You’re making a conscious decision to jump out of your comfort zone. With VISIONS, a service learning adventure is a pivotal life moment, one where you choose transformation over belonging, service to others over service to self.
Building a bombproof resume in high school can seem impossible, but don’t stress! Here’s everything you need to know.
Most Americans are familiar with the concept of summer camp. You head off to a frontcountry “camp” in the outdoors, usually staying in tents or cabins with other campers. You’ll probably eat in a mess hall.
Service learning in high school often means meeting traditional academic requirements through service. For example, you might learn about marine ecosystems by organizing a beach cleanup, or learn architectural principles while volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity building site.
Let’s start by focusing on what “service learning” is. In simple terms, service learning is the process of education via community service. But what service learning looks like really depends on who you ask.
VISIONS partner Meagan Lannan, of Barney Creek Livestock, teaches VISIONS students about the importance of regenerative agriculture. Learn more!
Our decisions about dress code are quite simple—we are guests in our host communities, not tourists. We work with elders, nonprofit leaders in their professional settings, indigenous communities that abide by conservative attire, members of religious and spiritual groups, and others whose cultural and professional beliefs abide by conservative and appropriate attire.
Working with children in our host communities is often one of the most rewarding parts of VISIONS programs. Driven by powerful inquisitiveness, chidren bypass language and cultural barriers to get to the objects of their curiosity, and teenagers are compellingly curious objects to these little children.
VISIONS has a long history of female leadership. We also honor the many women who have directed our programs, female project partners who make a difference in their communities, and thousands of girls who have attended programs and worked hard while honing leadership skills.
VISIONS has always run tech-free summer programs for high school students (no cell phones or other electronic gadgets other than 30 minutes set aside once a week to connect with home).
Kareen Erbe, the owner of the permaculture company Broken Ground, has been involved with VISIONS in various capacities for years. She was a staff leader in Peru in 2005 and helped start our inaugural Mississippi program in 2006.
Learn more about this unique activity during our Montana Teen Summer Programs, which fosters a deeper understanding of and connection with our food sources.