Plan and AMIGOS renew partnership

Amigos de las Américas (AMIGOS) and Plan are pleased to announce their renewed partnership to promote worldwide youth leadership, cultural understanding and community service. AMIGOS and Plan will continue to partner together as they have done for many years in Latin America, and will now expand their partnership to the United States. Through Plan’s youth network, Youth United for Global Action and Awareness (YUGA), AMIGOS graduates will have a way to work with other engaged youth to address some of the issues they saw communities facing during their summers abroad.

AMIGOS and Plan currently work together in five Latin American countries to promote cultural exchange and community service. Through AMIGOS, high school and college students spend their summer living and working in Latin American communities on sustainable health, construction and environmental projects. In many communities, AMIGOS Volunteers work collaboratively with Plan representatives to create positive change in the host communities and promote civic engagement of local youth.

Nicole Lunardi, a 19-year-old AMIGOS Volunteer in Lempira, Honduras, in 2007, partnered with Plan representatives to teach effective health and environmental lessons to local children.

“Plan had just built a new high school in the community. They made our role really easy because the community was already very excited, and they were very aware of what it takes to make a project successful,” Lunardi said.

Troy Gavrielson was a Volunteer in Chontales, Nicaragua, during summer 2007, and he said Plan representatives also had a role in the success of his project.

“It helped a lot to have someone who knows the area and the individuals in the community,” Gavrielson said. “Our Plan contact eased the transition and helped us bring the community together to renovate the community center.”

AMIGOS and Plan will continue their efforts to strengthen leadership skills of youth in Latin America, and are extending their partnership to the United States by promoting Plan’s Youth United for Global Action and Awareness (YUGA) program to AMIGOS veterans.

Jade Abego, from New Jersey attended YUGA’s summer leadership camp in 2008. “When I first stepped into the YUGA camp, I thought, ‘Oh boy, another camp to talk about how we can change the world, even though they're all gonna go back home and do nothing besides pick up a bottle and say they recycled.” As the week progressed, Jade found herself surrounded by young people with goals for their world, “who were willing to, and already, working on methods to implement everything they had learned . . .. It really inspired me further more than I already was, and ensured in my heart that all the hard work I do, there are other youth doing the same amount, if not more.”

Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, a high school senior from Houston, was one of three AMIGOS veterans who attended YUGA Camp. It was at Guthrie’s urging that Plan and AMIGOS began further developing this broader partnership.

The YUGA network is part of a global youth-led grassroots movement that provides a forum for youth to come together to discuss and address important youth issues like global poverty, HIV/AIDS, sustainable development, child exploitation and violence against children. For more information, visit www.planusa.org/yuga.

Emily Untermeyer, Executive Director/President of AMIGOS, said that the renewed and expanded partnership will help further the powerful missions of both international non-profit organizations.

“AMIGOS and Plan have similar missions that encourage youth leadership and service,” she explained. “Our organizations have both spent decades striving to make the world a better place for all — regardless of income, country of origin or other factors. Our expanded partnership represents our shared belief that youth have the power to make a positive difference in the world.”

Paul S. Dwyer, Jr., CEO of Viamericas Corporation and Plan USA’s newest Board Member was an Amigos Volunteer in Guatemala in 1979. "Amigos and Plan are two robust organizations that share the common goal of enhancing the opportunities available to children. Through Plan's YUGA program, this renewed partnership will provide a framework for Amigos volunteers to continue a direct and active involvement in issues that effect children in developing countries after the volunteers' return to the United States. The program will allow the Amigos volunteers to share their enthusiasm for positive change with their friends and classmates, and thereby multiply their impact on children's issues . . . . I know how much Amigos volunteers learn about the real issues facing kids in developing countries, and how motivating an experience that can be. We hope that renewed partnership between Amigos and Plan can channel that motivation in way that helps Amigos volunteers become lifelong agents for real change."

About AMIGOS
Founded in 1965 in Houston, AMIGOS is an international, non-profit organization that provides unparalleled leadership and community service opportunities for young people while concurrently contributing to the well-being of hundreds of communities throughout the Americas. Supported by a strong network of U.S. chapters, high school and college students from diverse backgrounds work successfully with host communities and partner agencies to address health and education priorities.

While in Latin America, AMIGOS Volunteers immerse themselves in the lives of their host communities and truly experience collaborative development work. During its 42-year history, more than 20,000 AMIGOS Volunteers have gained a life-long commitment to community service, while strengthening multicultural understanding and friendships in the Americas. For more information, visit www.amigoslink.org.

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Media Contact:
Stephanie Barney
Youth Education and Action Assistant
401-738-5600, x1406
Stephanie.Barney@planusa.org
www.planusa.org

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