REVIEWS &
TESTIMONIALS

Ali had a great experience in every way—getting to know the BVI, feeling that she made a difference, making good friends, learning about herself.
—Penny B.

VISIONS was probably the best experience of my life so far. It gives you an idea about working for the future and working for other people’s joy and not for yourself.
—Oscar T.

I really don’t know where to begin. Each of the counselors brought something amazing to the table. The time that we spent with local members of the community created an atmosphere that we were more than welcome, we were wanted. They were adults choosing to spend their time talking and laughing with us. The trip changed so much about the way I view people around me.
—Addie M.

I learned so much about my capabilities and myself. I can see that I am now a more mature, open minded and self-confident person than I was before I left for this trip. This program has changed me.
—Amy D.

Our daughters have had two marvelous summers with VISIONS in BVI and Montana. As their parents, we want to say how much we appreciate the opportunity you have given them to challenge themselves; to take risks; to provide a service and discover that in so doing you are the one who has gained the most! Both have returned from their summers far more willing to give of themselves to assist others and ready to prepare themselves for a future of international work and living. A gift we could never have provided!
—Peter & Patricia C.

Zoie had an absolutely fantastic adventure. She loved every bit of it. Her experiences with VISIONS/BVI far surpassed our goals for her, including better purpose, more room to grow, more freedom, clearly geared towards service. Thanks for letting Zoie be a part of such a great adventure!
—Gail B.

In BVI my cell phone, iPod, and TV had been left behind; they were replaced with card games, kickball, and volunteer work. I had previously thought my electronics connected me to others, but the past month had proved me wrong. Both my view of the world and of myself changed dramatically.
—Irene O.

I have so much more respect for nature in general to the point that I greatly miss living there.
—Meryl G.

My experience was incredible. Although I have done other types of community service, the experience in Virgin Gorda was the most rewarding. These are memories I will keep forever.
—Katie S.

All the projects included a lot of love…I love the island culture and the way of life. We all worked together on everything. I learned that we all have to put our own help in and contribute to be successful.
—Eleni W.

I liked that every day we got to choose what service we took part in. There was a good amount of diversity in the projects that we took on, they ranged from social work to physical work. It was incredible to see the people around me push themselves and get outside of their comfort zones, it really encouraged me to do the same.
—Nora C.

I learned so much about what I could accomplish and who I was. I met some of the most amazing people that encouraged my growth and became great friends.
—Julie F.

Interacting with all of the little children and engaging in the activities that they enjoy was one of the most wonderful and rewarding experiences of my life. I gained self-confidence by being a hard worker and I made some of the best friends of my life on the trip to the DR.
—Max K.

He loved it. It was wonderful for him to feel useful, speak Spanish, make friends with young and old people. Eat rice and beans, fruit. Be in nature. Thank you for this wonderful experience. Again, we felt so at ease. What you do is good for our culture at large.
—Kate S.

It was a really incredible and life changing experience that has really changed my life.
—Reed G.

The greatest hope my husband and I had for the program came true; joy is reignited in our teenager. He got to see a glimpse of who he wants to become instead of being tied to who he thinks he was. He got a real chance to shed the insecurities of boyhood and step into leadership and true work.
—Alison F.

This was life changing for Jess. He grew up so much. If you want your child to discover the joy of truly doing service, to find a sense of calm and connection to nature, to feel a sense of pride in their growing maturity, and to become part of a community of caring, inclusive teens, then give your child—and your family—the gift of a Visions Service trip.
—Ken P.

I had the adventure of a lifetime doing countless amazing things in one day that I would never do in a year at home.
—Becky S.

I loved how this program combined community service, cross-cultural interchange, amazing adventure, and fun excursion all into a single trip.
—Tanya T.

VISIONS may be a service program, but there is so much more to VISIONS than service work. The atmosphere is indescribable; I saw so many beautiful beaches, swam in crystal blue water, laid in the most amazing sand. The drives were always accompanied by laughter. The work days were spent singing or talking to Michael, who is one of the most interesting pineapple farmers anybody could ever hope to meet. I cannot remember one dull moment the whole time.
—Janelle G.

The service was absolutely incredible, and definitely the most rewarding thing I've ever done. The work was hard, but I really felt like I was helping people, and that's what it's about.
—Nicole K.

I think overall the VISIONS experience is something you can’t get anywhere else: the service, the people, the environment, and everything else just comes together for an amazing summer experience.
—Edgar M.

I’ve never had a summer as incredible as this one before. The community service aspect of this trip obviously had a great deal to do with this. The projects were challenging, but not impossible to accomplish. The completion of these projects brought me an overwhelming sense of pride and happiness.
—Jennie B.

The openness of the community is still mind blowing. The great friendships and networks that VISIONS has established on the Blackfeet reservation were super valuable.
—Judy C.

