VISIONS Service Adventures

Visions was an absolutely amazing experience for me! I met the most wonderful people. The immersion into the Peruvian culture was incredible, my world has been opened in so many ways because of it. I think about my 2 week trip every day. I got to travel to various places in Peru, and also help out the small town of Urubamba. The connections Visions has with the community are so deep. I finally felt like my true authentic self. I got the chance to meet people I never would have otherwise. We became quite close and still keep in touch. I always felt safe and the leaders made a great effort to check in with how everyone was feeling. If you are considering doing a program with Visions I highly recommend. I have memories that will last a lifetime

What was also amazing about VISIONS was the way the program is conducted. After spending 3 weeks in Cambodia I felt like I really made a mark and left a piece of myself there. We formed a community with many of the residents in Battambang- Mom (our cook), our tuk tuk drivers (piccun and vonny), the principal, the teachers, the schoolchildren, some of the shopkeepers (shake place), and the SALT girls. We had formed and become part of a real community. And everyone was so appreciative. They enjoyed taking us around and welcomed our curiosity and willingness to help. It was a new way of traveling that I would like to continue to pursue. To live at the local level, immerse yourself in the culture, and really get to know the people. I didn’t just visit and vacation in Cambodia. I lived there. I was a part of it. And it felt amazing.

This summer I lived and volunteered on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation with VISIONS Service Adventures. VISIONS combined my favorite things- travel, learning, and community service. What I love about VISIONS is that the main focus of the trip is volunteering. Although there is still plenty of time to relax and explore, serving the community is the top priority. The weekday was structured around different worksites and projects. Every day we would choose between the different volunteering opportunities: soup kitchens, restocking food pantries, building handicap ramps for elders, repainting buildings… The schedule was very flexible and there were even more opportunities to find new work and take initiative in the community.

Besides the work, we also attended many cultural and religious ceremonies. VISIONS has worked with the Blackfeet people for almost thirty years, allowing the VISIONS program access to community celebrations as honored old friends. Knowing so many people in the community really allowed us to fully integrate into the community and got us invited to many sacred rituals. We attended sweat lodges, the sacred Sun Dance ceremony, and multiple powwows. Many of these rituals are not accessible to outsiders, and we were only able to attend these ceremonies because the locals know and trust VISIONS. They trusted us so much that they even let us help build the Sun Dance lodge and set up the tipis needed for the ceremony. Learning and experiencing this vibrant culture was only made possible because of VISIONS. I am so grateful to be one of the few outsiders who was able to experience it.

I got to spend four weeks on the Montana Blackfeet reservation learning about their culture and their customs Whilst living on a ranch Among cattle I got to make great friends and have amazing experiences the leaders were very helpful and very friendly we did amazing trips like backpack into a frozen lake and traveling The elders and the tribe and our very nice and very open with going to the sun road where we saw grizzly bears the service project you do you are very rewarding and you feel great about yourself after completing them Getting to see a rodeo and a powwow well going to see Sundance a very spiritual rewarding experience which really opens your eyes to cultures around The elders really welcome you into their community and ally to see a side of people that you wouldn’t see anywhere else

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.