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Community Outreach

Alternative Breaks & Immersion Programs

Alternative Breaks Philosophy

Each Alternative Break has 3 Components:

Practical Service
Each day there is a work project that gives participants experience with the problems and issues facing the people of the city. The experiences will include working with different ages and different problems in a wide variety of settings.

Education
Participants spend time with a variety of people whose lives and work address the struggles of contemporary urban America. With the help of these local "experts" (agency coordinators, care givers, project directors, school administrators, etc.) the students engage in the work of structural analysis. This educational component aims at helping the students better understand the systemic causes of the problems they encounter in the projects.

Reflection
Each day the students set aside time for "unpacking" the day. They examine the impact of the day's encounters and explore their feelings, whether of anger, prejudice, disappointment, fear, joy, or satisfaction. One of the principal goals of the Urban Plunge is to help the participant through a stage of personal development. It is recognized that in such a brief period it cannot be expected that the participants will have a significant impact on the lives of those they meet or on the agencies where they work, but the experience can change the preconceived ideas that students sometimes have about poverty, homelessness, and alcohol and/or drug abuse.

Week Long Trips
  • Washington, D.C.
    January 5-12, 2008
    Topic: Women, Children and Political Action
    More Information and trip details
    Application Deadline: September 28, 2007 at 5:00pm
    The application deadline has passed.
  • Winter Break, Hurricane Relief Trip
    January 8-21, 2008
    Topic: Hurricane Relief
    More information and trip details
    Application Deadline: Until trip is full
    The application deadline has passed.
  • Philadelphia, PA
    March 8-16, 2008
    Topic: Healthcare
    More Information and trip details
    The application deadline has passed.
  • Spring Break, Hurricane Relief Trip
    March 8-16, 2006
    Topic: Hurricane Relief
    More Information and trip details
    Application Deadline: Until trip is full
  • Hartford CT
    March 8-15, 2008
    Topic: GLBT and Political Action
    More Information and trip details
    Application Deadline: February 13, 2008 at 5:00PM
    The application deadline has passed.








Weekend Trips
  • Boston, MA (Fall 2007)
    October 26-28, 2007
    Topic: Homelessness
    More Information and trip details
    Application Deadline: September 14, 2007 at 5:00pm
    The application deadline has passed.
  • New York City, NY (Fall 2007)
    November 2-4, 2007
    Topic: AIDS
    More Information and trip details
    Application Deadline: September 21, 2007 at 5:00pm
    The application deadline has passed.
  • New York City, NY (Spring 2008)
    April 4-6, 2008
    Topic: AIDS
    More Information and trip details
    Application Deadline: February 15, 2008 at 5:00pm
    The application deadline has passed.
  • Boston, MA (Spring 2008)
    April 4-6, 2008
    Topic: Homelessness
    More Information and trip details
    Application Deadline: February 15, 2008 at 5:00pm
    The application deadline has passed.

  • Bridgeport, CT (Spring 2008)
    April 11-13, 2008
    Topic: Housing
    More Information and trip details
    Application Deadline: February 15, 2008 at 5:00pm
    The application deadline has passed.