Hello again, Wellesley! The last time I published one of these blog posts was upon my return from a glorious Wintersession trip to New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity in January 2013. I still glow when asked to share about my experience from that trip (I’m sure my fellow trip participants can relate), and I am so thrilled to be back to talk with you about yet another service trip opportunity! In this post, I will share about an amazing experience that I had this summer working with Break Away and their Alternative Break Citizenship School Program, and at the National Park Service at Grand Canyon National Park. Additionally, I will share information with you about the new Alternative Breaks program on campus that will provide four separate opportunities for students to participate in service over Wintersession and Spring Break this year. It is my hope that by the time you are finished reading this blog, you will understand the meaning behind this program, our vision of Alternative Breaks for its first year, and ways that you may become involved in the movement!
So, how did this movement begin?
After participating in the Wintersession Trip to New Orleans, members of the CWS Service Team decided that in the coming year we would prioritize expanding the opportunities for Wellesley students to engage in service trips to work in a variety of environments addressing a wide range of social issues. Our service director, Katie Koski, was first exposed to alternative breaks while she was in college, and was quick to advocate for the introduction of an alternative breaks program on Wellesley’s campus. In May 2013, Wellesley College became an official chapter member of Break Away – a non-profit that works to train, assist, and connect campuses and communities in promoting quality alternative break programs that inspire lifelong active citizenship.
I mentioned something about the Grand Canyon earlier. Let’s talk a little bit more about that.
As a chapter member of Break Away, Wellesley has been granted access to a phenomenal pool of resources to support our alternative break program. One such resource is the Alternative Break Citizenship School (ABCs) program. ABCs are a combination of a national conference, leadership training, and a quality alternative break. I was given the opportunity to attend an ABCs this summer at the Grand Canyon National Park as a representative of the Wellesley College Alternative Breaks program. Our ABCs was titled “National Parks: Preservation by the People, for the People”, and the social issue focus was resource management in our national parks. It was a week of workshops, service projects with the National Park Service, community interaction, speaker panels, team building, sharing of ideas, and reflection. During this week, I was able to synthesize knowledge and skills gained during workshops with the social issue education I gained from exposure to local community members and leaders from campuses nationwide. I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to participate in an ABCs, and I am really excited to share my experience, and to introduce what I learned this summer into our new program.
What is so unique about alternative breaks?
Break Away created a very unique developmental model called the Active Citizen Continuum that is often referenced when planning and developing alternative breaks. This model illustrates how service trip opportunities can be much more than memorable volunteer trips — alternative breaks can be a powerful catalyst for a transformed worldview and developing an identity and understanding of lifelong active citizenship. Alternative breaks are about two things: getting needed work done around social issues, and changing the volunteer’s perspective of their place in society. Alternative Break (AB) trips provide a unique opportunity for students to participate in an intensive public service experience while increasing their understanding of significant social and environmental problems. AB trips challenge students to critically think and react to problems faced by members of the communities they are involved with. Being immersed in diverse environments enables participants to experience, discuss, and understand social issues in a significant way. We are really excited for Wellesley students to join us in this movement!
How can you get involved?
One of the reasons that I was incredibly inspired by my experience with the ABCs in the Grand Canyon is because it was in that week that I truly began to understand what the Alternative Breaks movement looked like. The movement, though supported by members outside of the undergraduate community, is driven by the passion and dedication of students like us. It is our hope that with the help of our staff at the CWS, the Alternative Breaks program will become a student-led and student-governed group at Wellesley College. This year, as we work on developing and growing within our program, we will be looking to you for support! So what is the best way to get involved at this point, you ask? There are a few options.
- Attend an Alternative Breaks Information Session or program office hours. These are designed to help introduce students to our program, Break Away, and the Active Citizen Continuum.
- Become a Trip Participant! Applications for Wintersession trip participants are posted in MyCWS, so be sure to apply if you’re interested.
- Become a Site Leader! There are two site leaders per alternative break, and together site leaders are responsible for leading a team of students and facilitating meaningful discussions on social justice and social change. Site leaders will host pre-departure trip educational meetings, facilitate reflection and team building during the trip, and support re-orientation post-trip.
If you are looking for a way to become more involved on campus while engaging in meaningful service and meeting really great people, this program is for you! Active citizenship is something each of us can strive for and inevitably reach with the right amount of curiosity, determination and passion. Start with an alternative break.
What kind of active citizen will you be?
If you’d like more information about Alternative Breaks, please go to the CWS Alternative Break website. If you have any questions about the Alternative Breaks program, please email WellesleyAlternativeBreaks@gmail.com. Site Leader and Wintersession Participant applications are due on Thursday, October 17, 2013.
— Elizabeth Olson ’16