By: Katherine Dayton, Executive Director
Who do you want to be in this world? What is the impact you want to have, and what actions will be required to create the impact you desire?
While VISIONS teen community service programs are powerful in their own right, I’ll let you in on a little secret…
We wouldn’t offer programs if it were only to provide a start-to-finish date experience for students in the field. Instead, we do this work because the power of a VISIONS program carries forward and has compounding interest in people’s lives. It amounts to a life with greater fulfillment and purpose, bringing happiness and a drive to make a positive difference in the world.
Over the years our alumni have started nonprofits as a result of their VISIONS experience. They have fundraised for VISIONS host communities, selected college degrees that developed from their time in the field, started school clubs, and so much more.
Now that we’ve been around for more than three decades, we are also welcoming a second generation of young people whose parents attended years ago. These are people who were so impacted that they reconnected with us and now want their children to have the same meaningful opportunity.
The VISIONS Kid
One thing we’ve noticed in recent years is that many kids are more motivated than ever to return home from their program to make a difference (and not just for resume-building purposes). They have been inspired by their time doing service work, and their confidence in their capabilities has reached a new peak.
Many VISIONS applicants say they choose our program because they want to do “something real.” They aren’t looking for a summer trip focused just on adventure and selfies (which is good, since we’re tech-free!). They are ready to challenge themselves because they know—they feel in their bones—that they can make a meaningful impact, and they are ready to do just that.
Your VIA: Vision, Impact, Action
To help kids carry their VISIONS experience into the rest of their lives, this will be our inaugural summer of “VIA” — Vision, Impact, Action. We’ll be doing activities around creating personal vision statements that stem from reflecting on who we want to be in this world. The next step is identifying how that vision might lead to certain types of impact we want to have in the world—and then what actions we need to take to bolster the impact.
One participant from last summer is already running with a VIA by creating a native languages club at his school, and he’ll be returning to the Montana Blackfeet reservation this summer to interview members from the tribe who are working hard to bring back the Blackfeet language.
Each student’s chosen actions can be simple or more involved. Actions might range from saying thank you more often to doing regular volunteer stints at a local soup kitchen, for example.
We’ll be incorporating curriculum from the “Solutionary Way” along with VISIONS unique approach, shaped by the cultural exchange and service work that we do in Peru, the Dominican Republic and Montana Blackfeet Indian Reservation. We’ll have group discussions, some journaling and other creative activities for each student to create their VIA. We’ll also provide continued support to kids who seek collaboration beyond the program—checking in on their VIA progress (and life in general!).
The essence of VIA has always been part of VISIONS, which is why so many alumni naturally step into service work following their time on the program. We’re excited to formalize the process and increase support of our kids after the program ends!
I’ve never been so comfortable with a group of people that I’ve known for such a short amount of time. I’ve never been happier and worry free in my life. Being away from technology and home and being cut off from the world can sound horrible when I describe it to my friends, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
It’s Still VISIONS, Packed with Classic Fun & Youthful Abandon
In addition to the empowerment that teens feel during their VISIONS program—and now also through VIAthey also get to experience pure, unplugged fun—playing games, connecting with new friends, and diving into hands-on activities. Laughter and levity always emerge, and it’s common for participants to talk about how their school-related stress fades away, letting them be in the moment and enjoy simply being a kid.
We look forward to our 36th season and hope you will join us!
VISIONS was great and my daughter had an amazing time. She truly came home so happy! She loved the counselors, the other kids, the trip, the service, the free time, and she loved being tech free. She was so refreshed and renewed on who she is and who she wants to be as a person.
