Transformational Insights: Evolution from Local to Global

I'm really excited to share some actionable advice from my recent podcast chat with Sara Nathan, the President & CEO of Amigos de las Américas. We go into the incredible transformation Amigos went through – shifting from being all about US-centric to becoming a locally-led global powerhouse driven by local vibes.  

Sara's story kicks off with her days as an Amigos volunteer as a teenager in Latin America, which ignited her passion for community development and leadership. This set the stage for her current global volunteer program leadership role at Amigos.

We had a real heart-to-heart about how Amigos realized they needed to shake things up in a changing world. This lightbulb moment led to Amigos moving from just sending US volunteers to nurturing local leaders, building stronger relationships with local partners, and expanding its reach through local resources and teams. Sara shared that If Amigos had not changed to localization, they would not be relevant today and empowering young people worldwide.

“Right now, 70 young people run programming. Half are from all across Latin America, which is kind of amazing. It's an evolution.” 

And as Sara explained, it wasn't all smooth sailing. Embracing change had its own set of challenges. Dealing with remote teams, reimagining programs during the pandemic, and rethinking strategies – it was all part of the wild ride. Sara made it clear that the transformation to being ready to adapt and open to constant evaluation in locally-led development was key. She credits her teams for the success.

“I give credit to our board and the teams that had the courage to envision different ways of doing programming and different ways of reimagining how we could reach our mission and purpose.”

My talk with Sara was like a crash course in continual adaptation, an ongoing need for reassessment and communication within the organization and with external partners in leadership where local partnerships lead to powerful localization. 

Thank you, Sara, for sharing your transition to leadership roles and the key events that shaped your passionate leadership perspective.