Alternative Spring Break
Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trips have been gaining popularity the past few years. But what exactly is an alternative spring break trip?
By participating in ASB, students forego traditional spring break trips to engage in a week of community service-learning. Groups travel to different locations and work on a variety of projects, typically related to a social or civic issue. Working in teams enables students to learn more about themselves, develop valuable leadership skills, and gain awareness about social and civic issues and the communities that are affected.
In spring 2008, 9 Inventis students and their staff advisor traveled to New Orleans and worked with Katrina Corps. The trip was organized by two undergraduate trip leaders and a staff advisor. Throughout the week the team gutted 3 houses in the Lower Ninth Ward, began rebuilding one house, and assisted with the clean up and landscaping of another home.
Student Comments:
"If there is one thing I have gained from this trip, it is a strengthened faith in humanity's potential to care about the well-being of our fellow man. None of the people in our group, and with the exception of a few natives, none of the other volunteers, had any real investment in New Orleans. But we all took a break from our separate rhythms and routines, and invested our time and effort into making life a little better for someone else. Now, we need a lot more of this in the world; as of now there is still much more apathy than caring. But doing this alternative spring break trip has made me realize that the potential, that light at the end of the tunnel, is surely present. We just have to keep making our way toward it, one step, one act of caring, at a time. I believe we can make it."
"As an engineer I am always comparing activities against studying and/or sleeping to see if they are worthwhile. While I slept no more than normal over a break, didn't really study at all, fell behind in my work because of the trip, I would still go again in a heartbeat."
