and this past summer I worked at Amigos! My continued involvement shows how much I love the organization and want to help it to grow and reach new people. Our Houston Chapter tshirts sum up the Amigos experience: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead! Don't wait- call Amigos today and get started on the experience of a lifetime.
(2008-11-08 19:28:09.0)
I would definitely recommend this to anyone!! Not only is this program a great way to meet new people and learn Spanish, but it's a different experience for everyone. In Veraguas, Panama, I worked with the support of two partners and a supervisor to become a community leader and to make change happen. Teaching schoolchildren about the environment and collaborating with the national health ministry, we got work done while being exposed to a different culture. We got all of our teenage friends in the community involved in a project to improve the local church building, chosen by a house-to-house vote. We also helped organize new trash cans for community areas. The goals of Amigos are admirable, and as a young person in a foreign country you can empower yourself to carry them out! It is a wonderful opportunity!
(2008-11-07 17:52:20.0)
This program is amazing! I went to the Dominican Republic for two months with AMIGOS this past summer and had an absolutely fantastic time. I got to learn about a new culture, strengthen my Spanish skills, work with my host community on projects, teach classes for younger children, and truly become part of my community. There is no other program like this one, don't miss out!