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Community Outreach

Alternative Breaks - Week Long Trips

Washington DC, Immersion Week March 6-14, 2010 (Spring 2010 Trip)

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General Program Information
Issue Focus: Women, Children & Political Action
Cost of Trip: $475.00
Student Trip Director(s): Shannon Walsh, Trip Director (uconn.co.dc@gmail.com)
Acceptance of Applications: September 10, 2009
Application Deadline: PASSED
Notification of Participation: November 14, 2009
Trip Leaves: March 6, 2010
Trip Returns: March 14, 2010

**Price will vary based on program expenses and fundraising efforts.

Discussion of the Issue:

AAmerica is the most powerful nation and yet in the shadow of our Nation's Capital exists some of the poorest Americans.

  • Washington D.C. is the least affordable place in America in which to live. One must earn $23.42 per hour working full time in order to afford a two bedroom apartment. A worker earning minimum wage ($6.15/hour in DC) must work 152 hours to afford the same two bedroom apartment. This is a 22% increase from 2002. (National Low Income Housing Coalition: Out of Reach 2003)
  • The District has the highest child poverty rate in the nation with 31.7% of children (ages 0-18 yrs) living in poverty; 33% of young children (0-5) live in poverty. (DC Kids Count Collaborative: Every Kid Counts in the District of Columbia 2002).
  • At least 2,5000 households in DC. are at severe risk of homelessness every day. (The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, 2002)
  • There are approximately 500 people living outside on the streets in downtown DC. (The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, 2002)

Recently the gap between Washington DC’s high-wage and low-wage workers is at an all-time high. In DC almost 1 out of 5 of residents—or 104,000 people—live at or below the poverty line (U.S. Census Bureau). Much of the struggle lies with the high-priced homes as the poverty rate continues to climb; low-income tenants pay more than a third of their annual income in rent, causing single parent homes to be classified as poor. Poverty is a root cause of many more societal problems such as poor health, low school performance, violence, and teen parenthood. This trip offers students an opportunity to see the other side of DC. It will set a focus on women and children because the rates at which they are affected by this disparity are greatest.

Volunteering in homeless shelters, children’s after-school programs, and food banks is the least one can do to help with the problems associated with Washington DC’s poverty. The group not only participates in service activities daily but also meets with various professionals about how they are working to improve the lives of residents of D.C.

Trip Preparation

Alternative Breaks are a full immersive experience and require a large commitment during the trip as well as before and after the experience. Each trip will hold MANDATORY Pre-Trip Meetings to prepare for the trip and become educated on the social issue. Education is one of the three critical components of an alternative break and allows participants to understand the reason for their service-learning experience. Meetings are generally held once a week leading up to the trip and run on average about an hour and a half. Participants will meet to discuss educational materials, trip logistics, fundraising efforts, and to participate in group builders.

Trip Logistics

Trip planning is headed by the student trip directors and occurs in the first months of school. Trip Logistics are gone over more in depth as you are selected for the program and begin attending pre-trip meetings. This is a major part of pre-trip preparation is ensuring all participants are on the same page with trip logistics. Here are some standard trip logistics that most experiences have:

Trip Length: Week
Cost of Trip: $475.00
Amount of Pre-Tip Meetings: 8
Mode of Transportation: Driving: MiniVans
Amount of Participants: 12 Students, 1 Student Leader, 1 Staff
Food: All groups generally cook most of their meals themselves. However, sometimes the agencies that we work with will do the cooking for us and provide us with all of our meals for the week! Most of our meals are simple to create a full immersive experience.
Sleeping Quarters: The majority of our trips “rough-it” and generally sleep on floors of churches, on cots, and sometimes in beds. We require all students to bring sheets, blankets, and their own pillows for the most part unless the agency supplies these amenities. Sleeping quarters are separated by gender unless extenuating circumstances arise.
What to Bring: (Sample packing list COMING SOON!)
Activities (Social & Service): Each trip has a healthy balance of service and social activities and down-time. Service generally takes up 6-8 hours of each day. Each trip has one social day where the group can go out and explore around the city they are in doing agreed upon activities by the group. Nights provide time for reflection activities and rest & relaxation as well as an opportunity to get to know your group even better!
Sample Schedule: Coming Soon!

TO APPLY, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

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