Alternative Service Breaks embarks on another year of trips
by Paige Hill
Spring break is a much needed reprieve from the routine of classes, work, and internships. Many students return home, travel, or remain on campus during the week, but Alternative Service Breaks (ASB) provides an exciting opportunity to visit somewhere new and engage with a community.
ASB is a weeklong service learning opportunity open to all Boston University students. Each of the 21 community partners offers a unique look into how people can be uplifted but also challenged by the systems in which they exist. Students who embark on Alternative Service Breaks will be challenged to think critically about their impact on the communities they visit through reflection while learning from and with those around them.
Volunteers are led by two student coordinators and accompanied by a graduate student or faculty member chaperone. Depending on location, students either drive in a van or fly to get to their destination, where they spend spring break volunteering with a community partner, exploring the city and reflecting on their experiences. Service opportunities range from environmental organizations to face-to-face engagement.
In Shawnee, IL, volunteers will work with Shawnee National Forest to maintain trails by picking up trash and mulching while learning about the wilderness and how to respectfully and intentionally interact with it. Volunteers going to Roanoke, VA, will have similar opportunities while working with FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Students seeking community engagement opportunities that involve meeting and working alongside community members can look towards Orland, ME and Des Moines, IA. Volunteers in Orland will work with Homeworkers for More Employment (HOME), which offers many services, including a shelter, soup kitchen, food pantry, childcare provider, housing, chapel, and craft programs. They will work with HOME to help them continue providing these essential services to low-income families and those that experience homelessness. In Des Moines, volunteers will work with Iowa Homeless Youth Shelters to assist with their mission of eliminating homelessness and breaking the poverty cycle in central Iowa youth and young families. With help from volunteers, IHYC is able to assist over 600 youth every year.
ASB is managed by two student program managers: Nikita Varman (SAR/CAS/SPH ‘19/’20) and Kristal Castro (COM ‘19). Both agree that ASB is an essential part of the BU experience.
“ASB has truly been one of the most formative and memorable experiences I have had at BU,” says Nikita. “It is how I met my closest friends and communities on campus while forming lasting relationships with incredible individuals from the local areas.” ASB also provides an opportunity for students to step out of their comfort zone, both geographically and mentally. Kristal says she loves ASB because she was able to develop an experience that “challenged norms and encouraged transformation amongst myself, my co-coordinator, and my volunteers.”
As of now, the following trips have volunteer spots remaining: Des Moines, IA, Roanoke, VA, Orland, ME, and Shawnee, IL.
Register on Eventbrite here! Contact the program managers at altbreak@bu.edu with any questions or concerns, or visit the Community Service Center website.