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Location
  • Dominican Republic
Length
1 - 4 weeks
Program Categories
Adventure Travel Cultural Immersion Service Learning Teach Abroad Volunteer Abroad
Financial Support
Need-based funding
Health & Safety
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Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Timeframe
Summer
Housing
Dormitory Host Family Hotel
Language
Spanish
Age Min.
14
Age Max
18

Pricing

Starting Price
3190
Price Details
Price does not include airfare or travel insurance. VISIONS can provide some financial aid to those in need.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Meals Transportation
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance
Sep 19, 2023
Sep 20, 2022
Wish List
13 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

The “Visionary” teens who participate in VISIONS Dominican Republic experience more than one can possibly anticipate, with the richness and fullness that comes from being part of a community, in every sense of the world. Understand what it must be like to have inadequate educational resources, but help make a difference while building classrooms with local friends and partners who share your passion. You’ll also run a popular day camp for local children, and perhaps also help with animal welfare initiatives.

And it wouldn’t be a VISIONS program without time carved out for adventure and exploration, including to beaches, trails, an organic cacao farm to make chocolate, Latin dance lessons, baseball games, and more.

VISIONS programs offer the opportunity for powerful personal transformation and radical community building, which together serve as a starting point on a life path of deep meaning and purpose.

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Video and Photos

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Making friends at a VISIONS worksite
VISIONS participant and friend being goofy
Taking a break to play some baseball
VISIONS worksite
putting the finishing touches on a mural at a worksite
Beach group photo
VISIONS Participants working at a construction site
Races in the VISIONS amazing race competition
VISIONS participants form a community based around service
VISIONS worksite
Group photo at VISIONS worksite in the DR

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Diversity & Inclusion

BIPOC Support

VISIONS has always sought to facilitate respect for the commonalities and differences between people. We do this by working together on shared goals (engagement), group “Circle” meetings (communication), and community-building (connection). At all levels of our organization—from administration to summer leaders, local partners and teen volunteers— we seek diversity of backgrounds, lifestyles, LGBTQIA+ identities, heritage and interests.
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LGBTQIA+ Support

VISIONS has always sought to facilitate respect for the commonalities and differences between people. We do this by working together on shared goals (engagement), group “Circle” meetings (communication), and community-building (connection). At all levels of our organization—from administration to summer leaders, local partners and teen volunteers— we seek diversity of backgrounds, lifestyles, LGBTQIA+ identities, heritage and interests.
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Neurodivergent Support

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Accessibility Support

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Impact

Sustainability

VISIONS mission is To live in harmony with ourselves, each other and the natural world. We believe that a connection to the natural world is fundamental if we are going to live in balance with it. Materialism, excess, and self-focus are not the VISIONS way. We live simply, we pack simply, we are cognizant of the resources we use, and we strive to bring as much as we can into greater harmony with the natural world.
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Ethical Impact

While divisiveness often makes headlines, a more subtle story is that many people are working hard to build bridges and find common ground. VISIONS does not push an agenda and we are regularly reminded that people from diverse political backgrounds are inspired by our mission and our work.
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Program Highlights

  • Spanish Immersion
  • Day-Stays with Local Families
  • Latin Dancing
  • Stunning Beaches
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

Program Dates

Application Deadline
Program Dates
-
-
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Program Reviews

5.00 Rating
based on 7 reviews
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  • 5 rating 100%
  • 4 rating 0%
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  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 5
  • Support 4.85
  • Fun 4.75
  • Housing 4.85
  • Safety 4.85
Showing 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Default avatar
Tucker
20
Male
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My Dominican Republic personal experience

Sep 20, 2022

I would just like to start this review with the most important message in this writing. If you are on the fence about doing this program, please do it. One of my main concerns about this trip was my Spanish speaking ability. Once you get settled in you soon realize that if you are having trouble with a language barrier, there are many kind people around you that can help you translate. Words can’t describe how much of a blessing this trip was for me. I enjoyed every second of every minute of my time in the D.R . I adored every moment from hanging out with the locals, to getting to know the councilors, to even helping out clean the house with my peers. This trip helped me out tremendously mentally as well as physically and socially. I personally made special connections with a bunch of the little kids as well as the older kids in the local town that I will cherish forever. It really made a difference to me that the same local kids I would be hanging out with and joking amongst with, were the same kids we were helping to build the school for. All in all, the special memories we all created with each other, will be memories that will last a life time and I would do this trip over and over again if I could. I also want to leave a special thanks to Georgia, Luis, Sammy, Meg, Leyri and Larry for keeping all of us safe and taken care of during our time on the trip! Thank you all.

