Amigo Friendship Partners
Registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open!
During your time in Atlanta, wouldn’t it be nice to have a local American friend who could welcome you and help you navigate life in America? Sign up for the Amigo Friendship Program to be matched with an Atlanta volunteer for friendship and sharing of cultures. (Amigo is the Spanish word for "friend.")
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How to Sign Up for the Amigo Program:
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1. Fill out our online Amigo Student application (enrollment period is July 16 - March 30). Please tell us as much as you are comfortable sharing as we will use the information to match you with a local friend.
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2. Sign up and join our short, online Friendship Program Orientation Zoom meeting with our Amigo Director, Jill Parker. These online meetings are mandatory so that you understand what you are signing up for and what to expect from the program.
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3. It may take a few weeks, but you will receive an email introducing you to your new Amigo friend. Be sure to respond promptly to emails from AMIS and your Amigo friend as email will be the main way that we communicate with you.​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Amigo Program Expectations:
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We know being an international student is demanding, and we want to make sure we match you with the program that works best for you. Typically this is a semester or year-long friendship in which we hope that you will meet 2-3 times over the year/semester, which may include holiday or social gatherings in the volunteer's home, at AMIS events, or for outings around the city. We also ask that you be in touch by text, email or phone to check in with each other at least monthly throughout the year. Students who are here for a semester may apply for this program. Or course, you may continue your friendship beyond the program and many Amigo friendships have lasted for years!
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About our Amigo Volunteers:
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Our Amigo Friendship volunteers have cleared a background check and are screened, oriented, and trained by the AMIS Atlanta staff before they are introduced to you. Our Amigo volunteers range in age from college-students, young adult professionals, parents with children at home, empty-nesters, senior adults, and retirees. They may be single, married, divored, or LGBTI. As we are not a dating service, we usually match the same gender when both partners are single. It is best to remain open to the American friend you will meet through the program, but you can indicate your requests through the Amigo Student application and to Amigo Director, Jill Parker and we will try our best to meet them.
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If you have any questions, please email Jill at jill@amisaltanta.org.
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Be sure to join our mailing list to find out what else is going on in AMIS Atlanta.
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The Amigo Student Enrollment period is July 16, 2024 to March 30, 2025.​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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We had a talk about how to succeed in an interview. I practiced based on my Amigo's suggestions and eventually got my first internship!"
Tuan, Georgia Tech student from Vietnam
What I gained from the Amigo Program has been far beyond my initial expectation, because I not only got to know Atlanta better as an international student, but also made a sincere friend that I truly can share my thoughts in life. This is an irreplaceable experience.