Over the past few weeks, over 100 Correspondent Volunteers (CVs) gathered in Miami to attend their pre-summer training. Training teams comprised of various members of our International Office staff enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the volunteers and prepare them for the summer of a lifetime!
Correspondent Volunteers spend about 4 days in Miami prior to heading to Latin America. These trainings are many things: fun, intense, tiring, rejuvinating, educational, and inspirational – all in one weekend! CVs utilize the same Core Curriculum as our chapter network, allowing CVs to have a similar training experience to all of our chapter volunteers prior to their summer trip. This year, volunteers were split up by project and attending one of three trainings throughout June.
Volunteers headed to Matagalpa, Boaco, Cusco, and San Juan were the first to arrive in Miami on June 8. For three days, they set the tone for all of the trainings by actively engaging in discussions and activities about leadership, health and safety, diversity, and more. Veteran Volunteers enjoyed playing roles during Virtual Community, an activity that simulates the first week as a Volunteer and is always a favorite among Volunteers and staff alike.
At Miami B, we had another set of 4 Veteran Volunteers, who enjoyed the opportunity to facilitate several activities and tell stories about their AMIGOS experiences. In the evenings, we were entertained by our many musical volunteers who brought guitars, violins, and beautiful singing voices with them for the summer. Once training finished up, we found a new favorite spot to go swimming nearby our training site.
Finally, at Miami C, we had a large group of 40 volunteers. One of the highlights of this training was the creativity expressed by all of our volunteers, who wrote several skits, raps (see photo below, left), songs, and poems to demonstrate what they were learning.
Each evening after training activities were completed, everyone enjoyed Trainer Mason’s variety of entertainment, including but not limited to Kemps card game tournaments and Dominos – a game that was crucial for all of our volunteers headed to the Dominican Republic to learn.
It was an amazing season of CV training and we are sad it has passed already. Before we know it, Volunteers will be returning home with stories and photos of their experiences, and we can’t wait to hear about them!
Left: As Volunteer Marty wiats for his own van, he sends his companions off with love.
Please check out the Amigos de las Americas: Correspondent Volunteer Program Facebook page for more details and highlights from the past few weeks.
