What You Need to Know Before Scheduling Your Trip
This page is intended to provide all the information you need before booking a volunteer trip to Re-Member in 2024. Please note that we have implemented several new policies and procedures, so whether this is your first trip, or you are a seasoned veteran, please review this page carefully. If you have further questions please contact our Volunteer Trip Coordinator, Paula Sibal, at trips@re-member.org.
Volunteer Week Schedule
Volunteer trips to Re-Member are busy weeks, and it is important to understand that everything on the schedule is of equal importance! If it is part of our schedule, it is there for a reason, and we ask that volunteers be present and engaged. During every moment of every day, we expect you to be willing to learn about life on the Rez, both in the past and in the present.
The Re-Member Experience
Re-Member serves many different individuals and groups, as well as schools and universities. Re-Member’s responsibility is to provide access to work experiences, exposure to Lakota culture, and most importantly, opportunities to build relationships with the Lakota people. Re-Member insists that all volunteers adhere to our policy against any proselytizing whatsoever during the course of your stay.
Online Reservation Process Overview
Re-Member has implemented an online reservation system, allowing volunteers to see availability in real-time, schedule trips, pay deposits, and complete forms online.
Before beginning the reservation process, please determine the number of volunteers in your group who are FIRMLY committed and gather their information — full name, phone number, email, date of birth, and gender. We understand that unexpected situations can occur, but we ask that you do not “block out” slots for volunteers who may or may not join you as this makes those slots unavailable for others who are firmly committed.
Choose your trip week using the online availability calendar and enter your group’s information. This will reserve your slots. Once Re-Member staff review your reservation, you will receive an invoice via email for your 40% deposit, which is due in 14 days. For trips booked less than 60 days in advance, payment in full will be due. Payments can be made online with a credit card or by mail with a check or money order. If your deposit has not been received within 14 days, your slots may be released to other volunteers.
Provide more detailed information about yourself and your group members — including a skills assessment, medical and dietary needs, emergency contacts, etc. — by completing our online Volunteer Information forms.
You will receive an invoice via email three months before your trip for the balance of your trip fees. The balance is due two months before your trip begins and can be paid online with a credit card or by mail with a check or money order.
Group Size and Composition
For the 2024 season, volunteer groups are limited to no more than 14 individuals. The total number of volunteers at Re-Member is limited to 42 per week, except June 1 - August 10, when the total number of volunteers will be limited to 48 per week.
Except during Kids’ Weeks, volunteers must be age 12 or older. We require a ratio of one adult volunteer (18 or older) for every six youth volunteers (12 - 17). If a group includes both male and female youth volunteers, there must be at least one male and one female adult.
Group Leader Responsibilities
A Group Leader must be designated for every volunteer trip with two or more individuals. Group Leaders are responsible for remitting payments, ensuring all volunteer forms are submitted within guidelines, and ensuring all in their group always have insurance and emergency contact info with them.
If the person who organizes the group will not be attending, an on-site Trip Leader must be designated.
On-site, leaders are responsible for collaborating with Re-Member staff to determine whether their volunteer(s) will participate in activities that could involve some measure of risk and for maintaining the order and discipline of their group.
Pricing and Payment
For 2024, the fee for adult volunteers is $743.76 plus a South Dakota sales tax of 4.2% for a total of $775. During Kids’ Week, the fee for children 8 - 11 is $371.88 plus 4.2% tax for a total of $387.50.
Schools, colleges, and universities are exempt from the sales tax. Just let us know on your reservation form if you believe your group is exempt. Please note that churches are not exempt, even if they are tax-exempt in their home states.
The initial deposit is 40% of your total trip fees and is due 14 days after the email invoice is sent. Your slots may be released to other volunteers if your deposit is not received.
The balance of your total trip fees (60%) is due eight weeks before the start date of your trip. You will receive an email invoice for the balance 12 weeks before your start date.
Trips booked less than 60 days in advance will require payment in full within 14 days after the trip is invoiced.
Payments may be made online with a credit card or by mail with a check or money order. Checks and money orders should be payable to Re-Member.
