Spring 2014

Gap Year: How Important Is Grit?

Happy 50th BirthdayAMIGOS!

Keeping AMIGOSRelevant

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As AMIGOS celebrates its 50th program year, we ask ourselves: Are we still relevant? Will we remain relevant in the future?

Now, more than ever, it is crucial to empower youth to build social-emotional capacity, or ‘21st-century skills.’ Today’s world demands that young people master abilities such as: global and cultural awareness; creativity and innovation; critical thinking and problem solving; and communicative collaboration. Fortunately, AMIGOS provides extraordinary program opportunities for young people to acquire these essential capabilities.

We are currently building on AMIGOS’ 50 years of experience in international youth development to offer a wider array of programs for students with diverse interests and backgrounds across the Americas. Over the past few years, we have launched a Gap Year program and our first bi-national college credit program in Colombia in partnership with Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla. We have also initiated our first two-way exchange and service program between the United States and Latin America through the Youth Ambassadors Program. And this is only the beginning.

Today, we recognize that our model of developing critically engaged young leaders is relevant not only for youth in the United States, but also for their peers across the Americas and beyond. Last year alone, two or three students from each of the 250+ communities in our program completed the AMIGOS training program and collaborated with our volunteers from the U.S. to implement community projects and initiatives. This past year, a student from the Dominican Republic wrote about her leadership experience while serving with AMIGOS: “Esta experiencia me ha cambiado en gran manera. Mi manera de actuar, mi forma de trabajar y mi autoestima han mejorado bastante. Soy una persona más segura de sí misma que tiene más cualidades de líder.”/ “This experience has changed me greatly, my way of being, my way of working, and my self-esteem have improved tremendously. I am more sure of myself and have more qualities of a leader.”

Our work has evolved to include more young people across the region. As the world changes around us, AMIGOS must continually adapt to become more inclusive and meet the quickly evolving needs of the young people and communities across the Americas. This is how we will stay relevant in the decades to come.

Keeping AMIGOS Relevant

Summer 2014

Youth Ambassadors

New Global Citizens

Gap Year: Is Grit Important?

50th Anniversary

Alumni Spotlight

Mil Gracias

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Keeping AMIGOS Relevant

TABLE OFCONTENTS

Sara Nathan, President and CEO

Sara Nathan, President and CEO

This summer, U.S. and Colombian college students will embark on a service-learning journey in Barranquilla, Colombia for nine weeks. Students have the opportunity to experience this unique college-track program through AMIGOS’ partnership with the Universidad del Norte, one of Colombia’s most prestigious universities, and Univoluntarios, a campus volunteer organization. Our aim is for this program to have a high impact for volunteers academically and for the surrounding local communities on a service level. Students will gain invaluable knowledge during their enrollment in a service-learning and community-development course at the university. Additionally, students will fully immerse themselves in Colombian

culture during their time living in a community and collaborating with Colombian college students and local organizations. Together, they will implement their knowledge in the field and demonstrate their leadership skills in a service initiative of interest. We look forward to seeing the new heights our higher-education AMIGOS will reach this summer through this new endeavor.

2014 Project Directors Project Highlight:Barranquilla, Colombia

Meet the Project Directors

Benjamin Brown Graves Madriz, Nicaragua

Rebecca Byler Cajamarca, Peru

Audrey Crocker San Juan, Dominican Republic

Vanessa Fiedler Matagalpa, Nicaragua

Erin Franey Costa Rica

Erin Griffard Cotopaxi, Ecuador

Alex Johnson Santiago, Dominican Republic

Sara Levy Paraguari, Paraguay

Rasha Mannaa and Jordan Cahn Barranquilla, Colombia

Emma Smith Oaxaca, Mexico

Libby Udelson Cocle, Panama

Ana Villalobos Yucatan, Mexico

COMING THIS SUMMER

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We are so excited to announce that this year you can head over to our Website to check out 30-second introductory videos of each and every 2014 Project Director.

