Alaska
28 Days
High School Service Program
Carpentry, Fishing and Exploring with Indigenous Athabascans
JUNE 29 to JULY 26 | 28 DAYS
100 HRS SERVICE | TUITION $5950
JUNE 29 to JULY 26
28 DAYS
100 HRS SERVICE
TUITION $5950
WE ARE MINDFUL
“I really enjoyed the fact that the volunteers were able to give input on each project that we did. I also liked that the community service was physically and mentally challenging and pushed us to work harder every day.”
Mei Nagaoka
Embracing Projects That Matter
The Athabascan community that lives along the Tetlin River in Southeast Alaska has been self-reliant for centuries, subsisting largely on nature’s bounty. For more than two decades, VISIONS has spent summers assisting these Native Alaskans with pressing needs, from construction projects that improve local infrastructure to residential projects, such as maintenance of elders’ homes. As with all VISIONS service projects, local partners determine what best serves the community. In past years, teen volunteers have built smoke houses to preserve meat for winter, added insulation to homes, constructed wood sheds to store the primary source of fuel, engineered wheelchair ramps and assembled a fish weir to catch salmon. Students work with an experienced carpenter to learn the tools of the trade, and are encouraged to read blueprints and offer input on the plans. The hands-on work happens in tandem with neighbors, which builds connections across wildly different backgrounds. This close-knit dynamic sparks a sense of accomplishment like no other.
WE ARE FAMILY
“Almost every day we were immersing ourselves in the community, which was great because we could see how people actually lived their lives day to day.”
Chase Chittester
You don’t need to leave the U.S. to experience a culture that feels worlds away. Native Athabascans have been hunting, gathering and fishing along the Tetlin River in Alaska for generations. Join our longtime partners in this remote corner of North America and get to know people living a unique way of life.
Making Meaningful Connections
While the geographical location of this tiny Alaskan village is remote (about four hours east of Fairbanks), you’ll feel warmly welcomed by our local hosts. VISIONS has operated programs in Athabascan villages for two decades, building a strong sense of mutual respect and trust with tribal councils. In a small community like Tetlin—about 200 households—the impact you make is widely felt, and the immersion is deep. You’ll live in the heart of the village, in the local high school, and participate in daily life, which includes catching and smoking fish, processing big game, playing games with children, learning traditional basket-weaving and beading, making music, sharing meals, and perhaps taking a steam bath in the lodge that past teen volunteers helped build. All the while, you’ll soak up stories from the community about how ages-old Athabascan ingenuity has allowed people to thrive in this untamed and beautiful land.
Our Home: Tetlin Village, Alaska
WE ARE EXPLORERS
“I loved seeing new places and having the opportunity to go ice climbing, backpacking, and climb not only one but TWO mountains! I have never had the opportunity to do anything like this before, and I am very thankful. The mountains and glacier were more amazing than I had ever even imagined.”
Sanelma Heinonen
Tetlin Village is located inside the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, which boasts nearly 700,000 acres of wetlands and forested mountains. You’ll experience this landscape with excursions including hiking, canoeing and ice climbing.
SETTING OUT TO GO BEYOND
Your adventure begins as soon as you head east from Fairbanks toward the Canadian border. The 4 to 5 hour drive to Tetlin Village features snow-capped mountains, sparkling waterways and bountiful wildlife, including eagles and moose. Once settled in with your new neighbors, you’ll spend your free time enjoying the incredible natural surroundings. At this latitude, the sun never quite sets in the summer, so there is plenty of daylight (and night light) for exploration. Close to home, you’ll take short hikes, canoe the Tanana River Valley and visit the “Old Tetlin” historic site. Farther afield, you’ll take a two-night backpacking trip in the Wrangell Mountains, setting up camp and sharing stories around the campfire. A three-day trip to the town of McCarthy includes a visit to the storied Kennecott Copper Mine and the chance to climb the Root Glacier. As environmentalist John Muir put it, “To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the the most wonderful countries in the world.”
