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Community Outreach

Alternative Breaks - Week Long Trips

Gulf Coast, Immersion Week January 6-17, 2010 (Winter 2010 Trip)

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General Program Information
Issue Focus: Disaster Relief
Cost of Trip: $625.00
Student Trip Director(s): Kerrie Canavan, Trip Director (uconn.co.winterrelief@gmail.com)
Alex Dressler, Assistant Trip Director (uconn.co.winterrelief@gmail.com)
Acceptance of Applications: September 10, 2009
Application Deadline: PASSED
Notification of Participation: October 2, 2009
Trip Leaves: January 6, 2010
Trip Returns: January 17, 2010

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

Discussion of the Issue:

Winter Reliefs purpose is to offer service to an area that has been hit by a natural disaster. Disasters happen every day in different countries, some disasters having greater impacts on communities than others. Over winter break we will be traveling to the gulf coast to help in providing hurricane relief. Hurricane relief includes going into communities to help the residents clean up their property after a hurricane which could be cleaning out, building or putting final touches on a project. We have decided to travel to the gulf coast because this area tends to get hit the most by hurricanes. They are continually in need of more help to rebuild their communities because they tend to get hit by hurricanes every season and it is amazing to see what a difference a group of 60 volunteers can make in a week’s time. Hurricane relief is relevant because it helps rebuild communities in need and gives hope to all the residents in that area that they are not forgotten and people are there to help. Another major determinant in the effects of hurricanes is the poor insurance coverage in today’s society. Even if the rebuilding process is slow, the volunteers that go to the designated community provide mental support and help to comfort the people affected. Hurricane relief to the gulf coast is an important issue that needs to be continually addressed as long as hurricanes pose a threat.

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: $625.00
Amount of Pre-Tip Meetings: 8
Mode of Transportation: Driving: Charter Bus
Amount of Participants: 50 Students, 6 Student Leaders, 5 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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