What AMIGOS Project is Best for You?
Discover the best project fit for you in Panama, Costa Rica, or Paraguay this summer!
Check out this project on our website here!
Length: 4 weeks (Session A or B) or Combine Both (Session C) for 9 Weeks
Description: Live with a host family in Costa Rica! Live like a local by participating in their day-to-day activities. Four spots on this project are reserved for students from Costa Rica so you’ll have the chance to make friends across borders. You’ll also dive deep into the topic of food justice, exploring how international demand for Costa Rican coffee impacts local producers and communities.
Example Service Activities:
- Collaborate with community leaders, local youth, and your host family to carry out a local service projectover the course of your homestay
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Volunteer with a local coffee non-profit supporting activities such as gardening, coffee farm maintenance, tree planting, etc.
- Lead extra-curricular activities with your Amigos partner during the week
- Meet up with fellow Amigos to connect with friends and family back home during your mid-term excursion!
Other Projects You May Like...
Check out this project on our website here!
Length: 3 weeks
Description: You will learn from local farmers and associations about how they complement agriculture and conservation in the buffer zones of biological corridors where they live. Volunteer at biological corridors, private conservation reserves, and national parks. Practice Spanish and learn about the local culture while living with a host family!
Example Service Activities:
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Volunteer with a women-led organization that supports conservation of buffer zones.
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Alternate between two service projects on a farm. Projects vary between gardening, coffee farm maintenance, trail maintenance, harvest pick up, tree planting, etc.
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Attend workshops and learn about coffee or cacao production and processing, gender in coffee, and about conservation initiatives in the buffer zones of national parks in Costa Rica.
Other Projects You May Like...
Check out this project on our website here!
Length: 3 weeks
Description: Dive deep into Panamanian culture by living with a host family! You’ll get to practice your Spanish and learn about the local culture through your host family and local community members- like learning to prepare food such as sancocho or hojaldres! Many of the host families have small farms or gardens where they harvest their own vegetables and fruit. Some of the families even distribute their food throughout the whole country! During your day-to-day activities on the project, you will learn how environmental challenges and climate change are impacting agriculture.
Example Service Activities:
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Learn about organic and sustainable agriculture from local farms and social organizations and participate in activities such as planting vegetables and learning about sustainable management of pests and diseases in agriculture.
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Attend workshops on water, soil protection, and good environmental practices.
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Visit a coffee farm and learn about the production process.
- Visit the Panama Canal and Casco Viejo district of Panama City to explore the past, present, and future of the country.
Other Projects You May Like...
Check out this project on our website here!
Length: 2 weeks
Description: You will participate in community service work in communities around Cocle. During your day-to-day activities on the project, you will share with local leaders and hear about the challenges they are facing and how they are organizing themselves to develop sustainable projects that benefit the whole community. Most of the families in the communities are craftspeople, so you can learn how Panama hats are made from scratch. You’ll also get to practice your Spanish by leading fun extracurricular activities for kids and local youth.
Example Service Activities:
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Work on improvements to the camp facilities including trail clean-up, wall painting and cleaning.
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Volunteer with a local non-profit conservation organization to support reforestation work.
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Particiapte in beach clean up and trash disposal.
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Lead extracurricular service activities with community leaders and local youth.
- Visit the Panama Canal and Casco Viejo district of Panama City to explore the past, present, and future of the country.
Other Projects You May Like...
Check out this project on our website here!
Length: 2 weeks
Description: Explore local entrepreneurship and learn how community members and organizations combine conservation with rural tourism to create alternative income opportunities in their community. Volunteers will visit a private conservation reserve and explore income-generating initiatives in the buffer zones of national parks.
In addition, you will have time in homestay to connect with your host family, learning about the community customs, local economy, and culture.
Example Service Activities:
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Support reforestation work planting trees and working in a cloud forest nursery.
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Volunteer in a forest reserve supporting trail and fence maintenance.
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Connect with local youth through sports and cultural activities.
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Explore the cloud forest in a wildlife refuge near a national park.
Other Projects You May Like...
Check out this project on our website here!
Length: 6 weeks
Description: Discover the unique and vibrant Paraguayan culture through immersing yourself in a local community! Live with a host family for 5 weeks- get involved in their day-to-day activities, explore your new home, and maybe even learn some of the local Guaraní language while sipping mate or tereré. Work alongisde community members to develop and implement a local service project. Practice your Spanish and connect with your peers by leading extracurricular activities with local youth after their school day ends.
Example Service Activities:
- Design a fundraiser with your host community to support a local service project. Collaborate with community leaders, local youth, and your host family to carry out this project over the course of your homestay.
- Lead extra-curricular activities with your Amigos partner during the week
- Participate in Spanish and Guaraní classes
- Meet up with fellow Amigos to connect with friends and family back home during your mid-term excursion!
Other Projects You May Like...
Check out this project on our website here!
Length: 3 weeks
Description: Explore community efforts to adapt to climate change in Costa Rica! From sea turtle protection on the Caribbean region to the cloud forests in Valle Central, you'll get hands-on with local conservation projects. Dig in to the root causes of climate change and how international actions affect local communities. And, get to know Tico culture by living with a host family on the Caribbean coast!
Example Service Activities:
- Support a local farm with trail maintainence, organic gardening, and reforestation initiatives
- Clean local beaches and rivers and learn from our partner organization about monitoring water conditions
- Volunteer at the sea turtle hatchery, where you will participate in nocturnal beach patrols to identify nesting turtles
- Lead extracurricular service activities with community leaders and local youth.
Other Projects You May Like...