Alternative Breaks
Working Alongside Communities. Building U.
The Alternative Breaks (AB) program is a unique chance for
not only students but staff to become more involved at the University of Utah.
For students, this program offers direct, hands on service, education, and
leadership opportunities, while staff have the chance to become a mentor to a
student leader.
Prospective student site leaders are interviewed when they
come back from their AB trip and shortly after are matched with a social issue
focus and location. From then on out until the week of the break they are
planning what volunteer organizations they will be working with, where they
will stay once they arrive on location, and how they will effectively lead the
rest of the student participants through an unforgettable (for some, life changing)
experience.
Staff partners who are interested in this mentorship are
interviewed throughout early summer and selected based on their enthusiasm to
support a student for six months to a whole year. Once staff partners are
selected they start attending bi-monthly meetings with student site leaders by
mid-summer or September. This allows them to get an idea of what the AB program
is about and who they potentially want to work with for the coming year.
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| Student site leaders and staff partners at the fall 2013 retreat. |
After the retreat is over, the administration team
(comprised of a student chair and co-chair, and two full time AB staff members)
deliberates to match student and staff depending on who they mentioned as
having bonded with the most so far. As soon as this is achieved, the student
site leader and staff partner hit the ground running! They begin contacting
volunteer agencies, figuring out lodging logistics, finding educational opportunities
around their social issue focus, contacting guest speakers, and planning fun get
to know you events, all for the student participants to experience.
About a month or two before fall or spring break rolls
around the site leader and staff partner have put in a significant amount of
planning and are ready to meet their participants. Up to three pre-trip
meetings are organized by the student site leader and staff partner before
departing. These meetings are required for participants to attend since they
are oriented to what the AB experience is all about and the social issue focus
they will be working with.
On departure day you can feel everyone’s energy and
excitement. The fact that AB trips drive to every location is a perfect chance
for everyone to start really getting to know each other.
-Stephanie Cooper, ASB Site Leader and Student Board Member
