Program Reviews

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.

The leaders were super friendly and helpful, they knew what to do in any situation and it got done. The locals were very kind and very patient. The housing while different from what I was used to was a great experience, every bit of the culture became part of our everyday lives. The other kids in my group were the best part, we went from not knowing eachother to becoming very very close. Living and working and playing together for two weeks made us close friends. The activities were pretty amazing, the ruins we went to were beautiful and Nicco knew everything about them. The small workshops we did were very interesting, I took ring making and carpentry. I learned a lot and even got to make my own ring which I still hold dear to me to this day. The connections I made with people on this trip were ones I will not soon forget, where ever I travel from now on I will always be looking for an excuse to stop by and say hi to one of them

I don't even know where to begin. My time with VISIONS in Peru was absolutely incredible. I met the most amazing people and learned so much. I always thought it was cheesy when people said that one small experience changed their life, but just the 2 weeks I was there gave me a whole new perspective and really opened up my world. My experience was so authentic. The Spanish immersion was totally new for me, but everyone was super friendly and understanding. I got to see so many different places in Peru. Like climbing up to Machu Picchu at 4 am to see the sunrise. But what was more important to me was creating connections with the people there. Nico was our bus driver (and so much more), he is the most kind, funny and wonderful person I have met. He knew so much about the ruins we visited, and the people in the community of Urubamba. I really hope I can go back someday. And I really miss all of the friends I made there.

I went to Peru with VISIONS two summers ago, and Dominican Republic last summer. My Peru trip was hands down one of the best experiences of my life. I made so many new friends, saw amazing sights, perfected my Spanish-speaking, and got the chance to immerse in Peruvian culture. The staff on the trip was amazing and our daily activities were very enriching and fun. We worked during the day with local Peruvians, then always had a fun activity in the afternoon. One weekend, we went to Machu Picchu, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wish I could go back and relive this trip....I truly think about it on a regular basis and I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to go. I am still in touch with everyone in the group and we all text on a regular basis. A girl I met on the trip became my best friend and we still visit each other pretty regularly, even though we are 600 miles apart. I would highly recommend going to Peru with VISIONS! -Eliza Trainer

Montana Blackfeet was one of my memorable and most favorite summer program I've ever been in. The leaders were supper professional, but fun, and I learned many construction and cultural facts. I made a bond with everyone and leaders made sure we got the help we needed. We also had neighbor dogs visiting our place every day, which was so sweet. Every day we had something to do, like laundry or construction work. We would go to communities and pass out flyers for free lunch and we met many friendly people. My trip with Visions was amazing. I went on the Visions Montana Blackfeet and I learned so much from my leaders. All my leaders were kind and willing to help each individual. I never got bored once on this trip and I met great people from all around the world. They made every aspect of the trip memorable and unique and I'm grateful to have been part of this program.

I embarked on the 27 day visions service trip to Montana and it was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. We spent our days helping the local Native American Blackfeet reservation and its wonderful people, and spent our free time engaging in awesome bonding activities, sitting by the campfire and enjoying the grandiose beautiful sky. I also want to give a special shoutout to Nick Nelson who was one of the coolest mountain men Ive ever met and acted as a great role model to all of us. Trevor Cutlip and Khris Lyndon were also very good supporting counselors and the leaders made sure to bolster our experience for the better, very beneficial towards my character. We did things like canvas the local communities, venture out into the glacier national park mountains, and also go to iconic events like the Sundance, and the Indian days festival and rodeo.I highly recommend this program

I completed the Visions Montana Blackfeet program summer of 2017 and while there was a complete lack of organization (so much so the head of Visions had to come and help the counselors for a few days), I had a lot of fun so decided to do it again. I chose the Montana Northern Cheyenne program simply because it was the only one which fit in with my schedule. And quick disclaimer, as insane as it sounds, everything I'm about to say is completely true.