ACTIVITIES AND EXCURSIONS
- Take a guided ice-climbing adventure on the Root Glacier
- Backpack for two nights in the Wrangell Mountains
- Explore the historic Kennecott mine in the small town of McCarthy
- Paddle canoes in the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge
- Fish and learn to prepare local specialties
- Learn native crafts including birch bark basket weaving and beading
- Cap the program with a fun trip to Mukluk Land, an Alaska-style amusement park
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
YVONNE JOHN
Athabascan Elder
Yvonne John is one of our dearest and longest-term Athabascan friends. Born in tiny Tetlin Village in 1939, she has lived there her entire life. That fact has made her a treasured cultural resource for both VISIONS volunteers and other members of the Athabascan community. When she was young, Yvonne learned traditional arts (such as beading, sewing and basket weaving) from the elders, as well as how to fish and gather roots. Most of those elders have now passed away, and it’s Yvonne’s turn to pass along this ancient knowledge to the younger generation. She’s happy to do so, and also relishes sharing these ways with VISIONS volunteers. Each summer, Yvonne teaches us how to collect birch bark for basket weaving, and loves telling students the stories behind her crafts. She also takes us berry picking, and invites us to traditional steam baths. We call her Grandma Yvonne—and we’re not the only ones. She has two daughters and two sons (one of whom, Virgil, lives with her in Tetlin), and a remarkable 53 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Like everyone in Tetlin, she heats her small home with a wood stove during winter. And like so many Alaskans, she is self-reliant, and proved it by chopping all her own wood up until recent years. Now that she’s a bit older and feeling an ache in her hips, she’s appreciative of the help VISIONS students provide. In the past, we’ve built her a steam bath for easing stiff muscles, and a sitting room she uses for teaching her special skills. It feels like the least we can do to thank Yvonne for her generosity and wisdom.
Alaska Blog Posts
Spotlight: Andrew Goodrum
Andrew has traveled the world with VISIONS and will be back this summer as a leader.
“VISIONS taught me to be a lot more appreciative of everything I have in my life and to stop dwelling on the small things in life. Focus on the future because if you keep looking back you’re going to trip going forward…”
Alaska Service Projects
VISIONS participants have completed some fantastic service projects over the years in Alaska. See a few highlights below and read more about the program here. VISIONS teens built a wheelchair ramp for Arnold Gene, an elder who lost his legs in a fire. Helping improve...
VISIONS REVIEWS
Read what others have said about their experience in this location. You also are welcome to contact the VISIONS office to request student and parent references.
NOT QUITE READY?
Feel free to contact us with any questions! We are happy to help find the best program to meet your goals for the summer.
ALREADY ENROLLED?
It's time to get ready and have your program preparation questions answered. See our My VISIONS page.
YVONNE JOHN
Athabascan Elder
Yvonne John is one of our dearest and longest-term Athabascan friends. Born in tiny Tetlin Village in 1939, she has lived there her entire life. That fact has made her a treasured cultural resource for both VISIONS volunteers and other members of the Athabascan community. When she was young, Yvonne learned traditional arts (such as beading, sewing and basket weaving) from the elders, as well as how to fish and gather roots. Most of those elders have now passed away, and it’s Yvonne’s turn to pass along this ancient knowledge to the younger generation. She’s happy to do so, and also relishes sharing these ways with VISIONS volunteers. Each summer, Yvonne teaches us how to collect birch bark for basket weaving, and loves telling students the stories behind her crafts. She also takes us berry picking, and invites us to traditional steam baths. We call her Grandma Yvonne—and we’re not the only ones. She has two daughters and two sons (one of whom, Virgil, lives with her in Tetlin), and a remarkable 53 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Like everyone in Tetlin, she heats her small home with a wood stove during winter. And like so many Alaskans, she is self-reliant, and proved it by chopping all her own wood up until recent years. Now that she’s a bit older and feeling an ache in her hips, she’s appreciative of the help VISIONS students provide. In the past, we’ve built her a steam bath for easing stiff muscles, and a sitting room she uses for teaching her special skills. It feels like the least we can do to thank Yvonne for her generosity and wisdom.
Alaska Blog Posts
Spotlight: Andrew Goodrum
Andrew has traveled the world with VISIONS and will be back this summer as a leader.
“VISIONS taught me to be a lot more appreciative of everything I have in my life and to stop dwelling on the small things in life. Focus on the future because if you keep looking back you’re going to trip going forward…”
Alaska Service Projects
VISIONS participants have completed some fantastic service projects over the years in Alaska. See a few highlights below and read more about the program here. VISIONS teens built a wheelchair ramp for Arnold Gene, an elder who lost his legs in a fire. Helping improve...
(For those enrolled)
Celebrating 30 Years
