As many University of St. Thomas students wrap up midterms and head into spring break, students involved in VISION trips won’t be taking a break from learning.

VISION is an organization on campus with a focus on justice, that seeks to educate students through experiences with service and community building. VISION Student Leader Josh Mounsey said the organization doesn’t have the exact same goals as traditional “mission trips.”

“A mission trip has one specific goal, which is to be of service,” Mounsey said. “With VISION, you allow it to go in six different pathways, or even more if you want to.”

These six pathways include: community, reflection, civic engagement, simplicity, cultural exchange and justice.

“VISION increased my sense of empathy and compassion for community service,” said Ella Davis, a student who attended a VISION trip to Belize over J-term.

Students going to Selma, Alabama; Zion National Park; and Alamosa, Colorado; will explore these components next week as they head out on their missions.

Additionally, the group has been focused on rebuilding its leadership.

“VISION is currently in its rebuilding phase,” Mounsey said. “Right now we are just trying to create a full foundation for VISION, which really entails having participants on these trips in the hopes that they will want to become leaders.”

VISION Director Neil Ellingson said the group has been working on increasing the number of experiences and student leaders back to the amount they had in the past.

“Before COVID there were typically five to six for each for J-term and spring break,” Ellingson said.

Ellingson said that with more trips offered, the easier it is to recruit leaders for the future.

“You rely on passing it down to people… who get involved when they’re underclass people,” Ellingson said.

Although COVID-19 restrictions and barriers are mostly absent, health and safety is still a concern for the places VISION is traveling to.

“(Students) still sign releases and may still have COVID policies,” Ellingson said.

The organization’s leaders hope that as time goes on and rebuilding continues, more students will get involved and want to become leaders.

“We want a lot of people to get involved in VISION. We want a lot of people to participate in VISION,” Mounsey said. “We also want a lot of people to experience VISION.”

Maddy Orr can be reached at orr04506@stthomas.edu.