Dear Amigos,

Today I want to share some exciting news and ask for a few minutes of your time.

AMIGOS was founded on the belief that young people can change the world. What we know, however, is that the world itself is constantly changing. The region of the Americas and the Caribbean has transformed dramatically over the last five decades.  As a result, the needs and capacities of our partner communities have also shifted. At the same time, a new generation of youth has emerged, eager to serve but with a new view of the world, vast access to information, and more competing priorities and opportunities to go abroad.

“Get out of your element” is our clarion call to the AMIGOS community and to prospective AMIGOS participants. It is a call to leave your comfort zone behind, explore, identify solutions, take action, and change the world.

In the same way, AMIGOS as an organization is determined to meet the challenges of an evolving global landscape. At this critical juncture and as we celebrate 50 years of excellence, we envision the future in which we continue to serve as a leader in the field of youth leadership development. This involves not only strengthening our core, but also inspiring more people to join our movement.

We are asking you now to reflect on the moments when you realized the monumental impact of your AMIGOS experience. The personal connection to someone in your host community that opened your eyes to the world. The leadership opportunities that showed you that you can achieve great things.  The impact of AMIGOS in your life.  Now imagine sharing your experience to increase that impact – even just by one person. Then another. And another. The magnitude of the outcome is truly unimaginable.

AMIGOS has transformed tens of thousands of lives. Now we are getting out of our element! We have built a new website to share the power of our programs and unify our message, with the goal of inspiring even more young people to join our movement and do great things.

Today we ask you to take a minute to give back and share your passion for AMIGOS. We invite you to explore our new website, and help spread the word by refashioning your Facebook profile picture with the new AMIGOS style. You can become an AMIGOS ambassador in less than a minute!

Thank you for joining AMIGOS in celebrating as we “get out of our element!”

Best,

Sara Nathan
President & CEO