Alternative Spring Break Showcase
“I got a lot more out of it than I thought I would. It has impacted me in a way I’m not sure I can put into words yet.”
Zoe Hurtado, student team leader of Concordia’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) Dominican Republic team, described her experience at the program’s showcase from the stage of the D.B. Clarke Theatre, March 16.
Based on the energetic feeling in the room, Hurtado probably wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
More than 100 people gathered to learn about the volunteer experiences from ASB’s 60 participants. Over reading week (February 19 to 26), Concordia students, staff and faculty donated their time and energy to humanitarian efforts in Peru, the Dominican Republic, New Orleans, and here in Montreal.
Second-year Exercise Science student Kate Caswell, along with 15 other students, helped build a lunchroom for an elementary school damaged in a mudslide in October in the town of Urubamba, Peru.
“The experience was amazing. The people there are so relaxed compared to here. It showed me to just enjoy the moment and not to get stressed out about the future,” she said.
The ASB also served as an opportunity to make new friends. “None of us knew each other prior to the trip, and everyone got along really well,” says Caswell.
ASB Coordinator Rich SwamiNathan says the reaction from participants has been overwhelmingly positive. He’s even noticed that a few students are eager to carry the ASB’s service-learning approach, addressing concrete problems in ways that benefit both support recipients and providers, forward since the participants’ trips ended.
One participant took part in Concordia’s 5 Days for the Homeless campaign, and SwamiNathan has heard of many students visiting the Leadership Initiative and Volunteer Engagement (LIVE) Centre to search for volunteer opportunities.
One education student incorporated her ASB Peru experience into her academic placement at a local high school. She hopes to inspire students with the possibilities of local and international community service.
“It’s a ripple effect that gives me goose bumps,” SwamiNathan says.
As for ASB 2012, nothing has been solidified, says SwamiNathan, but the goal and vision is to keep the program growing.
He hopes that by making the ASB as accessible as possible through funding, partnerships and community organizations, more people can get involved and make a greater difference.
Related links:
• Concordia Alternative Spring Break
• “Alternative Spring Break Going Further” — Journal, February 14, 2011.