2020 Alternative Spring Break (ASB) Service Trip Team Member Application

Thank you for your interest in participating in the Student Community Engagement Center's Alternative Spring Break program! 

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a week-long service opportunity run by students at PSU that brings together a diverse group of people with the common goal of service and education. Our mission is to promote critical thinking, social action, continued community involvement, and civic engagement in the global community. 

Our mission is to promote critical thinking, social action, continued community involvement, and civic engagement in the global community. As a short term goal, ASB hopes to provide important direct, physical service to a community in need. As a long-term goal, ASB hopes to instill a lifetime commitment of active and engaged citizenship while inspiring future service leaders in Oregon. Thanks again for your interest. We can’t wait to work with you! If you would like to read more about the ASB program, you can visit our website at: https://www.pdx.edu/student-community-engagement/alternative-spring-break

• Assistant Team Lead Application Due: Sunday, November 24, 2019 (due by 11:59 pm). Interviews will take place the first week in December. Assistant Team Leads have their trip fee waived in exchange for supporting the design and facilitation of the trip.

• Team Member Application Due: Priority Deadline is Sunday, December 15, 2019 (due by 11:59 pm). Still accepting applications (primarily for Trip #2) through Monday, January 13, 2020 -- Interviews will take place in the first two weeks of winter term.

Click on the green "Register" button in the upper righthand corner of this page to begin your application!

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THIS YEAR'S TRIPS:

Trip Option #1: Focus on Homelessness & Food Insecurity in the San Francisco Bay Area, California

This is a new take on our longest running trip! Students will be venturing into the heart of San Francisco, California to be intimately involved with organizations who are supporting equity and social services in areas of homelessness and food security. We will be working with Faithful Fools, an organization with deep roots in the San Francisco Tenderloin neighborhood, as well as organizations like GLIDE to explore how the San Francisco Bay Area supports houseless communities. Through ASB’s commitment of fostering critical thinking, social action and continued community involvement, emerging leaders will have the chance to transfer these lessons learned back to their home communities and engage in positive social change. 

• Trip Dates: Sunday, March 22 - Saturday, March 28, 2020 (Friday is a free day in SF)

• Four Required Pre Trip Meetings: Fridays February 7 & 21, March 6 & 20, time TBD

• Trip Fee: $350; two 40-80% stipends available, based on financial need.

• Total of 11 students (2 team leads and 9 team members).
  
  

Trip Option #2 (Local): Focus on Social Isolation in the Greater Portland Area, Oregon

Want to experience an Alternative Spring Break trip but can’t commit to a full week? Interested in exploring issues of social isolation and supporting organizations working to address social isolation across many populations in the Greater Portland area? Join us for a new Alternative Spring Break experience this Spring focused on the issue of social isolation in our own community. Students will start the trip with an overnight immersion experience with JOIN, an organization that exists to support the efforts of individuals and families experiencing homelessness to transition into permanent housing. We will then spend three days in the Greater Portland Area working with a variety of community partners -- from David's Harp to Meals on Wheels, from Volunteers of America to the Multnomah County Library -- all of whom are working towards equality, inclusion, and support for our community members experiencing isolation due to age, disability, mental health challenges, housing instability, and more. In addition to our service, we will engage in dialogue around what it means to be socially isolated and how we can be effective change agents in working to break down the barriers that come with being isolated in your community.  

• Trip Dates: Sunday, March 22 - Wednesday, March 25, 2020

• Three Required Pre-Trip Meetings: Fridays February 7 & 21, March 6 & 20, 4:30-6:00pm

• Trip Fee: $100; two 40-80% stipends available, based on financial need.

• Total of 12 students (2 team leads and 10 team members)

• Overnight will be Sunday, March 22 - Monday, March 23; From Mon - Wed, plan for full days and some dinners together, but participants will return to their own homes in the evenings during these days.

Note: We are still looking for an Assistant Lead for our Portland Area trip. Assistant Leaders attend the trip for free in exchange for helping plan and facilitate the experience. If you are interested, please apply by Sunday, November 24, 2020! Preference given to those who will be available to support trip planning for 6-10 hours during Winter Break.