I really enjoyed interacting with the Blackfeet community and listening to their stories. One thing I gained was trying new things that I normally would have never done. It gave me a sense of what I want to do in life.
—Nicholas M.

I spent the best 2 summers of my life in Montana and Peru with VISIONS. I would love to spend a third in the BVI, but with college coming up it’s not in the cards for me. Although I won’t be getting my hands dirty with fellow VISIONS participants this summer, I will definitely continue to give back to the global community – either with this gap year, or another summer with VISIONS, next time as a leader! Until then…
— Jasmine B

Thanks everyone…What an awesome trip!
—Luned P.

After my month in Montana, I was not only able to reflect on the good that I had done for the community, but I was also allowed to reflect on my personal growth. VISIONS taught me a lot about taking personal risks, as well as the importance of communication and expressing myself while living in a group. I became a more independent and goal-driven person.
—Jennifer I.

My two summers with VISIONS have been the most rewarding experiences of my life. Two years ago I would never have imagined I’d be so culturally aware and find such joy from doing community service. I have been blessed to be a part of VISIONS because the experiences have allowed me to begin a transformation into a person I am proud to be.
—Hannah B.

The things he got to feel from helping others, working hard in community, and exploring nature are priceless.
—Laurel C.

Backpacking, rock climbing, horseback riding, and camping were wonderful. I'm not an outdoor person, but the program made sure everyone could have an enjoyable experience.
—Rachel O.

I loved connecting with people and listening to their stories. This year I got to dance along with the dancers at the Sun Dance and it was a brand new experience for me. I absolutely loved it. I will never forget the backpacking trip and the rock climbing trip. I loved how we got to chill at the river and it was really nice.
—Grace L.

This program with VISIONS was the experience of a lifetime. The community service was so rewarding, the people were beyond amazing, the activities were so fun, and the counselors were wonderful.
—Eliana K.

Sam realized a lot about himself and what he is capable of, as well as seeing a glimpse of Native American life and the beauty of Montana—which is exactly what we hoped for. Thank you to the leaders who encouraged Sam and all the kids to be their best selves and who taught them so much!
—Lauren H.

The community service part of the trip was my favorite. I really felt like I was contributing in a meaningful way. I learned about carpentry and it felt good to work hard. The leaders were helpful and thankful for our work and we were always safe with the tools.
—Jamie G.

I gained a perspective about what is important, it is not landscape or architecture that make life and journeys special, it is the people you form bonds with and help. This trip will always be memorable not because of the places I saw but the people I met.
—Katelyn W.

I made great friendships on my trip. I remember during circle we always talked about how quickly our group bonded, and how we didn't expect to bond so fast. I just wanted to commend the counselors and teens for working so well together and creating bonds that will hopefully last a long time.
—Maria R.

This summer was absolutely the best summer of my life. I made amazing friends and learned so much about myself and others. This trip was much more than just community service.
—Jesi L.

I cannot rave more about VISIONS Peru. The experiences I had are irreplaceable.
—Natanya C.

Our son’s experiences last summer will be with him forever and have impacted the way he sees the world. My friend's children who attended VISIONS over 15 years ago were right—a life changing experience. Andrew said he never worked harder!
—Mary Louise C.

Ginny loved her second trip with VISIONS even more than she thought possible after her first. She has been touched, transformed and elevated in new ways as a teenager and young adult. Her understanding of the world has grown so much with this trip. She has been filled with joy since her return and the “knowing” of what matters in life has given her a wonderful perspective at age 15.
—Mr. and Mrs. U

It was one of the best experiences I've had in my entire life. It was also the best summer I could have imagined. I cannot wait to do another service adventure next year.
—Georgia G.

I loved that we lived in the heart of Urubamba and had Bamba Time to explore the city and talk to people who lived there.
—Alexandra K.

MACHU PICCHU!!!! To be able to hike up to the top of the mountain that Machu Picchu was on was so fun! (And extremely tiring, stressful, and leg-killing) but at the top and in the days after the pain was all worth it, because the views were beautiful, and there was only a small group that went up, we were all rewarded visually and mentally knowing that WE had made it out of all the kids that went.
—Maria R.

WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS!!! IT WAS AMAZING it truly changed her.
—Kathy T.

I loved that we worked side-by-side with community members; we learned a ton and felt more like community members ourselves than tourists.
—Alexandra K.

I can truthfully say I have never had so much fun with such amazing individuals, completing projects that would and will benefit so many people, in my entire life, to this point. I have no regrets on this trip and this has been the best summer (hands down) in my life—and all doing community service. I have been bettered as an individual for having completed this trip and for having been in the presence of such a collection of selfless people. This was truly the most life-changing and eye-opening trip of my life.
—Patrick F.