Southwest Service

Overview

Through Southwest Service we’ll serve the communities of Santa Fe, discovering the growth and fulfillment that come from helping others as we work side by side with the 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 and reaching out to the Native American and Hispanic communities. Our projects will include volunteering at The Food Depot, the largest food bank in northern New Mexico, serving the elderly, homeless and hungry; restoring hiking trails with local outdoor organizations; and mentoring at-risk youth at an elementary school. All of these projects require enthusiasm, focus and flexibility, as well as a strong work ethic and a willingness to be challenged physically.

During the late afternoons and on the weekend, our group will explore downtown Santa Fe and the surrounding area. We’ll enjoy hikes to the prehistoric ruins at Bandelier National Monument, the incredible geological formations at Tent Rocks and more. At program’s end, we’ll celebrate and reflect upon our two weeks of rewarding service in America’s Southwest.

“Kela had the time of her life, and she felt that she really made a difference.” Dee Butts, Wayland, Massachusetts

Highlights

• Teach reading skills
• Volunteer at a food bank & rebuild Santa Fe’s hiking trails
• Hike at Tent Rocks & Bandelier National Monuments
• Explore Santa Fe

Grade

For students who will finish grades 8-12 in June 2010.

Call us (800.458.0588) to check on current availability.

Challenge Level

3 (1-10, 1 is easiest)

Start and End Location

Starts and ends in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Families are responsible for making travel arrangements to and from Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ). Overland’s leaders will be on hand at the airport to provide supervision and assistance at program start and end.

Dates and Fees

2 Weeks

Sunday, June 27 to Friday, July 9
Sunday, July 11 to Friday, July 23
Sunday, July 25 to Friday, August 6

$3195 (airfare not included)

“It was great. Everyone in my group got along well, and I enjoyed mentoring the students at the elementary school. My least favorite part was going home.” Marc Greenspon, Winnetka, Illinois

Itinerary

Program Start

We’ll meet in Albuquerque and van an hour north to Santa Fe to settle into our comfortable accommodations at the Institute of American Indian Art. 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 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 making friends along the way.

Reading & Recreation Program Summer Camp

We will partner with local elementary schools to provide reading mentorship to first, second and third graders. Students will work with a lead teacher to provide a combination of mentorship and reading assistance that will inspire young readers. We encourage people to bring a few favorite children's books to share with their reading buddies over the course of the program.

Historic Santa Fe Foundation

HSFF's mission is to own, preserve and protect historic properties and resources of Santa Fe and its environs and to provide historic preservation education. We will partner with their preservation experts to restore and improve historic structures with the vanishing art of traditional, Southwestern building practices.

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 in the foothills of Santa Fe at our accommodations on the campus of the Institute for American Indian Arts. 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, traveling to nearby Taos, New Mexico, 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.

“I had a great time on my trip, and I loved all the work I got to do in Santa Fe.  Everywhere we went we had Overland’s great reputation to uphold, and you could tell people counted on Overland kids every summer.” Ilana Engel, Birmingham, Alabama

Trip Details

Service Hours

30 hours of service

Students: Is this trip right for you?

Southwest 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 Santa Fe.

“I loved the whole experience. We helped many different causes throughout the program.” Jason Kim, Manhattan Beach, California

Photos

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Videos

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Prepare & Pack

Preparing for the Demands of Service

Southwest Service combines meaningful person-to-person mentorship and demanding outdoor service, that requires dedication, selflessness and hard work. Begin your preparations for a great summer of teen summer service now by organizing your luggage, clothing and gear. As the summer nears, stay active and fit through sports and exercise. The more you prepare, the more you will enjoy your program. Then, once your program starts, commit yourself to your group and its service projects wholeheartedly .

Luggage

On Service programs we travel light —we cannot emphasize this enough.  Please bring just one duffel bag and one small day pack for weekend excursions and day hikes. The dimensions of the duffel bag should not exceed 24"L x 13"W x 11"H.   We recommend checking out duffel bags from EMS, REI and L.L. Bean as guidelines for size.  The day pack should be a regular school backpack with two shoulder straps, large enough to fit a rain coat, water and snacks.  It must be worn on both shoulders (satchels and one strap bags will not be appropriate for day hikes and weekend excursions). Use your day pack to carry essentials on the plane (but do not use this bag as additional luggage space).  Be sure to tag all items with your name, address and phone number.

Packing for Your Program

Please stick to the following guidelines when packing for your teen summer service program; your group will have access to laundry on a weekly basis. Bring comfortable clothes that can get dirty, paint-splattered and worn while volunteering.

Clothing

• Sturdy Sneakers or Hiking Shoes. Comfortable shoes to wear around all day while volunteering, doing trail work and on day hikes.
• Sport Sandals. 1 pair. Sturdy enough for muddy or wet service projects.
• Waterproof Raincoat. Your rain jacket must be waterproof (not just water and/or wind resistant). GoreTex is one of the better-known waterproof and breathable fabrics, but there are many of these fabrics to choose from.
• Long Pants. Two pairs; one sturdy pair for volunteer work, one pair for evenings.
• Fleece Pullover or Sweatshirt. One only.
• Comfortable Shorts or Skirts. Two; one pair of shorts must be suitable for day hikes.
• Shirts. Five short-sleeve shirts or tank tops; one long-sleeve shirt.
• Underwear. Seven pairs.
• Socks. Five pairs.
• Pajamas. One pair.
• Bathing Suit. One only.

Gear & Miscellaneous

• Student ID. Current school identification or driver's license (if you have one).
• Toiletries. All travel size.
• Towel. Medium size.
• Water Bottle. Any kind, to stay hydrated out in the sun.
• Leather Work Gloves. One pair.
• Flashlight. Small.
• Sunglasses & Hat. With visor (e.g., baseball hat).
• Sunscreen (SPF 30+), Chapstick (with SPF protection) & Insect Repellent.
• Camera/Batteries/Memory Card
Optional. Interested in seeing your photographs or videos on Overland's website next year? Bring a camera with lots of pixels (10 or more) and lots of memory (4GB or more). Buying a new camera? One of our favorites is the Canon PowerShot SD960 IS digital camera.
• Journal & Pen. Optional.
• Reading & Recreation Items. To share with your reading buddy: a couple of your favorite easy-to-read children's books and a favorite children's chapter book (e.g., Charlotte's Web or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).
• Spending Money. $50/week is a suggested amount for souvenirs, gifts and necessities (like more sunscreen if you run out or stamps and envelopes for letters.)

Note: Please do not bring any type of knife or multi-tool (e.g., Swiss Army Knife, Leatherman).

We do not permit personal electronics on our programs (e.g., cellphones and iPods). We do, however, allow students who fly to their program to carry a cell phone while traveling; on arrival, Overland's leaders will collect all cell phones for the duration of the program and return them for flights home. Perhaps, a better option would be to bring a pre-paid phone card so that the leaders do not have to carry cell phones for the duration of the program.

Admissions

Below is the Admissions Material packet and other information for Southwest Service.

Admission Material 2010

Flight & Travel Information 2010

Program Start & End Information 2010

Apply

We welcome your interest in joining Overland this summer!

To apply, please complete and sign the application on page 47 of the Overland catalog or download an application. (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download the application).

Please refer to page 46 of our catalog for important information you should know before signing the application.

Send your application and $795 deposit 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

Sorry, we are unable to accept applications by fax, and we do not take credit cards. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they arrive at our office and we cannot hold spots over the phone.

To learn about our admissions process, please click here.