Alternative Stories #4: Finding the “learning” in service-learning

Every week, members and partners of the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) community will share their Alternative Stories, a series of narratives inspired by the experiences, memories, and meanings made and shared through ASB. Jennifer Liu, an Industrial and Operations Engineering senior and ASB Lead Team member on our Finance & Fundraising functional team, shares her story this week. 

I first heard about Alternative Spring Break (ASB) from my older sister, who came back from spring break in college with a ton of new ASBFFs and an experience that apparently “changed her life.” All I remember was jealously searching all her new friends on Facebook. … But that was enough to convince me to join!

As a participant, I went to the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club in Brooklyn, N.Y., where we volunteered in an after school-tutoring program with K-12 students. I was inspired to learn more about social issues and inequities across all communities, and knew that my involvement in the program would not end there.

The next year, I site-led a trip to Youth Co-Op in Miami, Fla. and worked closely with newly arrived Cuban refugees in language development and community integration. This experience filled me with more emotions than I could make sense of. I was sad for the refugees who will likely never see their families in Cuba again, angry at the policies that restricted their working rights in the United States, and motivated to do something about immigration reform.

At this point in my ASB journey, I had one of the most important realizations: ASB does not aim to create change by sending community service trips to help under-served communities. It aims to educate students on various social issues, who we hope will move forward with a newly formed passion for social change.

As a senior and a second-year Lead Team member, ASB has taught me things that no other student org or experience has. I learned more about my community, my passions, my relationships, and myself than I could have ever imagined. I will always carry the lessons ASB has taught me wherever I go.

 

To share your Alternative Spring Break story, e-mail the ASB Public Relations Team at ASBSurPRise@umich.edu.

Alternative Stories #3: Self-discovery through site-leading

Every week, members and partners of the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) community will share their Alternative Stories, a series of narratives inspired by the experiences, memories, and meanings made and shared through ASB. This week, we hear from Kaitlyn Bates, a Neuroscience senior minoring in Spanish, and ASB Lead Team member on our Education & Training functional team.

It was a complete accident that I came across Alternative Spring Break (ASB). I can’t recall exactly who suggested I do it, but I certainly owe him or her a huge “thank you.”

On my first trip, I went to the Appalachian South Folklife Center and learned about poverty and its effects on rural populations. It definitely put a new perspective on the topic of ‘rural poverty,’ as well as introduced me to 13 incredible people, knowledge of several new card games, and the life lesson that sleeping with your mouth open is not something you should do in a group car ride. I left for spring break totally ignorant about rural poverty, and came back with a better understanding of the issue. Our group left Michigan as strangers, and we came back friends. It was this transformative experience — the fact that this week allowed for so much personal growth — that made me want to be a site leader.

However, being a site leader is a way different experience than being a participant. For starters, as a site leader, you have to take on a leadership role in transportation to the site. I’m absolutely terrible with directions and a mediocre driver at best. But it was during that hour in which we were lost at some rest stop half-way between Ohio and Indiana that the invisible barrier between participant and site leader began to come down. We sang aloud to all the songs on the radio, everyone managed to misread the map, and we reminisced about our childhood with some WarHeads that we found at a local gas station. It was the start of an incredible week.

It was incredible not only because, once again, I learned so much about a prevalent social issue as well as about myself, but also because I was able to witness my participants grow. We spent days interacting with children in an afterschool program and doing miscellaneous maintenance work. Nights were for reflecting on what we had learned and how to take this knowledge back to our own communities. It was a heavy and emotional time, but one full of learning, friendship, and self-discovery.

This is my fourth year being involved in the ASB program, and I would say that each year I take away something new. Whether it be learning that the ‘designated leader’ doesn’t have to bear the full burden of navigating through the Midwest, or the opportunity to learn from a different community, ASB has definitely shaped my college experience and impacted my future goals.

To share your Alternative Spring Break story, e-mail the ASB Public Relations Team at ASBSurPRise@umich.edu.

Alternative Stories #2: Embracing change

Every week, members and partners of the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) community will share their Alternative Stories, a series of narratives inspired by the experiences, memories, and meanings made and shared through ASB. This week features Brianne Johnson, a senior studying English, Communications, and Women’s Studies, and ASB Lead Team member on our Public Relations functional team.

