By Yvonne Langen, Carleton University.
Going to Mexico for spring break might not sound out of the ordinary, but for 25 Carleton students it is going to be extraordinary.
"They're giving up their spring break to do something that is not the definition of conventional fun," says Joe Lipsett, Alternative Spring Break (ASB) coordinator.
"It's very long arduous days of digging ditches, working in recycling plant or working in a community gardens but what they come to realize is that they can make a difference in the community and they as individuals have grown."
Now in its third year, ASB is a unique community service learning initiative organized by the First Year Experience Office (FYEO) that allows students to learn through experience. This year, the group is going to Cuernavaca, Mexico for the second time.
Third-year mass communication student Laxmi Parthasarathy joined ASB last year on its maiden trip to Cuernavaca. Every day was crammed full of activities: students attended lectures at the University of Cuernavaca and then put theory into practice in their daily service projects.
"You're not just going and saying 'I'm going to make a difference,' you're going there to learn and then you're coming back here and using what you learned to start your own initiative," says Parthasarathy.
In fact, Parthasarathy had already started her own initiative before she even applied to ASB when she founded a Toronto community newspaper called MYROOTS, which stands for Malvern Youth Recognizing Our Opportunities to Succeed.
During her time in Mexico one of the moments that really resonated with her was a presentation from the youth activists who run El Pregon, a community newspaper in Cuernavaca.
"I'm hearing these 19 to 25-year-olds talking about how they need to get funding for this newspaper…and all the trouble they're going to," she said.
Parthasarathy has volunteered at the FYEO since she returned from Cuernavaca last February. She has been helping Jennifer Mongrain, one of this year's student leaders, prepare the group for its upcoming trip.
Mongrain says one of the most important parts of gearing up for the trip is raising money. It costs each student about $1,500, so fundraisers that run the gamut from bake sales to bottle drives are organized.
Lipsett notes that fundraising is not only a good way to subsidize costs but also to get the message out to the Carleton community.
When the students return, they will host a photo exhibition on March 5 where they will sell photos from their trip and advertise the benefits of the experience. Proceeds will go toward future trips because Lipsett wants to make the experience available to more students and entice them with lower costs.
Meanwhile, Mongrain encourages people to make a different choice about how to spend their spring break.
"Spend your spring break doing something fun; spend your spring break doing something worthwhile rather than what the alternative normally is."
The Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program is a Community Service Learning initiative. Through ASB, students are challenged to make connections between the service they provide to the community and the knowledge and skills they acquire in the classroom. Drawing connections between in-class and out-of-class learning is facilitated by the inclusion of a faculty member on the Alternative Spring Break, preparatory meetings.
