For some Elon University students, fall break is a time to go home, visit friends at other schools or stay on campus to catch up on sleep and binge watch a series on Netflix. But for others, break is an opportunity for an adventure through service learning and community engagement.
The Alternative Breaks Program through Elon’s Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement takes students to places they might never go otherwise.
“Alternative breaks are based on social issues identified by the local community partner: rural education, affordable housing, disaster relief,” said Evan Small, assistant director for the Kernodle Center for Student Programs. “During the program, participants work alongside local community members and engage in a variety of service projects.”
Each program is led and facilitated by students, though two advisers are required to accompany each group. Both advisers and student leaders are selected by the Kernodle Center and come from a range of disciplines and professional backgrounds, but all have a passion for service.
“Alternative breaks coordinators are hired based on interest in service and potential for leadership and facilitation skills,” Small said. “Advisers serve to help manage risk and assist the student leaders. Faculty members apply to be advisers and are interviewed and selected by the student coordinators.”
Sophomore Ashley Alexander led a group of students on the Community Development program in Asheville during fall break. The students partnered with ArtSpace Charter School, doing grounds work and lending a hand to teachers in a range of capacities.
ArtSpace integrates visual and performing arts with a complete curriculum, emphasizing experiential learning. Much like Elon’s Kernodle Center, ArtSpace promotes a culture of community service to highlight the importance of responsible citizenship.
“ArtSpace was really amazing with their arts-integrated curriculum, and the students seemed to be excelling in their lessons,” Alexander said. “I really enjoyed bonding with my peers and the advisers that also participated in the program.”
Choosing the trip
Because of the length of fall break, most alternative break programs during that time run for just under four days, but that doesn’t stop students from having a rewarding experience.
This year, those who applied for alternative breaks had three programs to choose from in addition to the partnership with ArtSpace Charter School: Environmental Issues in Turtle Island, Education Disparities in Eastern North Carolina and Community Engagement in Burlington.
Students who went to Turtle Island participated in a program that addressed the environmental issues the area faces. At Turtle Island, an area in Boone, North Carolina, students volunteered with a nature preserve, learning about how Turtle Island’s residents live.
In Eastern North Carolina, students worked to build capacity, promote health and increase access to education with the state’s largest Native American tribe, the Lumbee Tribe.
A fourth group stayed close to campus, exploring local community engagement opportunities in efforts to strengthen the relationship between the campus and Alamance County.
Sophomore Ginna Royalty was a co-facilitator for the program in Turtle Island.
“The man who owns it has lived there for over 30 years, and he has built every building on the 1,000-acre property,” Royalty said. “The kitchen is completely open with wood stoves. It is completely sustainable and is a way to learn more about the environment and how our ancestors used to live.”
Senior Becca Davies also traveled to Turtle Island this fall break for the environmental awareness program. She said her experience was “indescribable.”
“The program is centered around appreciation for the natural environment and everything it gives to us, and the ability to utilize nature to survive,” Davies said.
The group had no access to electricity, electronics or plumbing. They slept in a shelter, but had no heat, an amenity that may have been useful on a chilly October night. According to Davies, though, being deprived of this amenity altered her outlook and made the program more rewarding.
“The experience humbles you, makes you think about all the things we take for granted in the modern world,” she said. “We used everything we had in order to function, and nothing was ever wasted. Everything had a purpose. It was a remarkable adventure, and it has forever changed my perception of the modern world.”
Alexander expressed a similar humbling change from her experience. In addition to facilitating this year’s program in Asheville, Alexander traveled to Treasure Island in Jamaica on an alternative break program for spring break last semester.
“Alternative breaks are an incredible opportunity that not everyone, everywhere has a chance to participate in,” she said. “It is a great way to make friends and escape that Elon bubble that we all talk about, and to connect with people on a different level. The experience itself is really difficult to convey through words, so I would just say to go ahead and go on one.”
Applying for break
Participation in alternative break programs requires an application through the Kernodle Center. The form asks for basic demographic information in addition to a few open questions about the applicants’ interest in the program and the their history with service.
The deadlines have passed for Thanksgiving and fake break programs but are still open for spring break programs. Though some may be considering tropical getaways or a week of home-cooked food, the opportunities for programs during spring break are diverse and include an element of adventure.
Students who travel to Florida for the Immigrant and Refugees program will learn about the immigrant and refugee population there and volunteer with agencies that help those groups.
Those participating in Housing Rehabilitation & Disaster Relief in New Orleans will partner with Youth Rebuilding New Orleans to repair and rebuild areas still suffering in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. A video of students on the program in January 2013 is available on the Kernodle Center website.
In the Appalachian Mountain area of Kentucky, students will have the opportunity to work with communities struggling with mountaintop removal for the Environmental Sustainability program.
In South Dakota for the Native American Issues program, students will partner with Re-Member, learning about Lakota culture through various experiences such as building, cooking and painting.
For Urban Education, students in California will tutor at the Boys & Girls Club Head Start facility, seeing firsthand the importance of early childhood education.
If students are looking to get out of the country, programs in Jamaica, Nicaragua and Costa Rica are available. The Kernodle Center is offering the Treasure Beach program once again in Jamaica for Rural Education and Poverty. In Nicaragua, students will see through the construction of a home for one impoverished family from start to finish. Students will work in Costa Rica at an organic farm to learn about sustainable agriculture for Community Development and Agriculture.
The cost of alternative break runs no more than $800 for domestic programs and no more than $1,500 for international programs. This price tag includes airfare, food and program costs, so students only need to bring money if they plan to buy souvenirs or items not included in the itinerary.
For a price similar to an all-inclusive cruise or a vacation on an island, students can deepen their awareness of sustainability, access, under-represented communities or disaster relief.
This, in addition to fast but lasting friendships, makes alternative breaks a change of pace from the bikinis and barhopping that have become synonymous with college spring break. Royalty found this to be true for her experiences.
“Alternative breaks provide a time to see and do things you normally wouldn’t get to do,” she said. “I definitely recommend doing some sort of alternative break program during your time at Elon, just because it will really make you think and reflect about the privileged life that we live.”