Overview
Southwest Service
for 8th-12th graders
Rising 7,000 feet above the desert, Santa Fe is famous for its art, culture and history. What many don’t know is that Santa Fe’s home state of New Mexico is one of the poorest in the country. In a small, spirited group (no more than 12 students or fewer than 2 leaders), we’ll reach out to the communities of Santa Fe discovering the growth and fulfillment that come from helping others as we work side-by-side with the warm people of the Southwest.
We'll meet in Albuquerque and van to Santa Fe, where we'll dedicate our time and energy to helping local service organizations. We'll reach out to the hungry, homeless and at-risk youth in the area and also work to preserve the natural and historical beauty of this region.
In Santa Fe, we'll organize and distribute food at a food bank, serve at a soup kitchen, work on an organic community farm, volunteer at a homeless shelter and repair local hikiing trails. Groups will also spend invaluable time working with underprivileged children, including many from Hispanic and Native American families. All of these projects require not only enthusiasm, focus and flexibility, but also a strong work ethic and a willingness to be physically challenged.
During the late afternoons and on the weekend, our group will explore the surrounding Santa Fe area, enjoying hikes to prehistoric ruins at Bandelier National Monument, incredible geological formations at Tent Rocks and more. We'll also explore downtown Santa Fe, and at program's end, we'll celebrate and reflect upon our two weeks of rewarding service on Southwest Service; it's a life experience with value and resonance that extends far beyond the boundaries of a single summer.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Serve the hungry & homeless
- Inspire the youth of Santa Fe
- Preserve New Mexico’s beauty
- Hike at Bandelier & Tent Rocks
- Explore Santa Fe
- Discover the warm people of the Southwest
GRADE
For students who will finish grades 8-12 in June 2008. We plan on 1 group at each departure with 8th & 9th graders and 1 group at each departure with 9th-12th graders. Call us (800.458.0588) to check on current availability.
START & END LOCATION
Starts and ends in Albuquerque, New Mexico
2008 SERVICE HOURS, DATES & FEES
2 Weeks
60 hours of service credit
Sunday, June 22 to Friday, July 4
Sunday, July 6 to Friday, July 18
Sunday, July 20 to Friday, August 1
$2995 (airfare not included)
APPLY TODAY
Most groups fill in January & February. To download an application, click here.
“I felt like I was truly making a difference.” Bryan O'Connor, Southborough, Massachusetts
Students: Is this trip right for you?
Southwest Service requires a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard as volunteers. Participants should be eager to take part in a variety of service projects and be ready for both the challenges and rewards that service work offers.
Keep in mind that your enjoyment of this trip will hinge on certain factors:
- Your motivation. Service work is not always easy—you must be motivated!
- Your commitment to teamwork. Overland trips require compromise, patience and selflessness. Support your trip leaders and your trip mates and you’ll find that you have a great experience!
Please note that some of the service opportunities your group pursues will depend on the needs of the community and available service opportunities. We ask for students’ flexibility in the service projects we pursue in Santa Fe.
“The work was rewarding… it opened my eyes to the value of service.” Clare Riesman, Oak Park, Illinois
Program Itinerary
Program Start
We’ll meet in Albuquerque and van an hour north to Santa Fe to settle into our accommodations for the next two weeks. After we’ve settled into our rooms (doubles shared by Overland students of the same gender), we’ll reconvene as a group and spend the rest of the day getting to know one another.
Our Service Work in Santa Fe
The following morning we’ll dive right into our first day of service work in Santa Fe. Over the course of our two weeks together, we’ll work with a variety of local service organizations. Here are brief descriptions of a few of the organizations with whom we’ll hope to work this summer:
The Santa Fe Boys & Girls Club
The Santa Fe Boys & Girls Club attracts somewhere between 400 and 500 kids every day during the summer months, most between the ages of six and nine. Located directly across from the largest public housing development in Santa Fe, the Club is one of the most important organizations reaching out to youth in the Santa Fe area. Many of the children are very disadvantaged and benefit from the encouragement, support and mentorship that the Club provides. Overland volunteers are always appreciated in the constant flow of activities during the summer.
The Food Depot
The Food Depot is the largest food bank in Northern New Mexico, distributing an average of 200,000 pounds of food each month! Donated food is dropped off at the warehouse where it is inspected and organized for distribution—all with help from volunteers. We'll contribute our time and energy to this effort, sorting vegetables, bagging bread and more.
Cornerstones Community Partnerships
This non-profit works with traditional rural villages in New Mexico to help restore historic buildings. Cornerstones staff and volunteers help with projects alongside community members. Our groups often spend a day working in a village with Cornerstones—and it’s often a highlight!
