Alternative Spring Break Programs
March 10th - 18th, 2012
2012 Trips:
- Catholic Newman Community:
Location: Baltimore, MD - Contact: Nathan Drahms
Activities: Volunteers will tutor school children grades K-8. Each volunteer will be paired with a specific grade level, assisting throughout the day with various activities including math, English, Spanish, and gym. Volunteers will also help cook and distribute food at the community center. In addition to volunteering, students will enjoy cultural experiences in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area.
- Community Service Network:
Location: Montreal, Canada - Contact: Mallory Laboulaye
Activities: Students would volunteer with these groups: Meals on Wheels (which delivers full meals to the elderly and the less fortunate), Symphony Senior Living (an assisted living facility), the Old Brewery Mission (a homeless shelter), the Montreal Children’s Library (which provides kids with countless opportunities to stimulate their growing minds), and the SPCA (which rescue abandoned animals).
- M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence:
Location: Rochester, NY - Contact: Ling Rao
Activities: Students will participate in the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) directed by Shannon Richmond and Rochester Exploration and Service (RES), a community service component directed in aiding local organizations in Rochester.
- Habitat for Humanity:
Location: Goldsboro, NY - This trip is now full
Activities: H4H provides houses for applicants that show need and are willing to put in 400 sweat equity hours to the building of their homes and the homes of others. Families then have 20 years to repay a small, interest-free mortgage. Activities will range from setting the foundation, to constructing walls, to adding insulation, to painting and carpeting.
Looking for a meaningful way to spend spring break but are staying in Rochester?The Gandhi Institute is offering a three day workshop on Alternatives to Violence (an international program on violent conflict prevention and transformation). For more information, view the poster or email Shannon Richmond.
Proposals
Proposals for 2012 are now closed.
Resources
Learn about past Alternative Spring Break Trips
More than 100 University of Rochester students traded sunscreen and sandals for hammers and shovels as they volunteered their time during the annual Alternative Spring Break. Read More »»
2009:
- Habitat for Humanity:
Location: Florida
Activities: Building affordable housing for low income families.
- Rotaract & Grassroots:
Location: Mason Neck State Park – Lorton, VA (Beach site)
Activities: Wildlife habitat restoration, removal of invasive species, clean ups, and other projects provided by State Park.
- Circle K:
Location: Kiptopeke State Park – Virginia Beach, VA (Beach site)
Activities: Wildlife habitat restoration, removal of invasive species, clean ups, and other projects provided by State Park.
- NOC (Non-Violence On Campus):
Location: The University of Rochester (River Campus)
Activities: The Fellowship of Reconciliation's Youth and Militarism Program is offering a 4-day training for youth in nonviolence, nonviolent direct action, anti-oppression tactics, and creative and artistic organizing. FOR is an international, interfaith peace and justice organization. For more information about FOR: www.forusa.org
- Catholic Newman Community:
Location: Baltimore, Maryland and DC area
Activities: Volunteer to work with inner-city children, volunteer at soup kitchens, and attend speakers & presentations on poverty in the Baltimore/DC area.
- Protestant Chapel Community:
Location: Rochester, NY area
Activities: Paint, haul tree limbs, clean out storage rooms, wash windows — whatever is needed for area churches and their members.
2010:
- Circle K:
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
- Grassroots & UR Rotaract:
Location: Heifer International Overlook Farm, Rutland, MA
Activities: Participants will assist in a variety of farm maintenance activities. These may include, but are not limited to, animal feeding twice daily, cleaning of animal stalls, help in the kitchen, maple sugaring, and trail maintenance. Overlook Farm relies on service activities as a hands-on approach to the sustainable farming methods they promote in the field, as well as for farm maintenance to help provide continuing education for other incoming students and organizations.
- Catholic Newman Community:
Location: Baltimore, Maryland and DC area
Activities: Volunteer to work with inner-city children, volunteer at soup kitchens, and attend speakers & presentations on poverty in the Baltimore/DC area.
2011:
- Refugee Student Alliance:
Location: Atlanta, GA
Activities: The host organization provides opportunities for refugees to thrive in America. In Atlanta and many other regional offices across the country, IRC helps them rebuild their lives. Participants will be put into smaller groups and participate in different areas each day. The small groups will rotate in an English as a Second Language classes, a computer lab, and a resettlement shop that.
- M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence:
Location: Rochester, NY
Activities: Students will be introduced to the work of the Gandhi Institute, which seeks to "help individuals and communities develop the inner resources and practical skills needed to achieve a nonviolent, sustainable, and just world" (www.gandhiinstitute.org). We will volunteer at organizations that work to promote nonviolence, restorative practices, and sustainability.
- Habitat for Humanity:
Location: Newcastle County, Delaware
Activities: H4H provides houses for applicants that show need and are willing to put in 400 sweat equity hours to the building of their homes and the homes of others. Families then have 20 years to repay a small, interest-free mortgage. Activities will range from setting the foundation, to constructing walls, to adding insulation, to painting and carpeting.
- Catholic Newman Community:
Location: Baltimore, MD
Activities: Volunteer to work with inner-city children, volunteer at soup kitchens, and attend speakers & presentations on poverty in the Baltimore/DC area.
- UR Rotaract:
Location: Virginia State Park, VA
Activities: UR Rotaract will travel to Northern Virginia to participate in a spring break project that will be run by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Our group will clean up trails, create trails, prevent erosion by creating barriers on the shores of the parks, and renovate playgrounds.