I arrived at the airport later than everyone so had to drive back around midnight with one of the counselors and I got involved in quite a long political conversation (had to do something to kill the time) towards the end of which he explained, unsarcastically, how he believes the government controls people's minds by outlawing hallucinogenic drugs. While that didn't particularly bother me, I was a bit concerned and it explains a lot of what happened later (not suggesting this person was ever under the influence of anything during the trip). The next day marked the beginning of the counselor's abusive behavior towards me including mercilessly mocking my (natural) British accent and mimicking everything I said, continually changing the instructions and making me redo work for no reason and giving minimal regard for my well being and safety. Anytime I was riding shotgun in a car and he was driving he would either park my door over a puddle if possible, or simply park it so close to another car it was impossible for me to get out. Any question, request or statement I made was met with either a shrug or simply complete inaction. I brought this behavior upto the leader and other counselors multiple times but it was either brushed off or ignored; either way, no action was taken. The rest of the incidents were much more minor but their continual (multiple times per hour) nature made the whole trip horrible. Next, any input I gave, with regards to nearly anything, was ignored as it was assumed that I had no experience (when in actuality I've done construction carpentry work for multiple years) and I was never given an opportunity to prove myself. There were quite a few times where a lot of time was wasted simply because counselors refused to listen to my and friends' ideas.

Moving on from the 'leadership' problems, compared to the Blackfeet trip where we backpacked and camped in the beautiful Glacier National Park, went to (and participated in) so many amazing cultural events such as a Sundance, Sweat Lodge and Powwow, and spent much of our time working in/with and interacting to the community, this trip was severely lacking. We spent most of our free time, both during the day and the evenings, at 'homebase' as no events had been organized and many organized events were cancelled.

Accomodations wise, we were staying at the local community college, all together in a single room. Guys, girls, and counselors bunk beds were separated by curtains hung up on string and while it was pretty much what I expected, the temperature control made nights unbearable. It was at least 90F for most of the trip and everyone was cramped in pretty tightly. While horrible, the worst part was that the counselors refused to let us take the fans positioned around the kitchen and common area into the bunk area for no reason, while they themselves had multiple fans and some sort of AC system in their area which they kept hidden.

Also, while Visions had no control over this, we had multiple run-ins with extremely intoxicated locals who would follow us back to 'homebase'.

Finally, at the end of the program, I realized that another participant had taken 2 of my hoodies (one of which meant A LOT to me) but after many failed attempts to get them back, I went to the counselors. I was met with a shrug by all but one, and a refusal take even basic action by that person, even though I had directly seen my stuff in the other person's bag.

I can only write so much so I'm going to stop here but I think you get the point. I would absolutely not recommend this trip, or any other Visions trip for that matter (especially considering the company's lack of concern about my problems and horrible experience).

It was a good start, for my VISIONS trip, for my southeast Asia travel and my community service experience.
With an excellent leader who was brought up in Cambodia, an inornate pure Cambodia was revealed upon our faces. We appreciated the significance of Angkor Wat, but also had a taste of the sad Khmer Rouge history; we experienced the refreshing countryside view on the bamboo train, but also the smelly landfill where nobody was willing to go. No matter it was good or bad, impressive or obnoxious, we felt a full, vivid Cambodia through our own eyes.
Besides, I am really proud to share that we built a brick wall within only a month from scratch. Labor was hard and tiring, not to mention that we were working under the scorching Khmer sun, but as we saw the smiling face of schoolkids around us, all pain was healed. They would give us a helping hand during their break time, or pick flowers for us sweaty nasty workers, despite the existence of language boundary. They lit up our summer and our community service experience.
I had few experiences of community service, the only activity I did was to send living supplements to needy countryside families. However, through this trip, I truly understood the meaning of community service. Maybe it is about teaching adolescents how to help others, whereas no matter it is donating a couple of money or building as a brick wall, it won't do much to the community, it can't change the way locals live or the future that they'll have. It is more about finding yourself in the community. Find your value, find your connection, find out how much you're needed, and find out why you're needed. Find what you can do and what you can't. Find your character and your mission.
It was my beginning, but it could never be the end. I am still on the way to my journey, and what about yours?