ABOUT
Welcome to the San Francisco Chapter of Amigos de las Américas.
AMIGOS is a leader in international youth development, creating a world in which young people realize their full potential as leaders and global citizens. We provide extraordinary volunteer abroad opportunities for youth to design and lead projects in collaboration with US and Latin American peers and partner organizations across the Americas. Our strong partner network, built over 50 years, enables authentic engagements in communities across the region.
The AMIGOS San Francisco Chapter recruits, trains, and supports AMIGOS high school participants and their families from San Francisco area. Our chapter accepts participants September through December of the fall prior to each summer experience. During the months of January through June, San Francisco Chapter participants will take part in local training and fundraising events as they prepare for their AMIGOS experience.
OUR CHAPTER’S IDENTITY
The San Francisco chapter seeks to embody our city and its communities. We’ve identified the following values as central to our chapter identity:
THE AMIGOS JOURNEY
Join our San Francisco alum Clodagh M. and Adrienne L. on their AMIGOS journey to Azuero, Panama and Chimborazo, Ecuador.
Discover who would you become when leading as a social catalyst in Latin American communities!
CALENDAR
FUNDRAISING
FUNDING YOUR TRIP
The cost of supporting an AMIGOS participant in Latin America is significant. The San Francisco chapter engages in a significant fundraising campaign to help support families, and especially seeks to provide the AMIGOS experience to all participants without regard to family financial circumstances. The San Francisco chapter covers the program’s costs in the following way:
Total cost of supporting a participant (National Office Program Fee): $6,275
Family payment, without financial aid (SF Chapter Fee): $4,250
The difference between the total cost per participant ($6,275) and the chapter fee ($4,250) is pooled between all chapter families and fundraised as a group through a letter writing campaign. Thus, the targeted fundraising amount will vary by year, depending on the number of participants and the needed amount of financial aid. All participants are required to fully take part in fundraising, which is an important component of the pre-summer training program. The chapter provides significant support to participants and families throughout the fundraising process.
Financial aid is need-based, and is applied to the SF chapter fee ($4,250). This means that if a family receives financial aid, it is not exempt from the group fundraising/letter writing described above. Financial aid applications are due at the final application deadline (Dec. 10, 2017), and decisions will be communicated before the end of December. The amount of total available financial aid depends on the year, and the amount per participant varies depending on demonstrated family need, the amount of aid applications and total participants the chapter has in a given year. See below for more details about financial aid.
LETTER WRITING
Each participant is required to send out a combination of letters and emails to friends and family, to request individual tax-deductible donations (the revenue from this effort is pooled). Letters are written by the participant with considerable help provided by the chapter during the process.
AMIGOS PROGRAM
Application Deadline: December 10, 2017
SF CHAPTER FEE: $4,250
SF CHAPTER APPLICATION FEE: $50
- Financial aid and payment plans available
- Chapter participants fundraise difference between national office and chapter fees
THE PROGRAM FEE INCLUDES:
Chapter training materials and workshops
- Round-Trip International Airfare
- Secondary short-term international medical insurance
- Program excursions and trainings
- Food, lodging, and transportation in Latin America
- Supplies for community project and extracurricular activities
- 24-hour emergency support system
THE PROGRAM FEE DOES NOT INCLUDES:
- Immunizations and pre-travel medical examinations
- Passport/visa fees
FINANCIAL AID
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Financial Assistance Application Deadline: December 10th, 2017
AMIGOS actively recruits and supports inclusion of participants from diverse backgrounds. AMIGOS provides need-based financial assistance with distribution determined mostly by financial need and a limited allocation based on merit. The financial assistance application is provided to each participant upon completion of chapter participation application and is due at the time of the participant’s interview. Please contact info@amigos-sanfrancisco.org for additional information.
TRAINING
The transformative AMIGOS experience starts before leaving home.
With 50 years of experience preparing young people for travel and service abroad, AMIGOS training offers unparalleled global youth leadership development. Pre-departure training equips participants with the critical thinking, communication skills, and technical knowledge they need to make a meaningful impact across cultures while staying healthy and safe. The San Francisco Chapter AMIGOS training is youth-led, experiential learning that prepares participants for their AMIGOS experience, builds a community of youth and families with shared values, and develops life-skills to help participants succeed beyond AMIGOS. Training sessions are facilitated by the Training Team and include guest speakers from the community and the San Francisco Chapter Board of Directors.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM INCLUDE:
- Unparalleled leadership development
- Cross-cultural awareness and understanding
- Hands-on training for technical aspects of the program
- Extensive health and safety training
- Opportunities to practice Spanish
- Creating a community of young people with shared values
THE TIME COMMITMENT FOR TRAINING ACTIVITIES INCLUDES:
- Seven Sunday afternoon trainings
- Two overnight retreats
2018 TRAINING CALENDAR
Jan/28 – Welcome & Training Day #1
Feb/10-11 – Overnight Retreat
Feb/25 – Training Day #2
Mar/11 – Training Day #3
Mar/25 – Training Day #4
Apr/8 – Training Day #5
Apr/22 – Training Day #6
May/5-6 – Overnight Retreat
May/20 – Training Day #7
(Dates are subject to change)
