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Community Outreach

Alternative Breaks Immersion Weekends

New York City, NY, Immersion Weekend November 6-8, 2009 (Fall 2009)

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General Program Information
Issue Focus: HIV/AIDS
Cost of Trip: $75.00
Student Trip Director(s): Ryan Brown, Trip Director; Ashley Hazleton, Assistant Trip Director
uconn.co.nyfall@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

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

Discussion of the Issue:

HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. A member of a group of viruses called retroviruses, HIV infects human cells and uses the energy and nutrients provided by those cells to grow and reproduce. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down and is unable to fight off certain infections, known as "opportunistic infections," and other illnesses that take advantage of a weakened immune system.

http://www.amfar.org/cgi-bin/iowa/abouthiv/record.html?record=3

There are currently over 50,000 people living with AIDS in New York City today. For more information about AIDS in New York City and Manhattan check out this link:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/dires/epi-surveillance-manhattan200406.pdf

More than twenty-two million people have died in the world because of AIDS and at the present time forty-two million people live with HIV/AIDS.

http://bbg.org.za/aids/

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: $75.00
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!

More Questions?