Gulf Coast Service

Overview

For two weeks, we’ll serve the communities of the Gulf Coast as we volunteer with local organizations and make a difference for the people and environment of the greater New Orleans area.

We’ll meet in New Orleans and travel into the city as a group, orienting ourselves with an afternoon walk through the French Quarter. The following morning, we’ll dive into our first volunteer project, working with a non-profit organization on building projects where we’ll help homeowners with painting, landscaping and basic construction. We’ll then lend a hand to an environmental restoration team, learning about the work they do and how Katrina and the oil spill have impacted the ecosystems of the Gulf Coast. Though our days of work will be long, we’ll take time out to explore the New Orleans area and learn about the history and culture of this fascinating city.

After two weeks in Louisiana, we’ll look back upon our work with the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and reflect on the difference we’ve made for a region in need.

“We honestly can’t say enough great things about the organization. Everything has been extremely positive, well-organized, professional, and (most importantly) so much fun!” Maeve Zamsky, Darien, Connecticut

Highlights

• Reach out to the people of New Orleans
• Assist with home building & resotration
• Volunteer to help restore Gulf Coast ecosystems
• Explore the history & culture of New Orleans

Grade

For students who will finish grades 9-12 in June 2012.

Multiple sections are grouped by grades.

Call us (413-458-9672) to check on current availability.

Start and End Location

Starts and ends in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Accommodations

12 nights total.

All nights will be spent in a volunteer bunkhouse run by Hands On New Orleans.  Students will stay in bunkbeds in rooms, separated by gender, with their Overland leaders.  The bunkhouse is equipped with bathrooms, showers, a fully functioning kitchen and common space for the group to use.  Students must bring a pillowcase and their own sleeping bag or sheets and blanket. 

Dates and Fees

2 Weeks

Sunday, June 24 to Friday, July 6
Sunday, July 8 to Friday, July 20
Sunday, July 22 to Friday, August 3

$3295 (airfare not included)

“I am very impressed with the character of the leaders – their enthusiasm, compassion, playfulness, energy, patience, and resourcefulness. They seem to be both understanding AND able to establish clear boundaries – vital skills for young adults working with teens!” Karen Fitzpatrick, Homewood Alabama

Itinerary

Day 1 Trip Start

We'll meet in the New Orleans Airport and van into city where we'll settle into our volunteer bunkhouse, our new home for the next two weeks.  After unpacking, we'll head downtown and walk the streets of the French Quarter, sampling New Orleans' famous biegnets, wandering through historic Jackson Square and walking down to the riverfront. 

Days 2-6  Home Construction with Beacon of Hope

We'll dive into our first volunteer project on Monday morning where we'll work with Beacon of Hope, an organization devoted to helping homeowners rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Students will be involved with light construction, landscaping and painting projects at homes in the Lower Ninth Ward and/or the Gentilly neighborhoods - areas devastated by the collapsed levees.

Days 7-8  Exploring New Orleans

We'll spend the weekend experiencing all the city has to offer: amazing food, a rich music scene, historic neighborhoods, beautiful parks and friendly people.  A trip aboard the Steamboat Natchez, the last authentic steamboat in operation on the Mississippi River, will give our group a unique perpsective on the city and surrounding neighborhoods from the largest river in North America.

Days 9 - 12  Volunteering with Hands On New Orleans

We'll spend our second week in New Orleans working with Hands On New Orleans, one of the largest volunteer non-profits in New Orleans where we’ll work on projects focused on the environment and rebuilding Louisiana's extensive network of wetland areas. Our work will focus on gardening, planting and caring for wetlands grasses, transplanting them into the wetlands. Louisana's wetlands are disappearing and have been significantly impacted by the recent oil spill - as the wetlands shrink, New Orleans’s natural defense system against the strength of Gulf Coast hurricanes diminishes.

Day 13  Trip End

We'll celebrate our two weeks in New Orleans with a final dinner in the city as we look back on we've seen and accomplished in an amazing part of the country.  Our trip leaders will return the group to the airport on Friday morning and help with all aspects of unloading and checking group members in for flights as we return home.

