Rules of Participation
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Below are the rules governing participation in the 2007-2008 training program of the Houston Chapter of Amigos de las Américas . Each Volunteer and his/her parent(s) or legal guardian(s) must abide by these Participation Rules as a condition of participation in the Program. The Houston Chapter is affiliated with Amigos de las Américas International. |
| Application | A written application and an interview are required of each applicant who has not previously served in the field as an Amigo. At least one parent or legal guardian must be present at the interview. Completed applications (except the *Confidential Health Form II, Letter of Reference, and *Parent Permission to Travel) must be brought to the interview in order to be considered for acceptance to the Amigos program . Interview will not take place unless application is complete.* The Confidential Medical Form II and Letter of Reference are due on or before December 9, 2007. *The notarized Parent Permission to Travel Form may not be filled out earlier than 30 days before departure to Latin America—keep the original and turn in copy. |
| Application Fee | A $75 application fee must accompany each application. The fee is non-refundable. |
| Interview | An interview with some questions in Spanish to determine basic communication skills is required of each applicant who has not previously served as an Amigo. |
| Approval | Each application must be approved by the Board of the Houston Chapter (the “Board”). Each applicant will be notified of Board action on his/her application by phone or letter. |
| Payments | Family Participation Payments must be made on a timely basis according to the schedule provided. The Family Participation Payment is due in five equal installments according to the following schedule:
1. 12/15/07 $ 485.00
There are scholarships available based on need, merit and for implementing the diversity vision of Amigos. |
| Withdrawal | If a Volunteer withdraws from the Houston Chapter, all family payments are non-refundable. All fundraising monies are payable to the Houston Chapter and are non-refundable. |
| Charges Upon Dismissal for Rule Violation | Any Volunteer
dismissed for a rule violation during training forfeits any payments
made to the Houston Chapter.
The family of any Houston Chapter Volunteer prematurely returned home from the field because of a violation of the “AMIGOS Standards of Personal Conduct and Community Behavior,” described in the Volunteer Application or of their own volition, will be charged for any additional transportation expense incurred. These rules are described in the "Standards of Personal Conduct and Community Behavior" in the Volunteer Application. Families of these Volunteers will be required to reimburse the Houston Chapter for payments made by the Houston Chapter as a consequence of such Volunteers’ premature return home from the field. |
| Fundraising | Each Volunteer
and their parents/legal guardian must actively participate in the
chapter's primary fundraising activity: the letter writing campaign.
The goal of the campaign is to raise $2500 in contributions per Volunteer.
To meet the goal, each Volunteer is responsible for providing names and viable addresses of at least 125 persons to whom he/she will send a letter soliciting support for the Houston Chapter of Amigos on the specified due date. Prospects may include family friends, relatives, neighbors, business associates of the Volunteer's parents, the family doctor or dentist, church, synagogue, or social organization members, etc. Assistance in developing lists of prospects will be provided to Volunteers who are approved to receive financial assistance and anyone else who requests it. Proceeds from the letter writing campaign may not be credited directly to any one individual, per federal laws governing charitable contributions. While the letter writing campaign has traditionally proven to be highly successful for the Houston Chapter, should the chapter goal fail to be reached, other fundraising activities will be added in the spring in which Volunteers and parents will be required to participate. Donors must request refund of fundraising contributions within 30 days of a Volunteer's dismissal or withdrawal. |
| Training | The Training
program is comprised of a series of training sessions, overnight retreats
and service-learning activities.
Regular training sessions are generally held on Sunday afternoons at International from November to May. In addition to regular training sessions, some overnight training activities are planned. As part of their training, all Volunteers must participate in field work that can be scheduled by the Volunteer and worked from November to May in one of the AMIGOS designated projects. Completion of one year of high school Spanish and enrollment in the second year, or the equivalent, is required of all Volunteers as is demonstration of sufficient comptency in the language to function in an assignment. Failure to demonstrate an effort to meet this competency will be considered grounds for dismissal. Smoking is prohibited at all Amigos activities. |
| Language | Completion of one year of high school Spanish and enrollment in the second year, or the equivalent, is required of all Volunteers as is demonstration of sufficient competency in the language to function in an assignment. Failure to demonstrate an effort to meet this competency will be considered grounds for dismissal. |
| Conduct | The Volunteer must abide by all AMIGOS Standards of Conduct (in training and field settings) as outlined in the Standards of Personal Conduct and Community Behavior signed by all Volunteers and their parent(s)/guardian prior to admission into the training program. | Attendance | The
Houston Chapter expects that Volunteers will take responsibility for
their own training process. We assume that Volunteers are involved in
the training program because they understand that successful completion
of the training program will enable them to maximize their safety and
promote successful completion of the Latin American Program. Consequently:
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Performance Evaluation | Volunteer performance will be assessed periodically by the training staff and notification given in writing should a participant be failing to meet competencies. The Volunteer must by the conclusion of the training program demonstrate competency in the core competencies described in the AMIGOS Volunteer Core Competencies (see section below). |
| Other Requirements | The Volunteer
must submit all paperwork completed accurately and on time.
The Volunteer must receive all necessary vaccinations, medications, medical clearances, and mental health clearances before going to Latin America. Further information about these requirements is in the AMIGOS Volunteer Handbook and the Volunteer Application. |
| Core Competencies | AMIGOS VOLUNTEERS:
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| Dismissal | Volunteers must comply
with these Participation Rules. The Board reserves the right to dismiss
a Volunteer from the Program at any time if, in the sole discretion
of the Board, the Volunteer fails to comply with these Participation
Rules. The Board may also dismiss a Volunteer for other reasons in
its sole discretion.
Examples of grounds for which the Board, in its sole discretion, may dismiss a Volunteer from the Program include, but are not limited to, the following:
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