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Community Outreach

Alternative Breaks Immersion Weekends

Boston, MA, Immersion Weekend November 6-8, 2009 (Fall 2009 Trip)

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General Program Information
Issue Focus: Homelessness
Cost of Trip: $45.00
Student Trip Director(s): Angela Hemp, Trip Director (uconn.co.bostonfall@gmail.com)
Acceptance of Applications: September 10, 2009
Application Deadline: PASSED
Notification of Participation: October 2, 2009
Trip Leaves: November 6, 2009
Trip Returns: November 8, 2009

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

Discussion of the Issue:

Homelessness is a serious issue in our country that continues to get worse. With the plunging economy, foreclosures at record highs, more and more people are without homes. More than 6,000 people in the Boston area have no place to call home. On any given night, over 850 of these men and women sleep in shelters. They come from all over the Boston metro-area, primarily from low-income communities. They are predominantly minority and they are relatively young, the average age being just 24 years old. All are poor. About half suffer serious mental illness or mental or physical disabilities and about 37% of these individuals also have substance abuse problems. Many have more minor mental, emotional or physical problems. A significant percentage (at least one-third) has been sexually or physically abused, often as children. The majority lack sufficient education and job skills. (Friends of Boston Homeless) Homeless people are mistreated. The violence against homeless people has also increased in these desperate times. Homelessness is an issue that needs to be faced and handled head on. This trip will tackle some of the important issues surrounding homelessness, including violence against the homeless. The weekend trip will allow a group of students to reach out, help, and learn more about the homeless population. Help end homelessness one step at a time.

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: Weekend
Cost of Trip: $45.00
Amount of Pre-Tip Meetings: 4
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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