Trip Details

Service Hours

35 hours of service

Students: Is this trip right for you?

Gulf Coast Service requires a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard as teen summer service volunteers. Participants should be eager to take part in a variety of summer 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:

1. Your motivation. Service work is not always easy—you must be motivated!
2. 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 New Orleans.

“Overland’s programs stand out to us as parents for their high quality and thoughtful production.” Carolyn Brooks, Brooklyn, New York

Photos

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Before You Go

• Enrollment Forms
• Expectations, Cell Phones & Electronics
• Prepare & Pack
• Travel Information
• Mail Stops
• Helpful Reminders

Apply Now

Thank You for Choosing Overland!

HOW TO APPLY

You have two choices. You can apply online with a credit card by clicking the link below.

Apply Online

Or you can download the 2012 Overland Application as a PDF (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Then mail your completed one-page application and $795 deposit check to:

Overland
P.O. Box 31
Williamstown, MA 01267

For overnight mail via UPS or FedEx, please use our street address:

Overland
63 Spring Street
Williamstown, MA 01267

Applications are reviewed in the order in which they arrive at our office and we cannot hold spots over the phone.

WHEN TO APPLY

We receive our first applications in September; there is a steady flow all fall and then most programs fill in January and February. Some programs fill earlier; and others may have space available until later in the spring. Please call our office (413-458-9672) to check on availability.

WHEN WE RECEIVE YOUR APPLICATION

If your first choice is available, you will receive a phone call and an email containing our Enrollment Forms. If your first choice is not available, we will call you to confirm that your second choice is acceptable. If neither your first choice nor your second choices are available, we will call you to discuss options.

PAYMENTS & REFUNDS

A deposit of $795 is due with your application. Full payment is due on March 1st. For applications received after March 1st, full payment is due within 30 days of receipt of our confirmation email. Please note:

• If your child’s program choices are not available, your deposit will be returned in full.
• We do not accept credit cards for the final balance, only for the deposit of $795.
• If, upon our review of your child’s Enrollment Forms, the offer of a spot is withdrawn by Overland, a full refund of all payments to Overland will be made.
• If, at any point in the admissions process we determine that you have provided incomplete, misleading or false statements, we will withdraw the offer of admission and no refund of any payments to Overland will be made.
• If you withdraw your child before March 1st (notice of the withdrawal must be made in writing), $295 of the deposit is refundable.
• If you withdraw your child after March 1st, there are no refunds for any reason whatsoever (including, but not limited to: voluntary withdrawal, illness or injury, summer school, security concerns or any other reason).
• If your child leaves a program after it starts, there are no refunds for any reason whatsoever, including, but not limited to: voluntary withdrawal, illness or injury, dismissal by Overland (due to discipline, behavior, lack of fitness or motivation, etc.), security concerns or any other reason. Any costs incurred by Overland related to an early departure are the sole responsibility of the parents.

WAITING LISTS

We will notify all waitlisted applicants of their status in April.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

ADMISSIONS

No other organization is more committed to putting together great groups of good students—students who are positive, enthusiastic, motivated, eager and considerate. To do this, over the course of the spring we ask the parents of every enrolled student to provide us with important information about their child including a detailed school reference and information from a physician on the student’s physical condition and medical history. In addition, every student completes a personal statement and our expectations and rules form. If, as a result of this process, we have concerns about one of our enrolled students, we will contact the parents and make an appropriate decision about the student’s participation. If the offer of a spot on a trip or program is withdrawn by Overland a full refund of all payments to Overland will be made.

EXPECTATIONS

Our programs are wholesome, structured experiences with strong leadership and high expectations of students’ behavior. Overland students are expected to be enthusiastic, positive, motivated, helpful and supportive of each other. Overland students understand that smoking, using any tobacco product, drinking alcohol or using any drugs (other than prescribed medications) is strictly prohibited. In addition, our students are expected to adhere to our no phone calls and no electronics policies.

COMMUNICATIONS

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU: We are committed to providing extraordinary support to the parents our students; to that end; the Overland office is staffed from 8am to 10pm seven days a week during the summer (after office hours our answering service provides emergency coverage). Our leaders in the field are in touch with our office regularly; they carry cell phones and/or satellite phones.