We are so impressed and inspired by this rock-star line-up of young leaders, and we know you will be, too! Meet the Project Directors at: www.amigoslink.org/2014PDs

The Youth Ambassadors Program is a leadership-development, cultural-exchange and community-service program funded by the U.S. Department of State. Each year, AMIGOS selects a number of highly competitive candidates to participate in the program. In April, the latest group of San Francisco Bay Area Youth Ambassadors graduates after a three-week international leadership training and cross-cultural exchange in Uruguay and a nine-month program-supported, community-project implementation in California. It has been a year of vibrant successes and unique challenges.

Johana Cortez (left), a senior at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto, has been working passionately with her peer-leadership team on her Community-

Based Initiative (CBI), “Kids in the Kitchen” (or KIK for short). Through KIK, Johana offers cooking and nutrition classes for children age five to thirteen, teaching them how to make quick, affordable, healthy snacks and meals when those options are not usually available. Her students even learn to grow their own organic ingredients in the nearby community garden. As the Program wraps up this spring, Johana and many of her fellow Youth Ambassadors are also looking ahead towards college and how their CBI will thrive sustainably in their absence. For Johana, this means passing the torch to fellow leadership team members and ensuring that, even after she leaves, her contagious role as catalyst for social change is present.

Youth Ambassadors Program: Graduation Time

AMIGOS and New Global Citizens: Forging New Partnerships at HomeWe are excited to introduce you to an organization called New Global Citizens (NGC), which encourages youth to transform themselves into engaged global citizens. Through classroom curriculum, afterschool programs, and professional development training, this incredible organization empowers teachers and students in the U.S. to develop skills to think critically, collaborate, communicate, and lead in a global world. AMIGOS has been a longtime supporter of NGC’s work and has more recently opened talks on strategic alignment opportunities between the two organizations. AMIGOS and NGC commit to supporting one another through recruitment, knowledge sharing, and alumni engagement. The overarching goal is to increase young people’s access to global leadership experiences.

“New Global Citizens is thrilled to work with AMIGOS as we build the next generation of leaders that can problem solve, communicate, and collaborate across borders.” - Jennifer Vollmann, Executive Director of NGC

Becky Byler, a 2014 Project Director, who participated in both AMIGOS and NGC in high school says, “Working with AMIGOS and NGC showed me that, even as a [high-school student], I had the power to make a change. I loved how I was given the opportunity to take initiative and lead projects, fully engage in my local and international communities, and empower others to also make a change.”

www.amigoslink.org/spring20143 Find links to the articles referenced above, see what the 2014 Gap Volunteers have to say or apply at:

AMIGOS Gap Year: Is grit more important than talent?

No one depicts the experience of Gap Year better than this current Volunteer in her most recent blog post:

I am excited about and proud of everything I have been able to accomplish so far, and even though all of that came after failed attempts and plenty of frustration, I learned from every mistake and every let-down and would not be where I am now without them.

– Tess, 2013-2014 Gap Year Volunteer

Tess’s reflection resonates with the core of the AMIGOS spirit. As our Volunteers confront adversity, learn with humility, and adjust their perceptions to reality, they develop greater resiliency and adaptive leadership skills. The buzzwords grit, resiliency, tenacity, and perseverance have been popping up more frequently in the news, as pundits debate the merits and drawbacks of the plugged-in millennial set. A 2013 report from the U.S. Department of Education laments that, while students are learning to “do school,” they are not learning essential skills they need in life.

Angela Duckworth, a MacArthur ‘genius’ and scholar at University of Pennsylvania, has led groundbreaking research showing that grit, not talent, is the best predictor of future success. Grit is summed up as a tendency to sustain interest in and progress toward long-term goals. Dr. Duckworth believes that the key to building grit lies in students’ ability to see failure as a learning opportunity, not a permanent condition. All AMIGOS programs have added sections on failure into the training curriculum in recent years, and most AMIGOS can tell you that learning from failure and rising beyond it were key moments during their field experiences.