It took me three years with the University of Michigan’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program and an academic identity crisis to realize what I’m passionate about. I’m either a late bloomer or lucky, but I like to think it’s the latter.

After two years as a participant with ASB, I couldn’t wait to lead a trip with my co-site leader, Jess, whom I’d met through my 2013 ASB trek to the mountains of West Virginia. The second evening of the 2013 site leader retreat, we descended from the stage of a paint-chipped barn affectionately referred to as ‘the white castle’ to receive a token: a string of green yarn knotted around my wrist. Each color represented one value of The Ginsberg Center‘s SERVE program, the goal you hoped to achieve and maintain for the rest of the year.

I chose green for Heightened Awareness.

I’d felt empowered by the knowledge, self-awareness, and community fostered by ASB and, as an incoming senior, was slowly coming to recognize what would be an enthralling passion for learning about, and advocating for, the rights of women and families. But I’ll get back to that soon.

Jess and I were to lead a service-learning trip focused on intimate-partner violence, leading us to Bloomington, Ind., where we would partner with Middle Way House, a domestic violence shelter for women and children. Even before embarking on our trip, it had been empowering and inspiring to invite our teammates, some unfamiliar with issues perpetuating violence against women, to reflect on their identities and the ways they interact, how they perpetuate privilege and subordination. Our service at Middle Way House may not have seemed like the explicit shows of activism that dominate newspapers’ front pages, but our meaningful conversations opened my eyes to the complexity of social injustice and inspired me to continue my commitment to advocating for gender equality, starting in our own communities.

Alternative Stories #1: Understanding my impact

Every week, members and partners of the ASB community will share their Alternative Stories, a series of narratives inspired by the experiences, memories, and meanings made and shared through Alternative Spring Break. Our first contributor is Andrea Case, an Engineering junior and ASB Lead Team member on our Finance & Fundraising functional team. 

My mom, who was familiar with Alternative Breaks from her time at Vanderbilt, actually encouraged me to apply for Alternative Spring Break (ASB) my freshman year. I applied for a Youth and Education trip, interviewed, and was eventually selected to participate on a trip to Asian Youth Services (AYS) in Chicago, Ill. AYS is an after-school center that works to foster academic success and guide students out of poverty and to value education. During my time at AYS, I had the opportunity to work individually with two third-grade boys. We talked about school, their favorite subjects, and what their aspirations were. Every night, our group sat around and reflected on the day. Each reflection seemed to delve deeper into the issues surrounding education disparities, and I often left with an overshadowing thought of, how much of an impact could I really make on these kids in a week? I knew that I had to make every moment count, and eventually realized that, though a week is not a significant amount of time, by empowering the children at AYS, my impact could be significant and sustainable. I also had the opportunity to meet incredible participants from diverse backgrounds, whom I’m proud to call my ASB family. During my week with them, I learned about their backgrounds, motivations and goals, and I was inspired by their stories and perspectives.

When I got back to Michigan, I was excited to tell my friends about the positive experience I had. Sitting in the dining hall, my friends and I shared the various things we did over spring break. I excitedly told everyone that I volunteered at AYS, tutoring children, to which an acquaintance responded by ridiculing me and naively making assumptions about the needs of the community. A couple people at the table laughed. It then struck me that my peers weren’t as aware of or educated about these important social issues, many of which are prevalent in our own community in Ann Arbor. It saddened me that my peers did not seem to care about how detrimental these stereotypes can be, and even how hurtful our words can be. By participating in ASB, I gained a new perspective that changed the way I viewed my role as a student, person, and citizen. ASB gave me the courage to stand up and talk about topics that I am passionate about and meet other students in my community who are committed to social change, heightening awareness, student leadership, empowerment, and teamwork.

Excited for an ASB trip of your own? Apply here before Oct. 23! 

We know you’ve been waiting…

The 2015 ASB Application is now live!!

Applications are due October 23rd at 5 pm. If you are applying for a collaborative site, applications will be due October 19th.

For more info, attend our mass meeting on Thursday October 16th at 7 pm in 4448 East Hall.

We’re ASBeyond excited to hear from you! Contact holdthemayo@umich.edu with any questions.

 

 

Welcome Back!

