Choice Camps Recommendation of VISIONS Service Adventures: Nicaragua

Since 1989, VISIONS has introduced thousands of teenagers to cultures very different from their own through construction-based and other service projects, adventurous exploration, and on-site cultural immersion. VISIONS works with local organizations and community residents and undertakes a major construction project and other such outreach efforts. Students learn technical skills from staff carpenters or local maestros as they go – no previous experience is required.

While there are opportunities for students to visit historic sites and enjoy fun cultural pastimes, VISIONS participants more often visit places only known to the locals and do things that tourists never get to experience. Travelers can expect to share meals and mingle with locals who live in communities rarely seen by outsiders.

VISIONS gives students the opportunity to mature thoughtfully and reflectively within a community of peers and adult mentors. VISIONS programs are known to have a profound life-long impact on their participants. With cross-cultural learning and friendship is a core focus. Working with and for host communities is a doorway to learning about others' lives in different cultures – an experience that can’t be found anywhere else.

Trip Description

The VISIONS Nicaragua Service Adventure takes travelers to the highland city of Jinotega, roughly 100 miles northeast of the capitol of Managua. In the “cloud forests” where the climate is cooler than the lowlands, Jinotega is nestled at the base of a forested mountain range that surrounds the small city. Oak trees, ferns, moss, and coffee beans thrive in the area.

Service in Nicaragua mixes sustainable construction, reforestation, agriculture, and assistance to micro-businesses. VISIONS participants partner with Asociacion de Voluntarios para del Desarrollo Comunitario (AVODEC), a grassroots organization that supports rural communities by providing materials, labor, and expertise for a variety of sustainable initiatives. Projects include potable water systems, compost latrines, plant nurseries, agricultural, and other environmental projects. Students also volunteer in an orphanage teaching handicrafts and building skills.

Program participants spend their free time with their hosts eating dinner, dancing, singing, and learning about culture, customs, and history. Exploration includes an overnight stay on an ecological coffee farm, hiking in Reservas Dantanli and to La Pena de la Cruz for a panoramic view of all of Jinotega. Travelers also tour Granada, the oldest colonial city in Central America.

Staff Overview

VISIONS boasts a well-rounded staff typically in their mid-to-late twenties. The minimum age of a VISIONS trip leader is 23, and program directors average 28 years of age. With very few exceptions, program directors are veterans of at least one full VISIONS summer session.

VISIONS leaders are typically returned Peace Corps volunteers, Ph.D. candidates, graduate students, educators, and professionals. The staff retention rate typically surpasses an impressive 55%.

Setting & Accommodations

VISIONS students typically live in small groups of 16-25 campers and 4-6 trip leaders in the heart of host communities. While accommodations vary, none are luxurious – travelers often reside in a community building such as a school, church hall, or community center.

VISIONS travelers can expect to sleep on an inflatable or foam mattress with a sleeping bag or cotton sheets. There are private changing areas and indoor plumbing at all VISIONS sites, but with varying degrees of sophistication.

Because conditions vary by trip, Choice Camps recommends you contact a Personal Camp Expert at 781-519-0209 who can connect you directly with a VISIONS trip coordinator to get the most up-to-date program schedule and living accommodations.

Safety Standards

VISIONS program directors arrive on-site 8-10 days before participants and confirm all local medical facilities and doctors in case of emergency; local medical and emergency facilities are identified well ahead of the summer in annual pre-season planning trips to all VISIONS program locations.

All VISIONS staff members hold current first aid or Wilderness First Aid and CPR certifications – the majority have advanced safety concentrations including Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness EMT certifications.

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