Visions Service Adventures

Having experienced three VISIONS trips so far (British Virgin Islands, Montana Northern Cheyenne and Dominican Republic), I figured I could lend an interesting perspective on what it is really like being a part of this community service program. Unlike other summer community service trips I looked at in the past, VISIONS is honest about accomplishing its main goal: to do community service. They do not try to pretty it up online with vivid descriptions of the beautiful beaches or tall mountains on whatever program you are looking at. Everyone who goes on a VISIONS journey shares an objective in common, which is to help the less fortunate and give back. The staff members know exactly how to discipline, as well as hang out with, both middle school and high school students. They are never overbearing or annoying, and if there is ever a bump on the road you feel able to have a genuine conversation with them. They also do not act like your superiors; the staffers are more like older siblings rather than parental figures. The campers on each individual program are always a hardworking, fun, well-rounded group of kids. I have never encountered a bully or clique thus far, which is impressive considering how teenagers can often have exclusive relationships. The excursions we all go on after work during the weekdays or on the weekends are diverse and engaging. From venturing out to waterfalls and a ‘discoteca’ to overnight backpacking in Wyoming, you never feel bored or out of the loop of whatever culture you are immersing yourself in. At times you may feel sad or homesick or angry, which is normal for both new and veteran travelers. This is where circle comes into play. Circle, also known as ‘communidad’, is a time where everyone sits in a circle, shares what happened that day, and completes an activity that helps everyone get to know each other and how they are all currently feeling. At first this sounded extremely cheesy to me. And on paper it does. I promise that we do not sing Kumbaya or hold hands. During circle, we open up to each other and share laughs, tears, and honest feelings. It is a healthy thing to do, especially in such an active environment where you have little free time. I am a huge fan of VISIONS, and while my review may sound biased to some, I feel like I was honest with how my three trips went as a whole. I had been searching for a reliable summer program for years. I cannot wait to go on my fourth VISIONS trip next year. I hope to see you there!

Before leaving for the British Virgin Islands with Visions Service Adventure, I was pretty nervous because I wasn't certain as to what I was expecting. I was leaving home to go to a new country with complete strangers! It was quite nerve wracking... But once I got there and met everyone, it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life! We helped out people from the community, we got to experience things that tourist wouldn't even think of doing and we had fun while doing this all. At first I thought 3 weeks would be a long time, but now I wish I had never left. I got so used to getting up with a house full of friends and having a blast getting up and ready at 7 in the morning to get the day started (something I thought I'd never say before)! The day would start of with a typical daily breakfast and packing a lunch and then it was off to the work sites to start of the day of non stop activities. But, even after a days full of work, you would still get back to a planned activity to keep busy. It sounds like a lot, but actually is perfect. You got to give to the community and also take in the breath taking BVI and do stuff that you couldn't even think were possible to do whilst on vacation. We got to go coconut carving with a local farmer, we got to play amazing race in one the national parks as a group, we went to beaches that were unknown to the tourist and even unknown to some locals, we even got the chance to go to church and learn about their culture. Nevertheless, my favorite part of the week was homebass day. Homebass was a day during the working that you get off and away from the work site with some of the other team mates and did the chores around the living area and went out to do stuff, it was like a day off from the work sites and you still got to do the afternoon activities. My experience with Visions was a once in a life time adventure and I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone thinking of joining in on the fun! I've even already started saving up to go to Alaska with them next year!