Overland offers a variety of service programs to students currently in 8th through 12th grades--including service in the Berkshires of New England, America's Southwest, Hawaii, the Alaskan outdoors, the Rockies, the Caribbean and Costa Rica. We structure our programs to provide safe, fun and carefully crafted challenges that engage and excite our students. Our service programs provide a life experience with value and resonance that extends far beyond the boundaries of a single summer.

New England Service is a two-week program based in Williamstown, Massachusetts, that offers students the chance to become a mentor, role model, reading tutor and friend to a younger buddy through our morning Reading & Recreation Summer Camp. Afternoons bring opportunities for outdoor service in beautiful New England, including trail stewardship, a river cleanup, volunteering at a local organic farm and exploration of Williamstown and the cultural Berkshires.

Southwest Service is a two-week program in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where students serve as summer camp reading mentors for underprivileged youth at the Santa Fe Boys & Girls Club and local elementary schools; we'll also seek out service opportunities to improve the land, benefit hungry families and protect natural rescources of the area. Throughout our program, students will also take time to experience the vibrant art, culture and natural beauty of  downtown Santa Fe and the scenic Southwest.

Hawaii Service is a three-week program on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. In the city of Honolulu, our group will work with children from the community, vounteering at both a Boys & Girls Club and a day care center. During our afternoons, we'll work to preserve Oahu's wilderness and trail system. Students will spend a week on the North Shore as well, working with organizations to protect and maintain fragile island ecosystems. Between service days, students will snorkel, sail, hike and relax along world famous beaches.

Alaska Service is a three-week program focusing on protecting our nation's Last Frontier through trail maintenance in the wilderness outside Juneau. Beginning with day hikes that bring the group together, we'll embark on 10 days improving the trail systems in the Juneau area. In addition to the trail work, we'll visit a fish hatchery, explore Juneau and learn about local cultural heritage. Three days of spectacular sea-kayaking along the coast on Berners Bay is a perfect reward to celebrate the group's hard work and dedication .

Rockies Service is a three-week program that offers students the unique and historic opportunity to help build a trail on the second highest peak in Colorado, Mount Massive. After an introductory backpacking trip that bonds the group and allows time to acclimate to the elevation, the group dedicates the next 10 days to building a section trail. This demanding work is rewarded when the group hikes out on the trail they have built--a trail that will be enjoyed by thousands of people in the future. The program ends with a celebratory hike to the top of one of Colorado's 14ers and a rafting trip on the Arkansas River.

Virgin Islands Service is a three-week program that offers students the opportunity to serve St. Croix's disadvantaged populations and to help maintain and protect the Virgin Islands National Park's fragile ecosystem. Students will volunteer with a renowned organic farm, summer camps that serve St. Croix's disadvantaged children, plant trees and restore beach habitat for nesting turtles. On the island of St. John, we will work with the National Park Service, cleaning beaches, repairing hiking trails and removing invasive species. In the afternoons and on weekends, we'll enjoy snorkeling, swimming and boat trips to neighboring islands.

Costa Rica Service is a three-week program that focuses on working with local organizations to better the lives of various disadvantaged populations in Costa Rica. Based in San Isidro de Coronado, a small rural community just northeast of San José, groups work at a nearby understaffed orphanage, a day care center for children of low income families and a center for young adults with Down Syndrome. Afternoons bring time to explore the local area, take a Costa Rican cooking class and soak in the local culture. Groups also visit Costa Rica's Volcán Arenal, spend two days rafting on the Pacuare River and travel to the Caribbean coast to continue service in the town of Volio with the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation.

Language & Service Costa Rica: Three Weeks for 8th & 9th Graders is a three-week program that offers an unbeatable combination of native-speaker, classroom-based language instruction and meaningful community service projects to help disadvantaged Costa Rican communities and preserve the country's spectacular natural beauty to students in grades 8 and 9. Students stay in group accommodations for two weeks and experience a one-week homestay in a small Monteverde community. Please note that a minimum of one year of Spanish is required for Language & Service Costa Rica.

 Language & Service Costa Rica: Four Weeks for 9th-12th Graders is a four-week program that offers an unbeatable combination of native-speaker, classroom-based language instruction and meaningful community service projects to help disadvantaged Costa Rican communities and preserve the country's spectacular natural beauty to students in grades 9 through 12. Students stay in group accommodations for three weeks and experience a one-week homestay in a small Monteverde community. Please note that a minimum of one year of high school Spanish is required for Language & Service Costa Rica.

If you need help choosing the right trip for you, please feel free to contact us.

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