All dates and information are tentative. Please check back regularly for updates. Overarching Goal and Objectives:Goal:to build leadership and life skills of youth in the Americas through exchange, civic engagement, and collaborative community development Objectives:
Project Specific Activities:Volunteers will facilitate extracurricular classes for children ranging in age from 5 to 12 at schools and other community venues. Workshop activities will focus on health and the environment, but will also include components of creative expression, youth leadership and team building. Sample topics from classes held in 2007 include nutrition, physical education, conservation, and pollution. In addition to holding classes 3-5 times a week, Volunteers will work with youth leaders and/or other community groups throughout the summer to plan and implement a Community-Based Initiative. Community fundraising will play an important role in this process as well. Example 2007 CBIs include: planting trees, building park benches, and painting community signs. Additionally, Volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in a leadership workshop alongside Panamanian youth about the importance of preserving and protecting the environment. At this workshop, Volunteers and local youth counterparts will take part in team building activities together and brainstorm ways to bring what they learn about different environmental issues back to their community. Another exciting component of this project is the participation of volunteers from Costa Rica and other areas of Panama. These volunteers will participate the entire eight weeks of the project and be partnered with Volunteers from the US. Project Area:Panama is an amazingly diverse country with natural beauty and a strong indigenous culture. The province of Veraguas is about four hours west of the nation’s capital, Panama City. When Christopher Columbus sailed off the coast of Panama, he was so impressed with the vegetation that he called the area Veraguas, meaning “green waters.” Veraguas is the only province in Panama that has shores on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The region is home to the Guaymi indigenous group, but Volunteers may also run into Chinese, African, Arab, and European-Panamanians. The majority of its population is dedicated to agricultural and cattle-raising. This year’s project headquarters is located in Santiago and many of the host communities are within a two hour drive from the city. Others are within minutes of the city limits. Project History:AMIGOS first worked in Panama in 1981. When U.S. Marines invaded Panama in 1989, AMIGOS suspended its project and did not return until 2004. That year, AMIGOS opened a new program in the Veraguas region with the support of the Ministry of Health. Currently, AMIGOS has two projects in Panama: one in Veraguas and another in the region of Coclé. Both projects are in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the local NGO Panamá Verde. Partner Agencies:Ministerio de Salud de Panamá Further Actions: |
“Above all, my AMIGOS experience empowered me. I realize that if I can create and teach classes in a foreign language, inspire a village’s children to wash their hands and brush their teeth, and become a respected role model within a culture other than my own, I can do just about anything.” –Jillian Gold, Veteran Volunteer |
