skip to content

Community Outreach

Alternative Breaks - Week Long Trips

Philadlephia, PA, Immersion Week March 6-14, 2010 (Spring 2010 Trip)

APPLY here

General Program Information
Issue Focus: Healthcare
Cost of Trip: $240.00
Student Trip Director(s): Alice Johnson, Trip Director (uconn.co.philly@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:

Health Care is a universal issue across the world, in conjunction with economic and social issues, a majority of people are unable to receive the proper medical treatment; whereas, others with the same illness or disease can be treated in a number of days. In America, where the large “baby boomer” generation is reaching the retirement age, it has become apparent that the country will be strained in order to provide the proper medical attention necessary to live a full and healthy.

This trip will try to witness these aspects of this issue in various communities in Philadelphia. Philadelphia has the highest concentration of health care resources within a one hundred mile radius in the U.S. One of its largest organizations, "Health Care for All Philadelphia," promotes the goal of affordable health care for all citizens, and has been at the forefront of movements demanding national health care reform. Other organizations like "CHOICE" and the "Philadelphia Corporation for Aging" help specific groups of people through education about the health issues affecting them.

Because of Philadelphia's historically progressive health care values, we will be exploring this community to learn about the most crucial flaws in our health care systems, as well as the potential solutions being formulated to fix them. We will also be exploring how a lack of quality health care affects communities and individuals in educational, employment, and social settings rather than simply a physical level.

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: $240.00
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!

More Questions?

« Back to top