VISIONS: Montana Blackfeet High School Service Program

Why did you decide to volunteer with VISIONS in Montana?

Ariel: I’m a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar, and my advisor brought VISIONS Service Adventures to my attention when we were looking around for summer programs. I’ve always wanted to do service work, and the actual location didn’t (and still doesn’t) matter, as long as I’m making a difference to someone. VISIONS Montana was my first big, hands-on, all-in experience. The cultural allure was there as well; spending time on a Native American Reservation was a chance to expand beyond my little bubble and comfort zone.

Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

Ariel: There wasn’t a day when I didn’t wake up ready for whatever Montana decided to throw at me. Whether it was braving a dust storm (yes, a real dust storm), rock climbing, cliff jumping, and hiking 11 miles in one day through the backcountry of Glacier National Park, or hobbling around after dropping a tree (well, a 4-by-4 at the lumber yard) on my leg. There were also the mundane things, like rotating kitchen duty and the varying quality of the oatmeal, hanging up laundry to dry on the line, walking into the local grocery store to grab a Peace Tea, icy cold showers at 5am with the sunrise, the porta-potties…

Though it’s faded now, I got quite a sock tan from working eight hours on the construction site, where we built a stage, from the ground up, for the town of Browning, Montana. That was our main task as volunteers. By the end of the three weeks, (almost) everyone had learned how to work all the different saws, use a hammer and nail with smashing our fingers, and, in my case, clamber onto the roof and wall rafters/skeletons to paint and drill.

The locals also invited us to the difference events that they had. We went to a Sundance, helped to build and take apart the teepees, as well as cook and clean, and we even danced! Afterwards, there were sweats. We helped collect wood and rocks for the sweat lodges and then participated as well. They were definitely life-changing experiences.

We also had our adventures in the wilderness of Montana, as mentioned earlier. A mountain lion waltzed into our campground, bear cubs walked in front of our beat-up van, all manner of stray dogs became our best friends, and the prairie dogs (nicknamed P-dogs) flitted from hole to hole in the fields that stretched for miles and unbroken miles under the Big Sky.

Nights were our down time, when nature came alive. We’d toss around a Frisbee or play capture the flag, do cartwheels and practice handstands against the walls, shoot a couple hoops on the battered basket, paint and sketch, sing, or just sit together and talk. Corny as it sounds, we were free.

What made this experience unique and special?

Ariel: Definitely, absolutely, undoubtedly: the people. It wouldn’t have been what it was without the fantastic and diverse people that I lived and interacted with for three weeks. I’m still in touch with some of the kids I met – we bonded and all became incredibly close over the course of our stay. The environment, the stunning quality of northern Montana, only added to the beauty of it all.

How has this experience impacted your future?

Ariel: Personally, I’d say that my stint in Montana has had an enormous impact. It left one of the biggest dents in my mind (a good dent, not a bad one) and one of the biggest holes in my heart when I had to leave at the end of the three weeks. It’s given me a new outlook emotionally and spiritually, in ways that I don’t even think I can describe. It’s also had an impact physically; I’m more fit, I’m stronger, I’m healthier. I’m rather fond of manual labor now. And I’ve learned to read the labels on foods – how much corn do you see in the ingredients? J Montana made me a tougher person, inside and out.

Professionally, it definitely solidified my dreams a little more. I’ve always wanted to travel, meet new people and experience new cultures, and, in the process, work with disadvantaged and disabled kids. Just hanging out and playing with the little kids on the reservation made my hopes seems just that much more real, that much more achievable.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Being a part of VISIONS gives such purpose to my day-to-day work and life. I feel like VISIONS provides a platform, or springboard and foundation, where my passion for affecting the world in positive ways can take shape and be realized more fully.

I’ve grown and changed in ways that often relate to how to work with other people in productive, supportive, and fun ways. VISIONS is all about community and community-building, but that requires communication, compromising, and sharing basic values. I’ve had to be mindful of those things.

I’ve learned to actively seek feedback, learn what everyone has to offer, and do what it takes to sustain a healthy community of individuals — both in our home office and with our partners all over the world.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

The best I’ve heard is that the program changed their life. I’ve heard that over and over through the years, and it thrills me as much today as it did the first time I heard a student say it.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I would choose one of our Montana Indian Reservation programs. I love international travel as much as the next person, but I’m always surprised and transfixed by how different another culture can be that’s right here in our own country. The reservations are a whole other world in so many ways, and after 20 years spending time on them, there are still new things that I continue to learn, see, and be inspired by.

Another reason I would want to experience one of the Montana programs is that there is so much service work that can be done there. Basic infrastructure, housing, and school facilities are in need, and there’s no shortage of ambitious construction projects to make for a really meaningful experience.

Also—and this is an important one for me — the surrounding backdrop of the Rocky Mountains and national parks are pretty irresistible.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Something that makes VISIONS unique is that we have always been a cross-cultural community service organization. Long before community service was widely popular or required for graduation, VISIONS was taking teenagers on service trips.

The longevity and the commitment to our values is part of this — we’ve been working in most of our program sites for at least 15 years, and in some for 25+ years.

VISIONS has never simply followed the latest trends in program types or destinations. Instead it’s always been about a commitment to high-quality programs and with long-term, collaborative relationships at the core. I think the kids on our programs feel this, as they’re really welcomed like family when they arrive to our host communities.

I was especially proud of our team during one of our recent staff retreats. In planning for the retreat, we asked past leaders to write comments about what VISIONS means to them, and we shared all of those comments with new office colleagues.

The things the summer leaders wrote captured so much of the magic and uniqueness of VISIONS that our office team seemed to have an immediate understanding of why the organization means so much to so many people, and over so many years.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

One of the biggest factors in VISIONS success is that we have always stuck to what we do best: cross-cultural community service programs. We aren’t trying to be all things to all people. Instead, we run a focused model that has proven successful year after year.

Although each summer and program location is unique, there isn’t a whole lot of experimentation going on in terms of how we collaborate with our host communities, how we manage service projects, and how we deliver great growth experiences for the teens who attend.

Everything comes back to that bedrock of relationships and community-building. And from that foundation, VISIONS has been incredibly successful at running meaningful cross-cultural community service experiences.