Arrive & Connect

DAY 1

Okii! Touch down at Glacier Park International airport, where VISIONS leaders are waiting to welcome you. Before we hit the road, you’ll have time for a quick call home. Then get ready for an epic two-hour drive through Glacier country. 

Our destination is the Yellow Bird Woman Sanctuary conservation ranch, your new home away from home. After settling in, begin with an engaging orientation and opening Circle meeting beneath Montana’s expansive sky. 

Get ready to connect with fellow participants and dive into the unique journey ahead!

GETTING GROUNDED

DAY 2

Start your day with a hearty breakfast, and dive into a combination of community engagement and service projects. Work with our carpenter to receive training in construction and power tools, and prepare for our social service and environmental initiatives.

After a productive day, have fun with a team-based scavenger hunt through Browning. You’ll get to know the go-to spots in town, from the Trading Post to the museum, and more. 

Once back to the ranch, we carve out time to gain insight into the challenges and resilience of Reservation life through the film “100 Years.” The documentary features the journey of Elouise Cobell, a renowned Indigenous activist and local Browning legend, as she advocates for justice for Native American people. 

As the sun sets, gather together to reflect on your experiences and newfound insights.

IMMERSIVE SERVICE

DAYS 3 – 6 (Projects)

It’s time to roll up our sleeves! Every day brings a fresh adventure as you pick from worksites, like elders’ home repairs, wheelchair ramps, preparing and delivering meals to kids, taking care of puppies at the local shelter, and working with native ecosystems. These actions are your gateway to connecting with community members, fellow volunteers and yourself. 

You’ll also have a chance to engage with the rhythms of reciprocity that make our VISIONS community run by taking your turn on Homebase crew rotations, handling meals, tidying up and resupplying program supplies from our friends in town.

HANDS-ON ADVENTURES

DAYS 3- 6 (Activities)

After work ends each afternoon, prepare for exciting cultural and recreational activities. This first week includes the always-popular horseback riding with a Blackfeet guide who takes us into Badger Two Medicine, hitting our favorite swimming hole and hikes on the reservation, workshops with traditional crafts such as beading and making moccasins, and Blackfeet guest speakers who share their wisdom.

The days are packed and new sights (and insights) will be yours to enjoy.

Read more about daily life on VISIONS programs.

INTO THE WILDERNESS

DAY 7 

Learn about wilderness ethics, responsible recreation and the Leave No Trace principles, and then put it all to practice as we hike through alpine landscapes to a stunning view of the miistákisti (mountains) where we will set up camp for the night. Take some time to explore a bit and soak up the views before enjoying dinner, then settle in as a dazzling night sky comes to life above you. Surrounded by beauty above and all around you, connect with the land, yourself and your team as stories are swapped around the campfire.

IMPACT & EXPLORE

DAYS 8 & 9

Imbued with the power and peace of the spirit of the wilderness, return to your projects to continue making a difference in the community and environment of Browning. Get back to work on a project that has sparked passion in you to see the fruits of your labor grow, or hop around to get experience in the full variety of possibilities, all the while learning new skills and discovering your potential. 

You may even get access to the famous Glacier National Park through an organization that connects people to the park through science and service–Glacier Volunteers– helping with surveys and other projects gathering critical scientific data for the National Parks Service.

POWWOW

DAY 10 

Travel to Heart Butte, one of the most traditional villages in the Blackfeet Nation, a remote town of 125-150 families nestled in a kind of natural, geologic bowl. The largest concentration of native Blackfeet speakers reside here, where you will witness a Powwow. 

Stick Game , or Sla-hal, tournaments will be held among stands of food and vendors of local goods, while dancers graced with traditional and modern regalia perform dances in awe-striking coordination with drumming and singing in a jubilant ceremony celebrating culture and welcoming old and new friends alike. In fact, you may even be asked to participate in a round dance! Don’t be shy, during that time all are welcome, native or not, to dance in whatever style they like to get down to. 

VERTICAL CHALLENGES

DAY 11

After enjoying our last night together at the ranch, we head off to Stillwater Canyon to test our minds and muscles, led by expert guides in a day of fun and challenge. Whether you are an experienced rock climber or a first timer, or even terrified of heights, there are routes for every ability level. Step out of your comfort zone, Iiyika’kimaat (the Blackfeet word for trying hard), and discover the many lessons rock climbing has to teach us about life and ourselves–and of course–have fun!

Afterwards, swim at Whitefish Lake, share pizza with your friends and enjoy locally made ice cream before camping out on the land of a revered former director of the VISIONS Blackfeet program.

JOURNEY’S END

DAY 12 

As the leader team sends you off at the airport, say your goodbyes, get contact information from your pals and reflect on everything you’ve learned and accomplished together. 

Look forward to returning home to family and friends, and re-joining your community with a new perspective, a heart full of memories, and the knowledge that you can apply what you’ve learned to your own hometown or city, equipped for further service by rich experience and many new skills. Go forth and change the world!