At AMIGOS, we have been building grit for half a century. We have allowed Volunteers to experience failure and measured risk for the very purpose of fostering greater personal growth and leadership opportunities. What the world is only now discovering and talking about has always been a key part of our programmatic approach. Looking forward, our Gap Year program is well positioned to respond to the growing demand from institutions of higher education for students with more of these intangible yet critical life skills. The popularity of Gap Year in the U.S. is growing steadily, and the need to encourage more young people to participate in these life-changing opportunities for self discovery was recently highlighted in a New York Times article by Nicholas Kristof.

AMIGOS plans to expand Gap Year beyond Nicaragua. On the horizon, we have programs in development in Colombia and Brazil. As we build our brand to include Gap Year, we hope to attract alumni of our summer and Youth Ambassadors programs as well as students who might not otherwise be involved with AMIGOS. Many people say the world needs youth with more grit, resiliency, tenacity, and perseverance, but if they knew the shorthand, they would just say the world needs more AMIGOS.

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Current Gap Year Participants in Nicaragua

Find links to the articles referenced above, see what the 2014 Gap Volunteers have to say or apply at:www.amigoslink.org/grit

In the coming months, we will celebrate our 50th Anniversary with events throughout the Americas! In June, we will begin our 50th summer working in communities in Latin America, and the celebrations will continue through Fall 2015, 50 years from our incorporation on November 2, 1965.

We will kick off the party on May 31st with an event at the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. Our program, Local Action, Global Communities: Engaging young leaders across the Americas, will feature a conversation with a group of distinguished AMIGOS alumni. Scott Horsley, NPR News White House

AMIGOS alumna, River Finlay (’90 Ecuador, ’91 Oaxaca, ’92 & ’99 Dominican Republic, ’96 Costa Rica) recently produced a short documentary, “Luchadora,” which tells the story of Luna Mágica, an aging Lucha Libre star in Mexico City who dreams of becoming a world champion while struggling to make ends meet as a single mom and to regain custody of her son.

In Mexico, Lucha Libre rivals soccer in popularity and has long been a deeply beloved national pastime known for its signature masks, colorful costumes, and high-flying theatrics in the ring. “Luchadora” shines light on the fascinating sub-culture of female Lucha Libre wrestling in Mexico and explores issues of gender and power through Luna’s “lucha” both in and out of the ring. It’s a universal story about following a dream and fighting for what you love. Before becoming a filmmaker, River spent many years living and working in Latin America as a public health expert and was introduced to the field

through her work with AMIGOS as a teenager. With a deep appreciation for good storytelling, a fascination with strong female characters, and a love for Lucha Libre, River left her day job and set out to Mexico to find Luna Mágica. When she is not working on “Luchadora,” she is a producer with Think Out Loud Productions, where she melds her worlds of international heath and development through film.

Of her AMIGOS experience, River says:

Find out more at:

Correspondent (’83 Ecuador, ’84 Mexico), will moderate a discussion between Tessie San Martin, CEO of Plan USA (’74 Paraguay, ’75-76 Honduras), Ambassador Arnold Chacón, Director General of the Foreign Service (’74 and ‘76 Nicaragua,’75 Honduras, ’77-78 Ecuador, ’79 Mexico), and other voices from across the Americas.

In the coming months, we are also looking forward to celebrating with our alumni and friends in Santo Domingo, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Boston, and Houston.

Our Website will soon also feature an interactive timeline of AMIGOS history and alumni photos and stories from

across the decades – be sure to visit the site to share yours as well!

AMIGOS Is Turning 50! Celebrate with Us!

Alumni Spotlight: River Finlay, Filmmaker

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At this moment, let us reflect on our accomplishments and

be proud, but not content… We need to increase our vision and

expand our horizons. Under normal circumstances, we might

have paused at this point to enjoy our fine work, but we have

inherited a revolution.

- Guy Bevil, founder

www.amigoslink.org/50th

MIL GRACIAS

We would like to thank the generous individual donors in 2013 who make our work possible. Together, we can inspire and build the young leaders of tomorrow.