Group Time
When we're not pursuing volunteer opportunities in Santa Fe, we'll explore the surrounding area and have fun as a group. During late afternoons, we’ll explore downtown Santa Fe or just spend some time relaxing at the College of Santa Fe. Each evening we’ll prepare and enjoy dinner together, and share the highs and lows of the day over dessert. In this way we'll gather each evening to look back over the rewarding day of service to the community and reenergize for the next day of outreach.
On the weekend our group will explore the surrounding Santa Fe area, enjoying hikes to prehistoric ruins at Bandelier National Monument, incredible geological formations at Tent Rocks and more. While hikes are not overly vigorous, students should be prepared to explore the outdoor beauty of the surrounding area with their group.
Program End
We'll end our two weeks together with a final dinner out in Santa Fe to celebrate and reflect upon our rewarding service in America's Southwest.
“Alli enjoyed the activities, especially working with children. She was inspired to pursue some community service activities at home.” Gloria Pickhover, Walnut Creek, California
Supervision & Safety
On an
We set high expectations for each student’s behavior—we expect respect and consideration for others, a positive attitude, and an eagerness to help make the program a success in every way possible.
In every decision we make, safety comes first. We plan our programs carefully choosing well-established organizations for whom we can provide meaningful service. Since our first trips in 1985 our safety record has been superlative; it's no wonder, then, that Overland is one of the few organizations of its kind to earn accreditation by the American Camp Association.
For nearly 25 years our caring and competent leaders, our superlative supervision, our high expectations, and our commonsense approach to safety have made Overland the number one choice for summer programs.
“I learned a lot, felt good about myself and was happy to meet new people and do something meaningful with them.” Theodore Martland, Groton, Massachusetts
Overland Leaders
In a world where strong leadership skills make the difference between the average and the exceptional, Overland recruits and trains only the best to be our leaders. Not only do these remarkable people capably lead our groups, they also offer our students the kind of role modeling for which Overland has long been recognized. Bright, charismatic and accomplished, our leaders ensure the safety and well-being of every Overland student, and then they provide much, much more, inspiring our students to reach for their potential in every way.
You won’t find a more dynamic and talented group of people than Overland’s leaders. Most Overland leaders have played varsity sports and many have captained their teams; they have served as student government officers, volunteered as peer counselors and directed campus organizations. They are high achievers who come to Overland with a lifetime of leadership experience—but just as importantly, they are warm, wonderful people who are eager to work with Overland’s students.
Overland’s leaders prepare carefully for the summer. We know of no other program that requires certification in First Aid, CPR and lifesaving—every Overland leader has all of these plus our own 10-day training program that focuses on safety, supervision and leadership. All of our efforts prepare Overland’s caring and committed leaders to create safe, supportive and valuable programs where each of our students can flourish.
Meet some of our spectacular returning leaders.
How We Put Our Groups Together
We have a number of important criteria for every group:
Size: Every
Grade: We generally group 8th & 9th together and 10th-12th together.
Gender:
Friends: We allow two pairs of friends in a group (we never allow three or more friends to travel together). With a maximum of two pairs of friends there will always be space available for at least eight students to come on their own without a friend. Furthermore, if we enroll two pairs of friends in a group and both pairs are of one gender, we generally try to: (1) enroll three or four more students of that gender in that group, or (2) close the group to additional students of that gender.
Trip Details
Getting To & From The Program
Families are responsible for making travel arrangements to and from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Overland’s leaders will be on hand at the airport to provide supervision and assistance at program start and end.
Additional Costs
Transportation to and from program start and end locations, spending money and personal gear are not included in the program fee.
“Brendan enjoyed the experience immensely and I feel that his perspective on the world and his own life in comparison has broadened.” Gabriele Clune, Germantown, Maryland
Leader Comments
Here are some project descriptions from recent Southwest Service leaders:
“Our group absolutely loved Food for Santa Fe [distributing food to the hungry] because they had the opportunity to interact with the people whom they were serving and they saw the food they had sorted at the Food Depot go directly to people in need. Incredibly rewarding, a favorite among the kids.”
“Working with Cornerstones was one of the highlights of the summer. The locations and community members that we encountered on the projects were incredible and in addition, they provided us with a lot of history about the service site and about Santa Fe. Great people, great fun!!”
“Our groups worked at St. Johns Soup Kitchen twice each session and absolutely loved it. The people we worked with were awesome and funny. Also the kids loved serving the food directly to hungry people.”
“David had a wonderful time and greatly enjoyed all the different community service projects.” Joan Murray, Washington D.C.