Pros
  • You meet great people
  • You create memories that last a life time
  • You are constantly occupied with fun and interesting activities
Cons
  • House can get a little dirty
68 people found this review helpful.
Helpful
Hanging out at home base
My group
Boat ride
Day camp
Default avatar
Sabine
22
United States
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Visions 2019

Feb 3, 2020

It was was easier to make friends than I thought. It was so easy to find someone who shared the same interests as you and it is really is a place where you can open up and be yourself. As well as a full cultural émersion we were still able to connect with the other volunteers and make plans to see each other and keep in touch after the program. The staff were wonderful and we really came together as a family. We overcame some minor difficulties stronger than before and it will always be one of my favorite summers.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
Probably the plane ride. It was a little stressful to coordinate but it’s over soon and then you get to enjoy your stay.
119 people found this review helpful.
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Default avatar
Aidan
23
Male
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

AMAZING

Nov 28, 2018

I had such a great time on this trip. Not only did I partake in community service but also had lots of fun. I met lots of new people and made friends that will last a lifetime. We went all around the capital city and explored around the country. The locals were nice and our housing was great. I have never felt so safe in a foreign country before. I was not expecting this trip to be as impactful on me as it was. I thing about it everyday.lne thing I really loved was the food it was amazing. We had different local foods every nite cooked by the directors wife. My favorite was the empanadas we had twice in the trip for dinner. If I was not out of high school I would 100% do this trip again it built me as a person and matured me into a young adult.

What would you improve about this program?
This program could not be improved at all. I loved everything about it and would not change anything at all.
110 people found this review helpful.
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Default avatar
Kodee
39
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Exemplified Immersion in the DR

Mar 22, 2015

As a staff member in the Dominican Republic I have grown as a individual and professional while seeing an even more intensified growth for the participants. For housing nearly 30 individuals the house held up well, but was far from perfec but very reflective of the normal Dominican living experience. This program is great in the realm of immersion, there is always a Dominican to talk to or play a game with. The communities we work in quickly become a family and really make the experience one of a kind.

What would you improve about this program?
The amount of travel to the work site.
107 people found this review helpful.
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Default avatar
Kyle
26
Male
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Wouldn't Hesitate To Do It Again

Oct 7, 2014

I had been in this neighborhood before and loved it, so I wanted to have a more extended stay. Gave me the opportunity to truly experience the culture of this beautiful place. For me it was great. I would go to the worksite or kids camp ready to work, then at night have a cultural experience. The best by far for me is just hanging out with the dominican friends I made, while getting a coke at the corner store. If you go to the community with open arms, they will take gladly. Then you will be part of a community you have never seen anything like before, and will never forget it.

What would you improve about this program?
Let the kids have a little more freedom, with just a tiny bit less restriction. I know most of those rules are from safety precautions and things from the past, but that is to the individuals decision. One of the best parts of the trip is experiencing the culture, so at times I wanted to just only be with Dominicans, and truly be submerged by myself.
104 people found this review helpful.
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Default avatar
d87
26
Male
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great Trip!

Aug 22, 2014

I had such a great trip with Visions to the Dominican Republic! Everyone on the trip was great and I thought there was a really good balance between working and doing other activities! I would love to go back!

97 people found this review helpful.
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Default avatar
Annie
26
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

DR

Aug 22, 2014

I had such a good trip with Visions to the Dominican Republic and I know I will never forget it. I made friends that I know I will never forget both with the other participants and with the locals. I loved the project we did and I felt like there was a really good sense of community. I would definitely do a Visions trip again!