Douglas & Stacy AlexanderEric & Cindy ArbanovellaSamantha E. BarbeeDavid Baron MD & Pamela

MannJames Basker & Angela

Vallot-BaskerCarl Phillip Bernet III & Vicki

Lee Crowder BernetElizabeth Blowers-Nyman &

Jay NymanMatthew & Tracy BrendThomas & Soraya

BrombacherJeffrey Brown & Rachel HaftKelly Burkholder & Mary

Bouley Lynn ByrdLauren Eve CantorEdward C. Cazier III & Emma

Umana CazierBrent & Barbara ChalmersJon Christensen & Carson

MillerSarah & Ryan CollinsStephen & Allyson CookDonald & Patricia CookDel CorazonLois Corman & David Vogan

Jr.Paul Crocker & Anne TurnerKaren & Alan CrossleyJoseph Crownover &

Jennifer LangdonMarlan & Marea DowneySteve & Joann DurstAdolfo Jimenez & Ulrike

FalkenbergStephanie Falkenstein &

Subir KumedanEitan & Barbara Fenson

Michael B. FerroDane & Mary FetherlingHugh & Katherine ForceDonald & Martha Kaplan

FreedmanBarbara GarciaElizabeth & Edmund GlabusPatricia Selcke Grad &

Benjamin GradElizabeth & Fred GriffinThomas Carmichael &

Catherine HaydenAndrew HowickLaurie W. HowickSarah J. JohnsonChristopher Johnson MD &

Cynthia Pekow DVMTammie Klein MD & Patrick

KelleyMichael & Dana KerchevalDena KorsgardAmy Kostishack MD &

Howard ChowClyde & Celeste LayneAnn Grace Scott & Paul

Francis LewisClayton & Barbara LindgrenGregory M. Schmidt &

Jennifer P. LymanSusan MacAskillStuart MacLeanLouis & Angela MagneJames & Jill MaidhofMilton MannPenny MartinVidal G. MartinezKelly Edith McMullen MD &

Daniel BowlesSuzan J. MitchellJustin & Elizabeth Cooley

Nelson

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Patricia Rosenberg & Scott Nichols

Samir & Kshipra PatelSteven & Claudia PerlesBart & Ilene PuttermanCarrie D. RhodesJonathan Friedland & Shaiza

RizaviScott & Catherine RobertsMilton & Lisa RoneyTodd C. SandersMargot E. SeigleBarrett K. SidesDenise Mills & Arnold SilvaMartin Sinnott & Janet

EmisonDavid & Karen SobotkaJoe & Alice SpechtMary Ann StanleyAnn Starr & Stephen BeasleyMary StelletelloRanvir & Adarsh TrehanMarvin G. Trotter MDKaty & Shaun TuckerSarah TukmanEmily Untermeyer & Bruce

BaskettJ. Dayton Voorhees III MD &

Sara VoorheesDorn R. Wenninger &

Dominique SchulenburgLaNoe & Robert Westheimer Raquel Wexler & Andreas

RuckriegelAlan Wolf & Margot

WeinbergH.S. Wright III & Kate

JanewayJanet & James Zimmermann

Jr.

Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation

Amegy Bank of TexasBlanke FoundationBrown Foundation, Inc.Everett Family Fund of

the Greater Houston Community Foundation

Fieldstone PartnersGDF Suez Energy North

America, Inc.George and Mary Josephine

Hamman FoundationJackson Walker, LLPKauffmann Family

Foundation Inc.Kiwanis Foundation of

HoustonMaersk Oil USAMerck Partnership for

GivingOmidyar Network Fund, Inc.PureCircle SAThe Simmons FoundationStrake FoundationUnited AirlinesUnited Way of New York CityWalmart FoundationWeatherspoon Charitable

FoundationWells Fargo Advisors, LLC

We would also like to warmly acknowledge

the following generous corporations and

foundations:

JOIN THE 50TH CELEBRATION!www.amigoslink.org/50th

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