For students in the midst of midterms, Winter Break may seem far away. But Alternative Student Breaks is asking people to plan ahead and to commit to volunteerism in the week after finals.
Applications for the group”s six winter community service trips, scheduled for Dec. 13 to 20, are due by 5 p.m. today.
‘When you go on one of these trips, you”re immersed in a particular set of issues or problems,’ said Lauren Taiclet, ASB co-chairwoman and photo editor for the DAILY.’This forces people to leave classes and work behind for a week and learn about what”s happening in the world.’
Trips consist of 10 to 12 participants and two student leaders. Each group spends seven days at a site. Projects for this year include restoring nature trails outside Atlanta and working at an education center in Detroit that warns children about gun violence.
Most trips cost about $150 to $200, including housing, meals and gas for the road trip to and from the site. One rather expensive trip flies students to an agricultural and migrant community in Immokalee, Fla., and costs $390. ASB also offers financial aid for qualified students.
‘We”re very interested in making these trips accessible to everybody on campus,’ said Taiclet, a Medill senior. ‘We want students to be able to do something even if they don”t have money to spend.’
When participants return to campus after Winter Break, they take part in the group”s Winter Campus Connection Day on Jan. 17. Participants reunite that Saturday with their site groups to work from approximately noon until 4 p.m. at a Chicago organization related to their winter project.
Alternative Student Breaks, formerly Alternative Spring Break, changed its name last spring to reflect the changes in the group”s mission since its creation in 1994.
‘We don”t just do Spring Break anymore,’ Taiclet said. ‘We do winter break trips, alternative weekend trips, classes. It was very confusing for sites to understand why a Spring Break (organization) would want students to come in December. This (name) explains us a little better.’
Gia DiGiacobbe, the group”s treasurer, said ASB provides volunteer opportunities for students who are too busy to get involved during the school year.
‘The opportunities to make a difference in the community don”t come up that often with our busy schedules,’ said DiGiacobbe, an Education junior.
Taiclet said the trips provide a social outlet for students who might otherwise get bored over break.
‘For people who want to spend some time at home but not the full three weeks,’ she said, ‘this is a fun way to spend that first week.’
Aaron Dibner-Dunlap, an Education senior, has been an ASB participant in the past and is a site leader this year.
‘You”re doing something that”s really good for the community and you”re doing it with a fabulous group of people,’ Dibner-Dunlap said. ‘You”re thrown into a situation where you”ve never been and it allows you to reflect — to figure out where you belong in the world.’
Applications for winter trips are available online at groups.northwestern.edu/asb and at the ASB office on the third floor of Norris University Center.