96 people found this review helpful.
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Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Zoe Kibbelaar

Program
VISIONS: Dominican Republic High School Service Program
Zoe Kibbelaar lives in Curacao, an island in the Dutch Caribbean. Her four grandparents are from four different places: Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Curacao. She enjoys playing the piano and the saxophone, participating in Model United Nations, learning about new cultures, and writing poetry.

Why did you decide to volunteer with VISIONS in the Dominican Republic?

A volunteer and a local kid

Zoe: I decided to volunteer with VISIONS because I wanted to experience something completely different from anything I had ever done before. My family history, much like the history of the island that I live on and the international school that I go to, is really a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities and nationalities, making culture something that I have always greatly valued. I really appreciated the emphasis that VISIONS puts on immersing yourself in the culture, language and traditions of a new place, rather than simply working there.

I chose to work in the Dominican Republic specifically because it was relatively close to home, and not because I didn’t want to be too far from home and become homesick or anything of the like, but because I wanted to contribute to the Caribbean community that I have always lived in, yet only really began to appreciate after my VISIONS experience.

Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

Zoe: I would wake up and go eat breakfast (or wake up early and prepare breakfast if I was on home base crew). Once we arrived in San Luis, I would either be on the worksite or at the campamento (day camp). The day camp had four classes: English, Art, Sports and “Clase Divertido” (fun). The people on the worksite would work, guided by Dominican maestros, on the construction of a community center: leveling dirt for a parking lot, mixing cement, building a stairway, etc. At around noon, everybody would have lunch together. Afterwards, the people who were at the day camp would work on the worksite, and the people who were on the worksite would do something else: painting rebar for windows, designing a mural, or painting desks and chairs. In the afternoon, we would have some sort of activity: visiting the tres ojos caves was my favorite. Three or four times a week, we would have communidad, a sort of “sharing circle”.

What made this experience unique and special?

Zoe: All of the wonderful people I met are by far what made my VISIONS experience special. Curacao is so small that it isn’t on most maps, and the size of its population matches. The social bubble that I live in can sometimes be rather restricting, and meeting interesting, new, open-minded people through VISIONS was really incredible. In the seemingly short period of one month, I have made friends that I am sure will last a lifetime. Even when we were doing something seemingly boring, like riding the bus (or the gua-gua, as the Dominicans would say), everybody found a way of making it interesting. We would often just sit all together and talk about anything that came to mind, sing songs, play the guitar, and make jokes. I honestly felt, and still feel like I could tell any of my VISIONS peers, staff, and members of the Dominican community anything at all and that they will be supportive, friendly and helpful.

VISIONS volunteers building community structures

How has this experience impacted your future?

Zoe: I used to be rather self-conscious about my poetry. I never read it to anybody, until VISIONS. One day, we were all just having fun, one of my friends played guitar and sang a song she wrote, and somebody else read us one of her short stories out loud. I decided to share one of my poems. Their reactions were incredibly supportive, and since then, I have become more confident, and have been published online and at my school. Although this is a very specific example, I feel like it is a perfect illustration of everything I love about the VISIONS community and how it affected my life.

As cliché as it sounds, my experience at VISIONS was incredibly moving. I came back from the Dominican Republic with a completely different view of the world, a new appreciation for what I have, and a clearer vision of who I want to be.

Location

Location:
Dominican Republic
Currency:
Dominican Peso
Weather:
Jan-Mar
86 F / 48 F
Apr-Jun
90 F / 55 F
Jul-Sep
91 F / 55 F
Oct-Dec
90 F / 52 F
Airports:
Punta Cana International
( PUJ )
Las Américas International
( SDQ )
Cibao International
( STI )

The Dominican Republic shares the island Hispaniola with Haiti (the DR is to the right, Haiti to the left), and is a hot spot for beaching, staying at resorts, and living a Caribbean lifestyle. Close to Miami, with a diverse population and Creole cuisine, this island is a popular tourist destination filled with all sorts of adventures.

About VISIONS Service Adventures

We believe that stepping outside of ourselves and encountering new perspectives fosters profound and positive change. We know that students who engage in meaningful service work in new environments gain exceptional insight—it’s been our program model for more than three decades. Our teen participants settle into the daily life of the host community...
  • Go Overseas Award

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