The Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) released their Alternative Break trip locations today at the Involvement Fair. There will be five trips occurring during spring break this year, including four domestic trips and one international trip.
The four domestic trips are to Cincinnati, Ohio; Washington D.C.; Eagle Butte, South Dakota; and Lynchburg, Virginia. The international trip will be to Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic.
In Lynchburg, Virginia, participants will be working with organization Lynchburg Grow. Lynchburg Grow works to ensure people of the community have access to healthy food and provide jobs to people with disabilities. The group will focus in securing food access in this area. The two trip coordinators are Isabel Thorne and Meaghan Blaisdell.
Coordinator Thorne, a second-year student, said, “I am excited for everyone to find out the places we will be going to and issues we will be working on. I hope we get a lot of excited applicants.”
The Cincinnati, Ohio trip will focus on gentrification in urban areas. The trip coordinators are Amber Rose and Cameron Frazier. This trip will work with the Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless.
Dee Dube and Izzy Proia will be leading the trip to Eagle Butte, South Dakota to work with the organization Okiciyapi Tipi. This organization works with the Cheyenne River Reservation community. This group will be working on creating homes in an area that has a very high demand for affordable housing.
Dube, a fourth-year student, said, “I’m so excited to be co-leading an Alternative Break this spring, because last year’s trip is one of my favorite experiences from SNHU to date. The community we made between participants and advisors was incredible, and the work we did was impactful and important. My perspective changed so much in such a short amount of time on my last trip, and I’m excited to see how much I’ll learn on my next one!”
Proia, a second-year student, said, “I am so excited for this year’s Alternative Break trips! Alternative Break is an awesome way to get involved and meet a bunch of great people. It’s something everybody should consider applying for.”
Ryan Bailey and Nicole Clark will be leading a group of Alternative Break participants to Washington D.C. to work with the Steinbruck Center. The social issues they will be learning about are the causes and solutions of urban homelessness.
Bailey, a second-year student, said, “I am super excited to get started with my co-coordinator, the two advisors, and all of the volunteers around this deep, moving, and very prominent current day issue. We have an amazing group so far, and I know that it will only get better once we select our student volunteers.”
The international trip to Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic is led by Erika Downing and Alexis Gregory. This group will be working with Outreach 360, a nonprofit that works with children. Participants will have a chance to create lessons to teach and share with these children.
Gregory, a second-year student at SNHU, said, “Alternative Break is a great way to get involved on campus as well as [to make] great connections around the world while helping people in need.”
To pick up an application, stop by the Center for Community Engagement located in the Green Center, room 118. If you have any questions about Alternative Break there will be information sessions held during this semester or also feel free to email CCEL at serve@snhu.edu.
