Alternative Breaks

Mission
The mission of the alternative spring break program is to promote service on local, regional, national and international levels through volunteer experiences that immerse students in different settings and cultures. Students visit communities where they perform short-term projects while learning about issues such as poverty, educational and cultural literacy, racism, hunger, the environment, homelessness and health related issues. These educational experiences are designed to heighten social awareness and promote lifelong social action and community involvement.

Program Overview
Alternative spring break trips are organized by the Service Learning, Volunteerism & Community Engagement Office(SLVCE)as well as individual faculty members. When trips are run through the SLVCE, students do not receive course credit. When faculty members organize trips, they are usually associated with a specific course, or students can sometimes receive general education credits.

Past trips have been to the Carolina Tiger Rescue in North Carolina, Shands HealthCare Hospital in Gainsville, Florida, Morris Cafritz Center for Community Service (MCCCS) in Washington, D.C., Give Kids the World Village and Camp Boggy Creek in Florida where students worked with severely ill children. Most recently, Mason Neck State Park in Virginia, rebuilding trails, camp clean up and painting. Sociology and Engineering faculty members offered trips to Mississippi and Louisiana where students helped rebuild homes after Hurricane Katrina. And a civil and environmental engineering professor took students to Honduras as part of their volunteer work with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) to help improve the region’s water supply.

The Rowan University EWB chapter was started in 2003. Engineers Without Borders student chapters help communities around the world obtain clean water, treat waste water, produce energy, improve shelter, and develop sustainable industries. Their trips are open to all students, not just Engineers. For additional information, please visit the EWB Site.

Fundraising and Program Fees
Participants who participate in domestic Alternative Spring Break trips sponsored through the Office for Service Learning and Volunteerisms are usually required to pay for a portion of the trip costs. Depending on the trip, students may also be encouraged to organize several fundraising events.

Alternative Spring Break Trips - March 18- 22, 2013

ASB Application

Katrina’s Kids in New Orleans, Louisiana

March 18^th  – 22^nd  Total Estimated Cost: $250-$350 plus airfare (Deposit: $150)

Volunteers will be working with Head Start and Early Head Start centers operated by Total Community Action located in New Orleans providing direct service to pre-school children and support for the overall program. TCA operates Centers throughout the New Orleans area.

*An extra cost will be added to this trip for airfare*

Rowan Relief Efforts in New Jersey

March 18^th  – 22^nd           Total Estimated Cost: $25-75 (Deposit: $25)

Volunteers will immerse themselves in a variety of service opportunities throughout the Jersey Shore region. Projects will range from working with shelters & donation distribution centers to direct home construction/demo projects. Each day will showcase a different sponsored trip to a different Shore location.

*This trip is designed to allow participants to volunteer for a single day or for the full week*

Spring Break 2012

The Spring 2012 trips sponsored out of the SLVCE Office were to:

*The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration in Pensacola, Florida

*The Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro,North Carolina

*Katrina's Kids Foundation in New Orleans,Louisiana

*Local Outreach in Glassboro & Camden, New Jersey