AMIGOS

If you’re looking for an exciting and meaningful way to spend your summer and make your college applications stand out, then Amigos de las Américas might be just what you’re looking for. More than 27,000 students just like you over the last 50 years have traveled to over 17 countries throughout the Americas to create and lead sustainable community projects. Keep reading if you want to learn more about this one of a kind opportunity.

What is AMIGOS?

AMIGOS was started in 1965 when Guy Bevil, a Texas native, led a team of teens into rural Honduras to fight a growing polio epidemic. Together, this group of nearly 200 high school students just like you helped protect thousands of Hondurans from contracting the disease while building friendships that transcended cultures and borders.

Because AMIGOS is an international nonprofit, you’re able to make an impact in places like Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the United States. There are projects focusing on everything from environmental sustainability in Panama to social entrepreneurship in Paraguay.

Why Should Your Apply to AMIGOS?

Because of the increasingly competitive college admissions process, it’s more important than ever for you to collect experiences that will make your application stand out. How many high school students do you know choose to spend their summers working with communities in Central or South America? Exactly.

But it’s more than that. You’ll be participating in a fully immersive experience where you will be almost completely independent from your family and friends. This kind of distance means who you really are as a person starts to emerge. You’ll be working with inspirational and passionate mentors who have strong backgrounds in international development, meaning you’ll have someone to look up and learn from while you’re developing your community-led service project.

Before you leave for the summer, you’ll also receive over 30 hours of leadership training where you learn about advocacy, organizing, project management, and other practical skills you’ll need for your projects. These skills are transferable, meaning you can apply them to school clubs and volunteer opportunities when you’re back home, too. These are also traits that distinguish you from your peers and equip you to make a positive impact in your local community.

What are the Requirements for AMIGOS?

Before you rush off to fill out your application, have your parents read additional information about AMIGOS and show them how excited you are about this opportunity. You can also request more information here if you want to learn more before you commit. In addition, you will also need to fulfill the following requirements:

• Have two years of Spanish study or the equivalent
• Demonstrate leadership potential and show a strong commitment to community service
• Successfully complete the application and pass the interview process

I also suggest you look over the costs and participate in an online information session with your parents so you’re on the same page about what the AMIGOS experience is all about.

Get Out There and Change the World!

AMIGOS offers you the opportunity to grow as a person while you’re making a positive impact on the world. Whether your project focuses on public health in Nicaragua or indigenous rights in Mexico, you have the power to create change in parts of the world that need your passion and dedication. So instead of spending another summer on the couch watching Netflix, you can be in Latin America having the experience of a lifetime that will make your college application stand out.

‍For more information on AMIGOS, contact Lauren Hauser at (800) 231-7796 ext.162 or  lhauser@amigosinternational.org.