The Marin Chapter of Amigos de las Américas prepares teens and young adults from Marin, CA and surrounding areas for full-immersion cultural exchange and community service projects in Latin America. We are seeking to inspire and build young leaders through collaborative community development and immersion in cross-cultural experiences. 

The Marin Chapter is one of 26 nationwide chapters of AMIGOS. Each fall, we invite qualified high school and college students, 16 years and older, to join our training program, where we prepare them for a summer of service in Latin America. The Marin Chapter has been in existence since 1971. Anne Kimball of Marin was the first and the only Marin teenager to travel to Central America with AMIGOS in the summer of 1970 to conduct inoculation clinics in Honduras. She commuted to San Mateo that year to train, but the following year her enthusiasm led her to the enlistment of 15 Marin teens and the formation of the Marin Chapter. Since then, we have sent nearly 1,000 volunteers into the field, and continue to have one of the largest, strongest chapters in the country.

Throughout the school year our chapter prepares its members for their Latin America experiences through training in cross-cultural sensitivity, networking, technical skills, personal health & safety, and the culture of Latin America. In June, our Volunteers travel to live with host families throughout Latin America for six to eight weeks. They lead service projects developed in consultation with the local residents. The projects range from health and hygiene programs for kids, to environmental and nutritional programs, to working in national parks.