All spring breaks are not created equal. Each year since 2001, groups of Emerson College students have decided to spend their break serving communities around Boston and across the country through the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program. This year, application records were shattered when the ASB leadership team gathered to review over 100 applications for the 2013 trips:
Boston, MA – This year’s Boston trip will focus on childhood education. Helping with homework, arts and crafts, and reading books, this trip is developing a full week of service focused on children and education in greater Boston.
Biloxi, MS – The challenges associated with rural hunger and homelessness can differs significantly from those experienced in urban areas, including access, transportation, and resources, specifically human resources in the form of volunteers. Students will serve through Community Collaborations International, which connects volunteers with soup kitchens and homeless shelters in rural Mississippi. The trip aims to help participants better understand issues of urban and rural homelessness, and improve their ability to engage in discussion of how to address the problem and its impact on various types of communities.
Nantahala National Park, NC – Nantahala is Cherokee for “Land of the Noonday Sun” and the name of the largest of the four national forests in North Carolina. This trip will offer students an opportunity to explore the importance and process of preserving America’s National Parks. Participants will travel to Ashville, NC and drive to one of the Southern most sections of the Appalachian Trail. Once in Nantahala, students will clear trails, cut back growth, remove fallen trees, maintenance leveling, and clearing out erosion – all guided by the help and expertise of members from the Nantahala Appalachian Trail Club.
El Paso, TX – Located in southwest Teas, El Paso is the nation’s largest border city. This trip will provide students the opportunity to spend a week immersed in immigration issues. Give the city’s proximity to Mexico, there is a large population of undocumented immigrants and many organizations that need volunteers to assist in providing support to those immigrants and their families. Serving in Texas will allow students to witness the issues that arise in an area where a large number of immigrants are undocumented and especially in need of support and services.
The trips are currently fundraising through a partnership with Roffi Salon and Spa on Newbury Street. From November 2012 to March 2013, stylists J, Catherine, and Brenda at Roffi Salon and Day Spa will donate 20% of the proceeds from all hair services for Emerson Alternative Spring Break (ASB) supporters to the 2013 ASB program. Call 617-536-9600 to schedule an appointment and be sure to mention Emerson ASB.
