Help CenterAMIGOS is a leader in international youth development, creating a world in which young people realize their full potential as leaders and global citizens. We provide extraordinary opportunities for youth to design and lead projects in collaboration with U.S. and Latin American peers and partner organizations across the Americas. Our strong partner network, built over 50 years, enables authentic engagements in communities across the region.
Since its start, AMIGOS has operated continuously in various countries in Latin America, including Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Currently, AMIGOS works in six countries in Latin America (Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay) and the U.S. running youth leadership programs. AMIGOS always works through partnerships with local organizations and with members of host communities in Latin America and the U.S., with projects led by young people.
VISION
A world where all people are lifelong leaders sharing responsibility for our global community.
MISSION
Amigos de las Américas inspires leaders through authentic service and immersion experiences.
VALUES
Safety First and Always: We prioritize the health and safety of AMIGOS volunteers above all.
Youth Leadership: We believe in the capacity of youth to become leaders for positive change.
Transformational Outcomes: We strive to transform volunteers and communities in measurable ways.
Community-Led: We create socially and environmentally conscious partnerships through collaboration with communities throughout the Americas.
Diversity Throughout: We promote diversity of volunteers and stakeholders and work to break down barriers.
Respect: We maintain respect, transparency, and high standards in everything we do.
AMIGOS HISTORY
In 1965, a young Houston pastor, Guy Bevil, recruited and inspired 285 young people to spend a summer fighting the growing polio epidemic plaguing rural Honduras. Even though Jonas Salk had discovered the polio vaccine many years before, many people in Latin America did not have access to this treatment.
Under the name of “AMIGOS de Honduras” the first AMIGOS volunteers achieved two significant results. First, thousands of Honduran people were immunized against polio.
Second, as a result of this experience, 285 young people discovered the value of community service. Volunteers returned home with greater maturity and confidence, knowing that youth could make a difference in the world.
After that first summer, a group of Houston community leaders decided to continue providing those opportunities for youth. At the end of 1965, they formed a Board of Directors and certified Amigos de las Americas as a nonprofit, nonsectarian, private, and voluntary cooperative organization. AMIGOS soon grew and needed an office and staff of its own.
As the program grew nationally, it also expanded internationally. In its more than 55 years, AMIGOS has placed approximately 30,000 volunteers who have worked in more than a dozen countries in Latin America.
Since 1965, the focus of AMIGOS projects in Latin America has changed according to the priorities expressed by local partner agencies, communities, and project staff teams. AMIGOS began to expand its scope to include environmental projects such as reforestation and the cultivation of home gardens. As the 21st century progresses, projects to build community capacity, such as educational workshops for youth and community-based initiatives, have grown in importance. In recent years, AMIGOS has been successful in significantly increasing the participation of Latin American youth in our programs.
Although the focus of AMIGOS' programs in Latin America has evolved over the years, the spirit of the programs has remained intact. AMIGOS has consistently valued and encouraged youth leadership, multicultural understanding, service, and project development aimed at supporting the work done by local organizations in their respective communities.
DIVERSITY
The updated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement at AMIGOS was approved by our Board of Directors in September 2021. It reads as follows:
AMIGOS believes in the power and wisdom of all people. We embrace diversity at AMIGOS with respect to race, nationality, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, age, ability, gender, and sexual orientation.
We commit to eliminating barriers to representation and inclusion within the AMIGOS organization and in our programs. We uplift different life experiences, belief systems, and opinions through our work with volunteers, communities, and partners.
For more information on Diversity & Inclusion at AMIGOS, you can visit our webpage.