All AMIGOS projects have some common elements, though personal experiences vary depending on the country and community where you volunteer. Here is a general idea of what Volunteers may expect from AMIGOS:

Training & Preparation

All AMIGOS Volunteers complete a mandatory 28-hour training cirriculum, which covers topics such as: health and safety, community development theory and practice, youth leadership concepts, goal setting, multilingual communication skills, and mulitcultural awareness and sensitivity training. Some Volunteers train year round at a local chapter, while Correspondent Volunteers receive an intensive training session immediately preceding their international travel.

Travel (Briefing)

Upon arriving in country, Volunteers will meet their Project Staff and other AMIGOS Volunteers from across the country. All projects have briefing, where they undergo an orientation and learn more about the partner agency for their project, local customs, and learn specifics about community placements and partnerships.

Living Accomodations   

After briefing, Project Supervisors take Volunteers to their host communities and introduce them to their host families, chosen with the expertise of our parter agencies. Most communities are rural, but a few projects include semi-urban areas. 

Only one or two other Volunteers live in the same specific community, and in most cases they each have a different host family. Volunteers live with the same host family for the entire summer. Most Volunteers sleep on camping cots under mosquito netting, while some have the luxury of a bed.

Modern conveniences vary greatly, electricity and running water may be unavailable or inconsistent, while some communties may have those amenities and even internet access. The most successful Volunteers remain flexible, innovative, and open-minded about what kind of accomodations they are assigned. After all, they are sharing the life and culture of the families who call it home.

A Typical Day in the Life of a Volunteer

A "typical" day in the life of an AMIGOS Volunteer varies dramatically from country to country and even from community to community. Although, most wake up early with their host families and meet up with their one or two Volunteer partners.

Volunteers may have scheduled meetings with community members or begin to work where they left off on a community service project. In the afternoon, they may meet a group of 15 school children to lead activities centered around the environment, health, civil rights or technology, before starting to play a soccer or baseball game until evening.

Volunteers plan for the next day, share stories and play games with their family and friends before preparing for bed and journaling.

Food

All meals are included in the summer experience. While in community, the host family or other communities members will include Volunteers in their daily meals. Staff will arrange meals during their time with them. 

Communication

A Volunteer's main contact with the world outside of their community will be weekly visits from their Project Supervisor. AMIGOS arranges communication instructions for each Volunteer to use to contact Project Staff when they must. We call it the C.A.L.M. Plan (Contact, Assist, Lift, Medical). It outlines the best ways to reach Project Staff members who can most readily assist you.

We strongly encourage all Volunteers to communicate using this plan. Volunteers often find comfort in calling their parents, which is encouraged at briefing, midterm and debreifing. Other than those times, we encourage Volunteers to be fully present in their communtiees during their summer experience.

Midterm & Debriefing

Mid-way through the summer Project Supervisors gather their Volunteers for a small excursion. They may have a picnic, take a hike, visit a cultural center, or go to the beach. Volunteers use this as an opportunity to share stories and gain perspective on their daily routine, and their project's progress.

At the end of the summer, Volunteers say goodbye to their beloved host families. They meet in a central location with the Project Staff to debrief their summer experience. They share lessons learned, and reflect on the impact they had on their communities and their communities had on them. Finally, they say goodbye to each other and head to the airport.

Further Actions

• Find country-specific information (such as weather and typical diet) on the Volunteer Programs page.
• Read what veteran Volunteers (Alumni) have to say about their experiences here.