Payments for your group must be made with a single check/money order/credit card. We cannot accept individual payments from group members.
Please note that trip fees are not considered donations and are not tax-deductible. IRS guidelines do not allow a tax deduction when a good or service is received in return for a contribution. In this case, trip fees cover the cost of food, lodging, and transportation during your time with us.
Cancellations and Changes
For individual cancellations or reductions in group size after the deposit due date, there will be no refunds, but the final balance will be recalculated to reflect the reduction in numbers.
For cancellations after the final payment due date, there will be no refunds or reductions in outstanding balance due.
Failure to pay an invoice and/or inform Re-Member of a cancellation or delay in submitting payment prior to the due date may result in your group’s spots being released, a ban on booking future trips with Re-Member, and/or collection efforts.
Group member substitutions are allowed. Additions to your group are possible if space is available. Volunteer Information forms for substitutions/additions are due at once. Additions less than 8 weeks in advance of the trip date will require full and immediate payment.
Getting to Re-Member
Re-Member is located approximately eight miles east of the Village of Pine Ridge on U.S. Highway 18 at mile marker 112.
By car, we are approximately roughly 5-1/2 hours from Denver, 8-1/2 hours from Minneapolis, 9-1/2 from Kansas City and 13-1/2 from Chicago. The closest airport and bus station are both about an hour and 45 minutes away in Rapid City, South Dakota. Rapid City Regional Airport is served by several major airlines. We can provide shuttle service from Rapid City for an additional charge.
Arrival and Departure
Volunteers are asked to arrive at Re-Member between 2 and 4 p.m. Mountain Time on Saturday. Dinner is at 5 p.m., followed by important orientation activities.
Plan to leave Re-Member on Friday morning by 9 a.m. at the end of your week.
If you cannot arrange your trip to fit within these time frames, we suggest you reschedule for a time when you can. Every moment of your week with us is an important part of the experience and we do not want you to miss anything!
Safety Guidelines
Of utmost importance to a successful and productive service-learning trip is the safety of all volunteers. The nature of our construction work involves manual labor, with ever-present risk of injury. Most volunteers perform some activities that are unfamiliar to them, and many experience more physical exertion than they are accustomed to.
Re-Member coordinates the workweek activities of many volunteers, and has done so for many years. Very few serious injuries have occurred, although minor scrapes, cuts, sunburns, etc. do happen occasionally. This good safety record is due, in part, to the experience that the Re-Member staff brings to the task. We are mindful of the fact that many of our volunteers are unskilled in many construction-related tasks.
Our staff will provide direct hands-on guidance and instruction in construction techniques. However, volunteers and group leaders are ultimately responsible for their own safety.
Volunteers should be prepared for physical exertion, weather-related risks (hot and dry weather, cold weather, windy conditions), chemical exposure (cleaning products, paint), and construction projects (lifting, power tools). Safety equipment, including gloves, goggles, and masks, are always available.
During the work day, volunteers are encouraged to take breaks and to consume adequate liquids. Due to elevation and climate conditions, the risk of sun exposure and dehydration is very high, and we encourage our volunteers to have a water bottle with them at all times.
Dietary Restrictions, Medications, and Insurance
Excluding lactose intolerance or a basic, lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, Re-Member is unable to accommodate specialized or restrictive diets.
Volunteers with specific dietary restrictions are asked to provide your own supplemental and/or alternative foods. Please plan to bring these items with you, or have them shipped to Re-Member prior to your arrival. We will provide refrigerator and pantry space as needed, as well as kitchen access for meal preparation.
All medications should also be brought with you, including emergency resuscitation medications, such as an EpiPen or nitroglycerin.
Health insurance information MUST be brought with you and carried with you at all times!
Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs
The use of tobacco and marijuana products is not allowed in Re-Member buildings, vehicles, or while visiting sites across the reservation. The use of tobacco products is only permitted in designated area(s). Possession, consumption, and transportation of alcohol are illegal within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation, and are strictly forbidden at Re-Member.