Spring break service
UD students give back to 11 communities during 2015 alternative breaks
2:54 p.m., May 6, 2015--The University of Delaware’s Alternative Break program (UDaB) finished its fifth year on campus by sending over 250 students on 11 trips in 2014-15. The program, which has continued to grow since its inception in 2010, launched its first international trip during Winter Session.
UDaB is not a traditional spring break vacation. A week full of service, friendship and learning, students said that UDaB is both a transformative and enjoyable experience.
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UDaB can change student perspectives and the way students view service in general. Junior Michelle Rind, who worked with Bright Beginnings on early literacy in Washington, D.C., said, “UDaB, both the service and the people, is good for the soul.”
According to Karen Lundin, alternative break and off-term academic program coordinator, students who participate in UDaB are among the most driven at UD. “The passion they have for service is undeniable,” she said. “There is so much positive energy within the group and it is growing at an incredible rate.”
Just a year ago, the program expanded from five to eight programs and has now matched that growth for the second year in a row.
From urban settings such as Boston, New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, to remote areas in West Virginia and Tennessee, students gave back in a range of communities and locations. Student service projects focused on areas including environmental concerns, disaster relief and rebuilding, housing and urban health and education.
UD students emerged with a greater awareness of themselves and the world around them. Junior Tommy Margiasso spent the week constructing raised bed gardens for residents in Philadelphia with community partner, Urban Tree Connection.
“You don't really understand the types of social issues that are out there until you're put into an environment that struggles with one every day,” he said. “One week of service allowed me to learn not just about how we can help areas in need through teamwork and motivation, but also a lot about myself and how much I enjoy getting involved at a community level.”
Brittany Porter, a junior who participated in the wildlife sanctuary trip to Silver Springs, Florida, remarked, “I'll never forget the memories I made or the people I met. I feel like I have a new perspective on college and life in general."
In the coming weeks, participants will have the opportunity to apply to become members of UDaB’s executive board or a site leader for trips next spring. With this, the program looks forward to another successful year and to the continued growth of the program.
To see pictures from this year’s trips or to learn more about the program, “like” UDaB on Facebook, visit the University of Delaware UDaB Storify Page, follow @udabreaks on Twitter and Instagram, and add udabreaks to Snapchat.
In addition, information on the program itself can be found on the Office of Service Learning website.
Article by Claire Griffiths
Photos by Sean Considine and Brian Griffiths and courtesy of the Urban Tree Connection