Below are the rules governing participation in the training program of the Houston Chapter of Amigos de las Américas. Each Volunteer and his/her parent(s) or legal guardian(s) must abide by these Participation Rules as a condition of participation in the Program. The Houston Chapter is affiliated with Amigos de las Américas International.

Application
A written application and an interview are required of each applicant who has not previously served in the field as an Amigo. A $100 application fee must accompany each application. The fee is non-refundable.

Interview
An interview, which will include some questions in Spanish to determine basic communication skills, is required of each applicant who has not previously served as an Amigo. At least one parent or legal guardian must be present at the interview.

Payments
Family Participation Payments must be made on a timely basis according to the schedule provided. There are scholarships available based on need, merit and for implementing the diversity vision of Amigos.

Training
Regular training sessions are generally held on Sunday afternoons at the International Office from November to May. In addition to regular training sessions, some overnight training activities are planned. Attendance at meetings is mandatory.

As part of their training, all Volunteers must participate in service learning that can be scheduled by the volunteer and worked between November to May in one of the AMIGOS designated projects.

Completion of one year of high school Spanish and enrollment in the second year, or the equivalent, is required of all Volunteers as is demonstration of sufficient competency in the language to function in an assignment. Failure to demonstrate an effort to meet this competency will be considered grounds for dismissal.

Fundraising
Each Volunteer must produce 125 or more fundraising letters on the specified due date.

Performance of each Volunteer will be evaluated for continuation in the program and notification given in writing should a participant be failing to meet competencies.

Other Required Forms

The Confidential Medical Form II and Letter of Reference are due on or before December 12. The notarized Parent Permission to Travel Form must be filled out within 60 days of departure to Latin America—keep the original and turn in copy

Family Participation
Each volunteer is required to have at least one of his/her parents to attend the small number of parent meetings and to assist in at least a small way with the chapter.

Withdrawal or Dismissal
If a Volunteer withdraws from the Houston Chapter, all family payments are non-refundable. All fundraising monies are payable to the Houston Chapter and are non-refundable. Any Volunteer dismissed for a rule violation during training forfeits any payments made to the Houston Chapter.

The family of any Houston Chapter Volunteer prematurely returned home from the field because of a violation of the Amigos "Standards of Personal Conduct and Community Behavior,” described in the Volunteer Application, will be charged for any additional transportation expense incurred.

Families of these Volunteers will be required to reimburse the Houston Chapter for payments made by the Houston Chapter as a consequence of such Volunteers’ premature return home from the field.

Dismissal
Volunteers must comply with these Participation Rules. The Board reserves the right to dismiss a Volunteer from the Program at any time if, in the sole discretion of the Board, the Volunteer fails to comply with these Participation Rules. The Board may also dismiss a Volunteer for other reasons in its sole discretion.