Discover many cultures within Argentina, a country full of history and magic!
Advance your Spanish-speaking skills and participate in human rights workshops on this immersive Global Prep program in Argentina.
You’ll spend most of your time in Buenos Aires, the sophisticated and lively capital city, which is home to first-rate museums, music, theater, and hipster-friendly cafés.
By balancing language classes with fun activities and day trips beyond the city, the program will deepen your understanding of Argentina’s varied cultural traditions.
By the end of your two-week adventure, you’ll return home with an improved grasp of Spanish and an appreciation for Argentina’s diverse culture, food, people, and progress in human rights.
Eligibility Requirements
Age
15years 0month(s) to 18years 6month(s)
Language
Medium English will ensure you can enjoy the program and are able to interact with the other multinational participants
If you want an authentic experience to fuel your passion for social change, culture, nature, or science—make friends while making a real impact through AFS Global Prep!
With a simple formula, your AFS Global Prep will empower you to change your world, engage in hands-on activities, and create benefit for the community.
Thrive in an incredible new place, unlike anything you’ve experienced so far, and create authentic connections that will last a lifetime!
Leave your mark on the communities you touch and work towards impacting your future prospects
Your Program
W
hen you arrive in Buenos Aires, you’ll be taken to an orientation for a crash course on Argentina’s unique culture and your Global Prep itinerary.
As you settle in, you’ll get a sense of Argentina’s diverse landscape, from traditional gaucho (cowboy) ranches to busy modern cities. Be sure to keep an eye out for the intricate street art of Buenos Aires, which has turned some neighborhoods into open-air museums!
This program includes four hours of intensive Spanish lessons per day, or 20 hours per week. You’ll spend your mornings in downtown Buenos Aires, advancing your language skills at the AFS Spanish language institute, where students from around the world come to improve their grasp of Spanish. Your classes will be small, with an average of six students. All levels of Spanish are welcome.
In the afternoons, you and your group will attend interactive lectures on Argentine culture and human rights. You’ll also go on excursions into the community to better understand human rights in the context of Latin American culture.
You’ll explore historic topics like the country’s military dictatorship from 1977-1983 as well as more modern social justice issues. Plus, you can expect to visit local activist groups and take a guided tour of the Parque de la Memoria, a sculpture garden dedicated to the victims of the former military regime.
Enjoy like a local!
Exploring the area
In between your language classes and human rights workshops, you’ll have the chance to join in fun cultural activities and go on excursions outside the city. Some of these activities may include tango lessons, cooking classes, and maté (Argentine tea) tasting.
You’ll also get to visit historic sites and go on a tour of La Boca, one of Buenos Aires’ most vibrant and colorful neighborhoods. For a break from city life, you and your friends will visit a local gaucho(cowboy) ranch to ride horses and enjoy a traditional Argentine asado (barbecue).
Your group might even take a short trip to the stunning rainforest waterfall, Iguazu Falls, before returning to Buenos Aires.
You’ll experience Argentina’s friendly culture first-hand by staying with a local host family in the Buenos Aires area. All host family homes will be located no more than 40 minutes from the language school where you’ll have classes. You can expect to have your own private bedroom or share a room with one other student.
Your host family will provide breakfast and dinner each day, so you’ll get to try some staples of the Argentine diet, which might include savory empanadas or delicious milanesa, a type of breaded meat cutlet with an Italian influence.
You may be surprised by how close you can get to your host family in just two weeks, and how much they’ll be able to deepen your understanding of life in Argentina!
Returning Home
“Life-changing” is hard to describe, yet it’s nearly always the first thing that AFSers say when asked about their experience abroad. “Transformed” is another one. When you return home, if you’re like most AFSers, you’ll bring with you a sense of accomplishment unlike any other. You’ll have gained maturity and independence, discovered new passions, and feel like you can do anything you set your mind to. That transformation isn’t visible only to you, though – others see it as well. AFSers gain critical skills for college and careers, ranging from language fluency to intercultural competence and critical reasoning. “Life-changing” means it’s only the beginning.
