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The
VISIONS
Blog
Program Updates and Notes from the Field
Dig deeper into stories of friendships, community and projects.
Lakota Food and Values at Standing Rock
Despite the ongoing passionate efforts of the Native American community, conservationists and activists, it appears that the Dakota Access Pipeline is indeed filling with oil that will flow underneath the Mississippi River and traverse the distance to Illinois —...
Thoughts on VISIONS Values
Defining our organization’s values allows everything else to flow from those things; leader interviews and hiring, teen service projects, where we work, who is accepted to our programs, and how we carry ourselves in the field and in the world.
Spotlight on Jocelyn Greer: Ready for VISIONS Summer Number Two!
Jocelyn is a high school junior from Glen Rock, NJ, who traveled to Ecuador and the Galápagos last summer and is excited to tackle VISIONS summer number two in Alaska this year! In this interview, she reflects on swimming with sea lions, life in the community of...
Remembering Jack Fields
We were deeply saddened to learn that a shining star of VISIONS veteran leaders passed away last week. John “Jack” Fields was a leader on our Alaska program the summer of 2013. Jack was a natural educator, a superb carpenter, and beloved by his students, fellow...
Alumni Spotlight: Anna Apilado on Summer With No Phone
Anna Apilado grew up in the Philippines before moving to the US when she was 11. In this alumni spotlight, she reflects on her experience in Alaska last summer—experiencing a new part of America, the value of comfortable silences, and plans for the future. What was it...
Are you the Right Fit for VISIONS?
It’s a good and fair question, and we do our best to answer it with you. Everyone benefits if your summer program is the right fit for you. If you’re in the right place, happy and fulfilled, that energy will seep into everything you do and everyone you’re with: other...
Improving access for elders in VISIONS host communities
V ISIONS Montana Blackfeet 2016 students used their new construction skills to improve access for elders in our host community of Browning. On one of the projects the teen volunteers demolished a run-down ramp and constructed a new 32’ long wheelchair ramp in its...
A Place to Attend School in Peru
Talk about service with a view! In the village of Huaynaccolca, VISIONS Peru worked with community members to complete phase one of an 8000 sq. ft. schoolhouse that will serve rural children. The teen volunteer crew used pickaxes and shovels to remove dirt and level...
Improve Your Spanish or French Language Skills this Summer
Roll up your sleeves and join us for a French immersion program in Guadeloupe or on one of our Spanish immersion programs! Improve your French or Spanish language skills while volunteering with local communities.
VISIONS x 4: Jacob Rosen
Jacob Rosen is a four-time VISIONS teen volunteer, and he is currently pursuing a degree from Ithaca College in New York. Jacob is an alumnus of Alaska ‘12, Peru ‘13, Nicaragua ‘14, and Cambodia ‘15. Throughout my high school career, I spent my summers exploring...
Opportunities to Volunteer in the U.S.
For almost 30 years, VISIONS has provided exceptional community service programs in locations around the world. Your desire to be part of meaningful projects can take you anywhere, including VISIONS four locations in the United States: Alaska, Mississippi, Montana...
Community Service Programs Include Work with Children
VISIONS community service programs are perhaps best known for the high-quality and high-impact building projects that our teen volunteers have completed over the course of 31 summers. We also do environmental labor projects, from water conservation systems to...
7 Reasons Why – VISIONS Summer Programs
There are many reasons why parents and kids choose VISIONS community service and travel programs. Here are some of the most common reasons that we hear each season. From Teens: Looking to do something different than the mainstream, and take a break from the high...
Reflections on Our Years in the Dominican Republic
VISIONS has been running teen community service programs in the Dominican Republic since 1991. Among our many projects are schools, which serve approximately 3,200 students every year. My first summer with VISIONS was in 1996, in the Dominican Republic (D.R.). Fresh...
The Same, but Completely Different: Repeat Summers with VISIONS
Molly Povich is a VISIONS all-star. She has been to three very different summer community service programs, including travel to Cambodia, Ecuador and Montana's Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Recently she took some time to reflect on the similarities and...