Arrive & Connect

DAY 1

Upon arrival at Glacier Park International Airport, your VISIONS leaders will warmly welcome you. You’ll have time for a quick call home before embarking on a scenic two-hour drive through Glacier country, with epic views of Glacier National Park. 

Our destination is the Yellow Bird Woman Sanctuary conservation ranch, your new home away from home. After settling in, we’ll dive into a group program orientation and gather under Montana’s expansive sky for the opening Circle meeting, setting the stage for an unforgettable adventure.

Let the adventure begin! 

GETTING GROUNDED & SKILL TRAINING

DAY 2

After breakfast, dive into a blend of community action and service projects, guided by our carpenter on construction and power tools. Also lay the groundwork for social service and environmental initiatives, poised to contribute during your stay on the Reservation.

After a productive day, join in on a team-based scavenger hunt in Browning, discovering the hidden gems of the town. You’ll check out the Trading Post, Museum of the Plains Indian, Blackfeet Community College, and more. 

Once back to the ranch, we’ll uncover some of the tapestry of challenges and resilience here through the documentary “100 Years.” This film follows Elouise Cobell, an esteemed Indigenous activist and local Browning legend. 

Wrap up the day with reflections and shared perspectives as the sun sets.

WORK & COMMUNITY

DAYS 3 – 6

Get ready to roll up your sleeves! Each day presents a garden of possibilities as you choose your worksites—from helping prepare and serve meals for children, caring for puppies at the animal shelter, and working with local artists making strides in collaboration with small businesses in the area to breathe new life into the economy of this community. 

Whatever calls to you, you can find a way to contribute a lasting and valued change in the lives of the folk you will come to know and cherish here in Browning. Back at the ranch, get the chance to help do all the little things you’ve been appreciating but may not have noticed, like serving up our savory dinners, scrubbing the dishes of your new-found friends, and hauling scrapped demolition material to the dump.

Once we wrap up work mid-afternoon, we pack in engaging recreational and cultural activities. You’ll go horseback riding, learn traditional beading or buffalo hide tanning and take a dip at Two Medicine Falls. Then, we’ll head out for a camping trip, hiking through gorgeous alpine scenery to an incredible view where we’ll set up camp under a night sky blazing with stars.

Read more about daily life on VISIONS programs.

CULMINATION & CELEBRATION

DAY 7 

As our stay on the Blackfeet Reservation comes to a close, we wrap up our projects in the community and on the ranch. We give our gratitude to the community that has shared it’s knowledge, traditions, power and struggles with us with thank you cards, and completed projects that serve as a reminder that the community of humanity will always be there for each other, and a reminder to ourselves that wherever we go next, we will have what it takes to make a difference. 

Over a final meal at the ranch we reflect on all that has happened and all we have learned, and say farewell to our home on the ōt”kwaipiiksaakii (Yellow Bird Woman) Sanctuary. 

VERTICAL CHALLENGE

DAY 8 

With the work behind us we travel to a beautiful river at the base of a canyon filled with rock faces, where experienced guides challenge us to push our comfort zones and defy gravity. After a day of fantastic climbing, we relax at Whitefish Lake for swimming, pizza, hanging with friends, and savoring a dessert of delicious locally made ice cream. Hearts and bellies full, we head to the land of one of VISIONS best, a former director of the Blackfeet program, to camp together under Montana’s legendary stars one last time.

HOMEWARD BOUND

DAY 9 

On your last morning, bid farewell to your newfound friends and the wild landscapes of Montana.  Our leaders see you off to the airport as you reflect on the personal growth, connections, and unforgettable memories. Don’t forget while you revel in the experiences you’ve shared, that returning home does not mean it all ends here. 

Armed with valuable skills and a new understanding of your ability to help and serve others, remember the Blackfeet value of “naahsaakoomi.” It reflects the sense of responsibility to share one’s skills and contribute positively to the community, utilizing one’s abilities and knowledge for the betterment of the collective and the promotion of the common good Until we meet again for the next adventure!