Amigos de las Américas

My 15 year old daughter went to Costa Rica with the Amigos program and came back an improved version of herself! Her eyes were open to more of the world, the kindness of strangers, and learned what she can do emotionally and physically that she didn't know she could. In addition, her Spanish is improved, she learned to cook some new dishes, she offers to clean up things around the house (she NEVER did that before), and she (shockingly) loved not having her phone pinging at her for 3 weeks. She didn't miss her phone at all and in fact prefered the calm, quiet life she had in La Brunca. As a result, she has turned off Notifications on her phone so she is a little less addicted to it. As a parent, I felt like she was well prepared for the trip by Amigos. And she really enjoyed her host family. My brother did an Amigos program over 30 years ago when he was in high school. I was hopeful that it was still the same great program that it was for him. I'm happy to report that it was even better! Highly recommend even for kids who don't think they can do it. They will find out quickly that they can do an Amigos trip and much more. Let your kid find their wings with Amigos!

I had an amazing time in Panamá. I lived with a great host family that welcomed me and two other Americans into their home. I learned what the day-to-day life is like for people in a small, agricultural community, and improved my Spanish through conversations.

My daughter spent 6 weeks in Chimborazo, Ecuador with AMIGOS the summer after her junior year in high school. She had a great experience living with a host family, practicing her Spanish, helping to build a greenhouse, learning how to harvest potatoes, helping her host family cook local recipes, and learning about the indigenous Kichwa culture and language. AMIGOS has been putting programs together for students for many, many decades, so they know how to put together a program that is safe and supervised, culturally appropriate, has ethical community service, and provides the necessary pre-trip training. The staff are available for questions and conversation before signing up for a program, after signing up, and while your student is overseas. This is a great opportunity for your child to get outside their comfort zone, get away from their electronic devices, and immerse themselves in another culture. They will return having experienced great personal growth. My daughter loved AMIGOS so much that this was her second summer program. She also did the AMIGOS program in Costa Rica.