How It Works
Local vs. National Chapters
AMIGOS offers multiple pathways to your transformative service and immersion experience.
What Is A Chapter?
AMIGOS offers multiple pathways to your transformative service and immersion experience. All students who join AMIGOS do so through either a local chapter or the National Chapter. The chapter you join determines the types of activities in which you will participate before you leave for your AMIGOS program. It also influences the cost of our Summer Programs.
All students aged 13-19 who join a Summer Program are eligible to join the National Chapter. Students joining our high school programs have the option of joining a local chapter if they live in one of the areas where local chapters exist.
Find Your Chapter
There are currently active local chapters in Albuquerque, Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Portland*, East Bay, San Francisco/North Bay, Seattle, and Tucson*. To join a local chapter, you must live within driving distance to the chapter to be able to attend in-person meetings.
All students joining our middle school program do so through the National Chapter.
*Please note that the Portland Chapter and Tucson Chapter do not accept volunteers enrolled in 2-week programs.
What is the difference between National Chapter and Local Chapters?
Local chapters are a fantastic opportunity to build community and gain in-person support before your Summer Program. Local chapters have an earlier application deadline for summer programs because they provide in-person training activities in the spring with students from that area. They also engage in required group fundraising activities to lower the cost of the program and provide additional need-based financial assistance to qualifying families.
The National Chapter is a great option for students joining our Summer Programs if you don’t live in an area with a local chapter or if you have a schedule that conflicts with local, in-person activities in the spring. It’s a more flexible option for busy people! The National Chapter has a later application deadline for summer programs. Students participate in online training with volunteers from across the country. They also have the option to participate in fundraising activities to lower the cost of their program, but fundraising is not required. National Chapter families can also receive need-based financial assistance if eligible.
Since our founding in 1965, we have worked with over 100 chapter boards across the U.S. At this time, we have the following active local chapters that work to recruit, train, and send volunteers to Latin America over the summer. We are so thankful for our current and former board members who make AMIGOS possible in their communities.
Apply for an AMIGOS Program
Apply NowJoin a Local Chapter Board
Join a Local Chapter Board
Local Chapter
- Earlier application deadline
- In-person training
- Required group fundraising
- Lower pricing due to group fundraising
- Financial assistance from Chapter
National Chapter
- Later application deadline
- Online training
- Optional individual or cohort fundraising
- Higher pricing because fundraising is optional
- Financial assistance from National Office
Hear From The Chapters
Frequently Asked Questions
Each local chapter supports volunteers and their family in preparation for their AMIGOS summer by providing localized training, fundraising, travel preparation, and parent support. Upon return, chapters offer leadership opportunities for alumni and continued ways to stay engaged. The chapters build a strong community of Amigos before, during, and after their AMIGOS program.
Each chapter is run by a board of directors and while every chapter is a separate, incorporated organization, we all share the same mission and vision! The chapter board of directors governs the local chapter activities.
Chapter boards can have many important roles including President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and more. Many of our chapters often have room for new board members to join at any level of commitment. Check here for chapters with open roles posted or reach out directly to our Chapter Operations team if you’d like to get involved.
Chapter boards connect with the families of each cohort of Amigos to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for them to prepare for their summer program.
Familial
Each chapter is welcoming to new board members, community members, and families interested in participating in AMIGOS. They work to build a personalized experience for each family by providing mentorship and support throughout the experience.
Experienced
Many of our chapters have been operating in their community for 20+ years and some of them for over 50 years! Each chapter board is supported by our full-time staff, trained to be successful in their role and to support local families. Many of our chapter leaders are alumni themselves and can share the impact of their experience.
Meet like-minded people
Looking for a chance to build a network of passionate people in your community? AMIGOS chapters are a great place to do that! Each chapter board is unique in its makeup and meeting schedule but is always working to provide local students with international service immersion opportunities.
Build your resume and network
Joining a chapter board as a board member can provide you the chance to build your resume, network, and give back to your community.
Joining a chapter as an AMIGOS volunteer will give you and your family the local support and guidance before, during, and after your AMIGOS program.
Summer Program Volunteer
Students ages 15–19 can participate with AMIGOS through their local chapter! Our local chapters welcome students to apply September to January each year. The priority application deadline is in December and the final application deadline is in January.
Chapter Board Member
We welcome people of diverse ages, backgrounds, experience and skills on our chapter boards! If you are considering joining the local chapter board of directors, we would love to hear from you! Check out our open board roles here or reach out to us at chapters@amigosinternational.org for more information.
Find out if you live in a local chapter area by checking out the list at the top of this page! Email us with any questions at chapters@amigosinternational.org.
Summer Program Volunteer
If you are a student or parent considering participating in an AMIGOS adventure, then you are a perfect candidate for our National Chapter. Each year, more than half of our program participants volunteer through our National Chapter. This flexible option includes online training beginning in April/May and optional fundraising.
Chapter Board Member
If you are an AMIGOS alum, young professional, parent, or someone looking to get involved in helping support the AMIGOS mission, you can absolutely still stay involved!
Step 1: Start engaging your local community and recruiting new youth to join AMIGOS!
Step 2: Let us know what you’re doing and what you see in the future community near you by emailing Chapter Operations here.
Step 3: Help lead an official AMIGOS Community and offer pre-departure activities for new volunteers!
Other Opportunities
Are you a recent alum looking for continued opportunities? Check out the Alumni Ambassador Program and the Social Impact Accelerator.
See all job opportunities here.
Our chapter system began in 1965 with the inception of AMIGOS in Houston, TX. Since then, we have grown and seen more than 60 years of cohorts of passionate alumni working to encourage people in their community to join the AMIGOS family. We currently have 9 chapters across the nation that together send about 200 Amigos to the field each summer!
Yes!
Each year, local chapters together give more than $150,000 in financial assistance to their local volunteers to help reduce financial barriers to participating in AMIGOS.
In the last 5 years, our chapters collectively have given over $1 million in financial assistance to support more young leaders volunteering with AMIGOS.
Every year, over 100 AMIGOS local chapter volunteers receive financial assistance to lower their program fee and make AMIGOS more accessible.