Welcome ASBack to campus!

We can’t wait to get started with this year of ASB. This year, we’re excited to introduce new sites into our program, meet amazing new people, and learn about challenging social issues. We hope you are too!

To learn more, come to one of our mass meetings! They will be held:

• Tuesday, October 7th: 7-8:30 PM in 4448 East Hall
• Thursday, October 16th: 7-8:00 PM in 4448 East Hall

Stay tuned for updates on the participant application, which will become available very soon. We can’t wait to meet you!

ASBest,

ASB Lead Team

P.S. Check out our brand new Flickr!

Missing ASB already?

Apply to be a site leader and check out some of our favorite memories from our trips!

India (above with her group) wrote an amazing piece on her experience at Middleway House in Bloomington, Indiana. Middleway House is a transitional living facility for women and children who have survived domestic violence.

 

Painting ASBee boxes for Unity Gardens in South Bend, Indiana. Thanks for the photo, Jordan!

 

The farm-ily at World Hunger Relief in Waco, Texas!

 

Thanks to God’s Love We Deliver in NYC for hosting us! We had an amazing time.

 

Wise words at Neumann Family Services in Chicago, IL. Thanks to site leader Andrea for the picture!

 

Our collab, the Muslim Student Association, working at Asian Youth Services in Chicago, IL. Thanks to site leader Kareem for the picture!

 

Thanks to Ariana for this inspiring photo from the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit, Michigan!

 

The group at Camp for All in Burton, Texas, gets ready to get to work! Camp for All is a barrier-free camp for children with illnesses and disabilities.

 

Got another picture you’d like to add? Let us know at holdthemayo@umich.edu.

Donate Today

Programs at the Ginsberg Center, such as SERVE’s Alternative Spring Break, need private sources of funding to sustain and grow our work. The reasons for giving are clear: to assist U-M faculty and schools in developing new service-learning courses, to provide U-M students with opportunities to pursue their community service and leadership interests, and to bring U-M students and faculty and communities together to work on solving community-identified problems.

The University of Michigan, major donors, nonprofit and government agencies, local community and nationalfoundations, annual fund donors and program alumni together help sustain the work of the Ginsberg Center. We are grateful for their generous support; our future depends on them and on finding new supporters of our work. To make a difference, we need your help.

The Development Office promotes the mission of the Ginsberg Center at the University of Michigan. Gifts to the Ginsberg Center enhance the Ginsberg Center’s programs and initiatives, and assist in fostering local, national and international community service learning opportunities.

If you would like to make a gift to the Ginsberg Center, to support the work of Alternative Spring Break in general, or to make a gift to a specific ASB site, click the link below and visit our Leaders and Best donation site:

Make an Online Donation Here:

www.giving.umich.edu/give/dsa-serve

Participant Scholarships

ASB’s Finance and Fundraising team would like to let you know that full, half, and quarter scholarships are now available for students. Applications are available through MJoin. If you are applying for a scholarship, do not pay your participant fee until you hear back from ASB Lead Team. Again, if you are planning on applying for ascholarship, DO NOT pay your participant fee until you receive a decision from ASB Lead Team.

Scholarship applications are due November 22. 

Application for need based scholarships are available here:

 https://mjoin.umich.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=10023

Please keep in mind, when applying, that we have limited funding. On that note, you can apply for a certain level of scholarship and be awarded a different amount. The total number of full, half, and quarter scholarships awarded will depend on the quantity of applications received and the amount of funding allocated for scholarships.

For students not applying for a scholarship, the $200 non-refundable participant fee is due December 6.

Participant fee payments can be made here:
http://ginsberg.umich.edu/serve/breaks/fee-asb

If you have any specific questions regarding ASB finances, please contact the ASB Finance and Fundraising team at cha-ching@umich.edu.

ASB Participant Applications Are Closed

ASB would like to thank everyone who applied to be a participant! Participant applications for the 13′-14′ academic year have now closed. If you have any further questions about applications feel free to contact ASB’s Public Relations Team at ASBsurPRise@umich.edu

Again, a huge thanks to everyone who applied to the ASB program!

Be sure to check out the Ginsberg Center’s website here for more service learning opportunities!

And be sure to follow asb on twitter @umichASB

-ASB Lead Team