All Gender Impact Trip
U.S. Virgin Islands | January 22–29, 2023
St. John, US Virgin Islands
The US Virgin Islands National Park consists of breathtaking hills, valleys, beaches, turquoise water, and sea life unlike anywhere else on the planet.
We will be staying at the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park campground, located at Cinnamon Bay, which is exclusively reserved for volunteers.
Accommodations include 3-person platform tents, cots, bathrooms, showers, an outdoor kitchen, dining area, campfire pit, and shade trees.
Schedule
Sunday, January 22 – Arrive
Please arrange your travel to arrive in St. John during daylight hours on January 22. The most common travel arrangements are to fly into St. Thomas and take the ferry to St. John. We will transport you from where you get off the ferry in Cruz Bay to the campground.
January 23–27 – Impact
Our service project will likely be trail work within the National Park trail system. Staff will transport us to our service site each day from approximately 8am-2pm. Please carefully read the physical and behavioral expectations of volunteers described by Friends of the National Park.
Free Time: Wednesday will be an excursion day, and Saturday will be unstructured time for you to adventure on your own or depart. Afternoons and evenings allow us to explore the island and relax in the beautiful Caribbean waters!
Sunday, January 29 – Depart
Our accommodations in the park will end at 11 am. Please arrange your flight to depart from St. Thomas airport in the afternoon of the 29th unless you extend your stay in the Virgin Islands. Your guides will ensure you embark on the ferry in time for your flight.
Fee
Cost per Participant
- $1,250 – Adults (18+)
Price Includes*
- Accommodations at Cinnamon Bay Campground – five 3-person platform tents and six 1-person tents
- Transportation - we will rent a vehicle for the week
Breakfast, lunch, beverages, and snacks each day - Four group dinners at the campground
- Yoga/Wellness opportunities
Sunset sail - Island excursion on our service day-off
*Price does not include airfare, ferries, alcohol, additional excursions, and tipping.
What to Bring
- Appropriate clothing and gear for performing fieldwork. This includes sturdy closed-toed shoes, long pants, lightweight long-sleeve shirts, work gloves, and sun protection.
- Casual clothes for dinners at local restaurants
- Swimming and beach attire/gear (swimsuits, lightweight beach towel, hat, reusable beverage cup, sandals, sunglasses)
- Toiletries (eco-friendly)
- Lightweight lounging clothes. Bring something that covers your skin a little more for bugs at dusk
- Camera/phone and chargers
- Bug-spray and reef-safe sunscreen
- Flashlight/Headlamp with extra batteries
- Books/magazines/reading materials
- Yoga mat
- Water bottle
- Spending money
Meet your Adventure Directors
Lisa and Shawna’s co-leading experiences include 17 years of day hikes, picnics, backpack trips, canoe adventures (with their children, friends, and family), and YMCA Impact Trips.
Lisa West
Lisa West spent her years after college leading canoe and backpack wilderness trips for YMCA Camp Widjiwagan and sailing trips for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). She has practiced massage therapy and birth doula services for nearly 20 years. She is a professional retreat leader focused on wilderness immersion and the connection we share with this amazing planet. Lisa has traveled and sailed around the Virgin Islands since her youth. An alum of the 2020 Women’s Impact Trip, Lisa has co-led the St John Impact Trip for the last two years. She is thrilled to be heading back to St. John to share and help preserve the beauty of the island with others.
Shawna Hedlund
Shawna Hedlund hails from SE Minneapolis where she raises a family who skis, skateboards, paddles and surfs. She was raised by Y camp counselors, married a Y camp counselor and spent 10 years leading wilderness canoe and backpack trips for YMCA Camp Widjiwagan and Outward Bound. She has led wilderness trips in Minnesota, Montana, Colorado, North Carolina, Utah, and Canada. Also an alum of the St John Women’s trip, this will be Shawna’s second year co-leading. Shawna is the Executive Director of the MN School-Based Health Alliance.
Making Adventure Accessible
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