NO PHONE CALLS: Overland's programs offer the opportunity to strengthen independence and self-reliance. To maximize these benefits, we do not permit phone calls to or from our students (except in the case of an emergency). All students who fly to their Overland program will call home on arrival (using a leader's cell phone) to confirm that they have arrived safely. At trip end, students who fly home will call home (with their leaders' assistance) from the airport before departure.

EMERGENCIES: Parents can be assured that when it is important that a student talk with his or her parents, we will make sure that they are in touch as soon as possible.

CELL PHONES: Cell phones are not permitted on any Overland program. We understand why some parents would like their children to carry a cell phone with them on their flights to/from their Overland program. If you feel like it is necessary to send your son or daughter with a phone, we recommend that you purchase an inexpensive prepaid cell phone. Experience has shown us that despite taking precautions, a significant number of the cell phone we collect will be lost, damaged or stolen. Therefore, we take no responsibility whatsoever for phones brought by students and collected by our leaders at the start of a program.

NO PERSONAL ELECTRONICS

We do not permit personal electronics on our programs except for cameras. Students should not bring electronics with them on their flights. Electronics brought by students will be mailed home upon arrival at the student's expense.

MEALS

Each group buys, prepares and eats all of its meals together. The students, with their leaders' supervision, prepare all meals. While food is always plentiful and nutritious, meals reflect the limitations of group cooking and the students' preparation skills. While it is not possible for us to provide separate meals for vegetarians, vegetarians can expect to eat the same meals as the rest of the group but they can have the meat portion withheld. It is impossible for us to accommodate vegan or kosher diets.

FOOD ALLERGIES: If your child has a food allergy, please contact our office (413-458-9672) to discuss an appropriate placement as some of our programs are better equipped to handle food allergies than others.

REFERENCES

Please call or e-mail us at references@overlandsummers.com us for a list of references in your area or for a specific program.

OVERLAND GROUPS

We run multiple sections of most programs and take great care in putting together groups. Please see each program description for age and grade requirements. In the case of multiple groups, the groups will be further divided by adjacent grades.

TRAVELING WITH A FRIEND

We encourage students to come on their own. Traveling with one friend, however, is permitted (we do not accept groups of three). We will allow no more than two friend pairs per group, and these slots will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. We will not consider a request to travel with a friend until both applications and deposits are received. If you would like to travel with a friend, please write his or her name on the application.

PREPARING & PACKING

Comprehensive pre-program information and packing lists are available on our website. On each program page, click "Before You Go" and then "Prepare & Pack".

TRAVELING TO & FROM YOUR PROGRAM

Each program description provides start and end locations; families are responsible for making travel arrangements to and from these locations. Overland’s leaders will be on hand at the arrival and departure airports to provide supervision and assistance.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

Transportation to and from the start and end locations, spending money and personal gear are not included in the program fee. Overland provides group gear; students provide all personal equipment including bicycles, backpacks and sleeping bags. Students on bicycle touring trips in New England and Nova Scotia can rent bicycles and panniers from Overland.

ACCREDITATION & LICENSING

Overland is fully accredited by the nationally-recognized American Camp Association—a distinction earned by few of our peers. The ACA accreditation process reviews our overall program quality and our maintenance of over 300 safety standards. In addition, Overland is licensed by the Williamstown, Massachusetts, Board of Health and complies with 105 CMR 430.000 Chapter IV.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

We recommend that all Overland families opt in to our travel insurance program since after March 1 all payments to Overland are non-refundable for any reason whatsoever (prior to March 1, $295 of the $795 deposit is refundable). For complete information about the travel insurance please go to: www.tripmate.com/wpF434B.

FINANCIAL AID

In 2011, Overland awarded over $95,000 in financial aid (an increase of over 45% from 2010). Awards range from $500 to $2,500 and generally cover between 10% and 50% of the program fee (excluding equipment and transportation costs). Visit our financial aid page to learn more.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

Please don’t hesitate to contact us: 413-458-9672.