La Carta Category: What's Happening

By: Georgia S. Describing the Civic Action Gap Semester as just a class, with lectures and homework, is an understatement. It is so much more than a class. After deciding to take a gap year this spring, I knew that I wanted to engage in areas that I hadn’t been part of before. In addition … Read More

A message from AMIGOS President & CEO, Sara Nathan   Dear AMIGOS Family, What can I say about this year that hasn’t already been said? In the past few months, we have been challenged, disappointed, anxious, and uncertain. We have been faced with very difficult problems and many have suffered unimaginable losses. Through it all, … Read More

Alice is a participant this fall in the Civic Action Gap Semester, an exciting partnership program in collaboration with the Tufts University Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life. Coming from Brazil, Alice shares her experiences with her volunteership, Spanish language classes, and getting to know her virtual cohort.   ON THE VOLUNTEERSHIP: I am … Read More

In 2020, AMIGOS de las americas faced the most challenging moment of change the organization has ever seen. In March of 2020, for the first time in our 55-year history, we made the difficult decision to suspend all 2020 AMIGOS Summer Programs and the Spring Gap Program in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Out of … Read More

In September, AMIGOS bid farewell to the property that was home to our National Office for 42 years. Star Lane, as it was fondly called, was the beloved long-time facility and headquarters of AMIGOS from 1974–2016. The land was originally donated by the Frank family. At Star Lane, friendships were formed that have lasted for … Read More

When you hear the words “environmental conservation” what do you think of? Cue the dreamy tropical music filled with ukuleles and marimbas. Aerial shots of beautiful landscapes with waterfalls and lush trees. Tropical beaches with sea turtles hatching. Joyful spider monkeys hopping from branch to branch.       Oh don’t worry, that’s not just … Read More

Aidan joined the AMIGOS Gap Program in Cuenca, Ecuador. After returning to the U.S. a bit sooner than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he wanted to find a way to keep up his Spanish. This inspired him to create his own language exchange program, a group of Spanish and English speakers who are trying … Read More

Dear AMIGOS Family, It has been an incredibly powerful time as communities across the world unite in protest against systemic racism and violence following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others. I am inspired by all who are coming together to stand up and call for action. This is a moment … Read More

AMIGOS stands in solidarity with the movement against racism and injustice. And we recognize we have a long way to go. Every day, we work to provide space for young people to connect across cultures and create positive change in their communities. But this is not enough. We can and must be better. We commit … Read More

We are excited to announce that AMIGOS received a grant from the AllPeopleBeHappy Foundation to advance programming opportunities for Latin American students! Through the foundation’s Fellows Program, Costa Rica Coordinator Nicol Chinchilla will be piloting new initiatives in the Pérez Zeledón region of Costa Rica. Originally from Pérez Zeledón, Nicol considers herself a change-maker, passionate … Read More