Rules of Participation
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Below are the rules governing participation in the 2008-2009 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 January 11, 2009. The notarized Parent Permission to Travel Form may not be filled out earlier than 60 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. 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.
12/15/08 $ 500.00 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, will be charged for any additional transportation expense incurred. 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. |
| Training | Attendance at meetings is mandatory. Two tardys equal one
absence; a tardy constitutes arriving after the meeting begins. A third
absence requires an appeal made by Volunteer and parents in front of
the Executive Board to determine
the Volunteer’s commitment to Amigos and to determine whether or not
he/she may continue in the program. Regular training sessions are generally held on Sunday afternoons at the International Office 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 competency 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. Performance of each Volunteer will be evaluated for continuation in the program and notification given in writing should a participant be failing to meet competencies. |
| Family Participation |
Each volunteer is required to have at least one of his/her parents sign up to assist with one of the chapters standing committees. |
| Fundraising | Each Volunteer must produce 125 or more
fundraising letters on the specified due date. |
| 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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