DAY 1

Okii! (Blackfeet for Hello!) You’re welcomed by VISIONS leaders when you arrive at Glacier Park International Airport. Make a quick call home before we set out for the stunning two-hour drive along the National Park. 

Our destination is the Yellow Bird Woman conservation ranch, your new home away from home on the Blackfeet Nation. Settle in and gather under Montana’s big sky for an orientation to the adventures ahead.

DAY 2

Following a hearty breakfast, we break into groups for carpentry training as well as other community service—preparing to make a real difference during your time on the Blackfeet Reservation. 

After worksites wrap up, explore the reservation town of Browning, Blackfeet Community College, and other landmarks during a group scavenger hunt. We also watch “100 Years,” a documentary about one of the most renowned indigenous Americans of this era, Elouise Cobell. In addition to a fight for justice that took her to the Supreme Court, Elouise founded the conservation ranch that you call home during the program. 

DAYS 3 – 6 (Projects)

Embrace the power of purpose by choosing your project site each day—you might be building wheelchair ramps, doing trail work and caring for foster puppies, or serving meals at the Child Nutrition program. One day a week you’re on “homebase crew,” helping to make breakfast, shop for the next meals, and tend to our living space.

Once the service projects end each day around 2 pm, we enjoy cultural and adventurous activities, such as horseback riding near Glacier Park, swimming in mountain streams and lakes, and learning from historians at the Museum of the Plains Indians. You also have the opportunity to work with local artisans on traditional crafts such as making buckskin satchels. 

Read more about daily life on VISIONS programs.

DAY 7

North American Indian Days enchants us with a parade, Indian relays and the powwow, where tribal members from across the country adorn their regalia for dancing and drumming that is steeped in history and tradition. You can also visit some of our local friends who have set up teepees for the events, go on rides at the carnival and explore the artisan markets.

It’s an incredible day of rhythmic drum beats and festivities that few people ever get to experience. Each summer has two separate powwow weekends: VISIONS session 2 attends celebrations in the town of Browning and session 3 in the town of Heart Butte.

DAY 8

Take a short hike through alpine terrain and wildflowers before settling into a cozy campsite in Glacier National Park. After dinner when the skies darken, you’ll see thousands of bright stars and the glowing band of Makoiyohsokoyi (Blackfeet for wolf’s trail), or as you may know it, the Milky Way. 

We pack with a mindset of “Leave No Trace,” wilderness ethics and taking time to connect with our surroundings. New to camping and hiking? No worries! This is a first for many of our students, and it’s a beginner level with options for additional short hikes with leaders.

DAYS 9 – 12

Dig back into our worksites, making tangible progress on projects that directly benefit the Amskapi Piikani (or Southern Peigan, the southernmost Blackfeet Nation within the broader Blackfoot Confederacy) while also strengthening your own fibers of grit and accomplishment. You may be especially drawn to a particular worksite and return to it often, or rotate around each day. 

Afternoons and evenings continue to be packed with options for outdoor activities, picking up souvenirs at the Blackfeet Trading Post, learning beading, hanging out with your VISIONS friends, a Talent Show, and spending time with Blackfeet people who invite you to participate in cultural events, conversations, and tours. One evening we attend Native America Speaks to hear Indigenous wisdom, humor and history.

DAYS 13 & 14

One of the worksite options for several days includes being invited to help set up ceremonial grounds and teepee or Sundance lodges. VISIONS session 2 is involved with Akao’katsin, or “time of all people camping together.” It’s an important time when several hundred Blackfeet people gather to renew their connections to the world. This multi-day celebration includes Indian naming ceremonies, dancing, drumming and storytelling. 

Teens on session 3 will help set up and attend a Sundance, one of the most sacred ceremonies of the Plains Indians. It is a deep and humbling honor that we are able to witness these ceremonies.  

“I really enjoyed interacting with the Blackfeet community and listening to their stories. I tried so many new things that I normally would have never done. The program gave me a sense of what I want to do in life.”

— Nicholas Maguire

DAY 15

Experience the renowned Glacier National Park through citizen science and service with Glacier Volunteers, a nonprofit that brings people together to help in the protection of Glacier National Park. This is a fun opportunity to help out, and also a chance to take in the rugged mountain peaks, glacial meadows and alpine lakes. Once our work is done sometime after lunch, we visit some of the Park’s most popular sites. 

The evening is carved out for our final dinner at the ranch, and time to reflect on a job well done as well as an opportunity to thank our local hosts for sharing their lives with us. The projects you leave behind serve as a reminder that there will always be those who show up when help is needed. Not only this, but they will leave no doubt for you that for the rest of your life, wherever you see a need, you have the strength and heart to make a difference.

DAY 16

Cherish your last walk down the dirt driveway at Yellow Bird Woman Sanctuary, a place honoring the great Elouise Cobell and all who prioritize justice and connection with land, self and others. 

We then head out for a rock climbing trip with professional guides who show us the ropes! Challenge yourself physically and mentally as you scale the heights, fostering teamwork and confidence. Your guides will encourage you to push your boundaries while teaching climbing and life skills alike. 

After the climb, cool off with a swim at Whitefish Lake, enjoy pizza and locally-made ice cream. That night we’ll camp out on the land of a legendary former Blackfeet program director.

DAY 17

They say all good things must come to an end, and on departure day we must all say goodbye. While your leaders see you off to your flights home, take a moment to reflect on the memories you’ve created and the connections you’ve built. Remember, although our time together comes to an end, all the work you have done to make the world a slightly better place does not! 

From here you can take what you have learned with you and put it to work, making every community you encounter a brighter and more connected place.