Inspiring Teens to Spend
Summer Volunteering in
Latin America
More than 800 young
adults from across the
United States will
volunteer for five to
eight weeks this summer
with Amigos de las
Americas (AMIGOS).
They will volunteer in
more than 250
communities on public
health, education and
environmental projects
in Costa Rica, the
Dominican Republic,
Honduras, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Panama and
Paraguay. Volunteers
will begin departing for
their country
assignments in mid-June.
Teens will live with
host families in rural
communities with one or
two other volunteers.
They will partner with
community members on
sustainable development
projects such as health
and environmental
education for children,
the construction of
fuel-efficient stoves
and technology training.
Participants train and
fundraise for months
with one of the AMIGOS
chapters across the
United States, located
in most major cities.
Additionally, they have
the option to train
online through the
correspondent volunteer
program if they do not
live near a chapter.
AMIGOS has been a
life-changing
experience, said Guthrie
Graves-Fitzsimmons, 19,
who volunteered in
Veraguas, Panama, last
summer. I have improved
my Spanish and learned
what it means to partner
with people from a
different culture to
accomplish common goals.
Veteran volunteers,
usually in their early
20s, serve as Project
Staff to oversee the
projects. They plan
summer projects, place
volunteers in host
families and ensure the
health and safety of
volunteers throughout
the summer. AMIGOS was
founded on the belief
that youth are capable
of achieving amazing
goals when given the
opportunity, and this
has provided the basis
of AMIGOS success during
the past 42 summers. |
