Alternative Spring Break (Spring 2007)
NCLC 194 One Credit

Alternative Spring Break NCLC 194 is a week-long one credit opportunity to apply hands-on experiences to your academic course work and personal development.  Alternative Spring Break bridges the relationship between social issues and self-discovery through education and purposeful action.  By providing needed services, you will learn from the people and organizations you encounter and gain a broader understanding of the world around you.

Requirements:
1) Attend the ASB Orientation (Sunday, February 11) and the post-trip celebration (Sunday, March 25).  Participate in all aspects of pre-Spring break education and team-building.  Engage fully in all Spring Break training and service.

2) Participate in nightly group reflection sessions and contribute to the group journal during your trip.  Work with other team members to prepare a presentation of your experience for the post-trip celebration.

3) Submit five typed personal reflection papers, using the questions that follow to focus and structure your thoughts.  A minimum of 2 full pages per paper is expected (approximately 900 words.  Of course, you can write more).  Writing is one way of forging links between service and your learning process.  It is your opportunity to examine your motivations, monitor your personal growth and clarify your values, as well as an opportunity to explore some of the underlying causes of the issues and themes you are addressing through service.  Reflection papers are not merely logs of the events you experience, but your personal response to those events.  The format should include the journal question and question number, your name and course number.

4) BEFORE YOU LEAVE, locate and read a journal/magazine/newspaper article that addresses the social issue that you are addressing during ASB.  I prefer that you use an academic journal article.  Identify theories or facts the author contends to be true. Be sure to provide a full citation for the article you use.  Bring your article on break with you.

5) Submit a final project due Friday, March 30 (in a two-pocket folder or binder) that includes:

1. Brochures, pictures and information about the community learning setting, if permitted and/or appropriate.
2. Completed reflection papers (typed).
3. A copy of the journal/magazine/newspaper article.
4. A final essay (choosing one of the following)

     1.  A six page typed essay that integrates your learning on ASB with the journal article.  Discuss three theories or facts used in the journal article that supported or refuted your own observations/experiences on site.  What have you learned about the social issue your team addressed?  In light of the article, what could the organization do to improve its services?  If you were in charge, what would you do differently?  Why? Try to be as specific as possible.
2.  A four page typed essay that discusses three topics the journal article and what the service would taught you about the social issue.  In addition, communicate one or more of the topics via a creative project to explain to the viewer what you learned on ASB about that topic.  Creative projects can be in a the form of: narrative, textiles, music composition, poster, sculpture, drawings, videotape, web page, performance art, collection of poems, etc.  This is not a measure of artistic ability but an opportunity to express what you have learned about the social issue.  Be sure your name appears on the creative project.
Reflection Papers
Please respond to the following questions:

Pre-trip due March 9, 2007:
Why are you participating on Alternative Spring Break? Discuss three goals (personal and/or academic that you hope to achieve this week.

During the trip, write 2-3 pages on DIFFERENT days (two, three and four perhaps).  Choose three of the four question topics:
Re-read the journal article.  What do you know about the author?  Would the author have a different point of view by being on Alternative Spring Break?  What do you agree with?  What do you disagree with?
OR
Write a letter to yourself from the perspective of a local community member/or the people who are receiving the service you are providing.  What do you want visitors/volunteers in your community to know?  Why do you want visitor/volunteers there?  What are your reservations about having visitors/volunteers there?
OR
It is often said that we learn from those we serve.  What are you learning about yourself and others?  What has surprised you about yourself, the organization, team members, friends and/or family?
OR
Describe a difficult experience that has occurred this week.  What actions did you take to process this experience (i.e.: talk to someone, discussed it at reflection, went jogging, did nothing)?  What has this experience taught you?  What would you like to do if you encounter a similar event in the future?

Post-trip reflection:
Read your first journal entry.  What is your assessment of your three goals?  Were they achievable?  Have any opinions or attitudes changed?  Why or why not?  How did ASB meet (or did not meet) your expectations?