Hi there!
I’ve finally found some time to
sit down and digest what has all happened in the past 48 hours. What a weekend!
I learned so much from all that was offered at the Impact Conference. In just
two days; I attended an opportunity fair, 2 keynotes, and 7 workshops. The
sessions lasted an hour and fifteen minutes, and I found useful takeaways in
each one. The majority of the workshops I attended were centered on alternative
breaks, because I was intentional on educating myself on how to improve the
AWOL program that I help coordinate. I was so excited when I found out Break Away
staff were going to be presenters at the conference. Break Away is a site bank
for non-profit organizations that people can use to connect and plan
alternative breaks. As one of the VP’s of BVU’s alternative break program, we
use sites like Break Away to connect with service sites and figure logistics of
spring break trips during the summer months before. I got the opportunity to
not only attend a couple workshops held by Breakaway executive directors, but I
took the initiative to meet and speak with them at the fair and also after
their sessions.
I really appreciated being able
to put faces to the organization that I had worked with. I must have made a
good impression, because they highly encouraged me to sign up for their summer
retreat program that brought together site leaders/student coordinators from
all over the country for service and training. I was told I would be surrounded
by “50 Zachs” in the sense that people with the same passion for student
involvement in active citizenship. Having worked with the organization, I was
familiar with the essential components and continuum that they used to foster
successful alternative breaks, however; I wasn’t aware of the role of assessment
in their vision for community impact. Too many times alternative breaks are
more focused on student outcomes, instead of the root of what “what we do” does
for the people being served.
I learned of sustainable ways
that alternative breaks can make these significant impacts that are so
desperately desired. We want to eliminate crossing fingers and hoping that we
are facilitating the outreach we are working for. Without even knowing it,
good-intentioned volunteers can create or reinforce problems for the service
site. Just because people are being sent to the site doesn’t mean that they are
qualified or required for the specific needs of the community. When those needs
are being addressed; the key to community impact is the ability of volunteers
to work themselves out of the problem. This may seem counter-intuitive, but in
reality it encourages the people to ultimately become self-sufficient.
One of the most important
aspects of alternative breaks is education. Education is the link between
direct service and advocacy. Students returning from their trips should be
motivated to ask those same questions relating to social justice on their trips
to the needs of their own communities. Reorientation is vital to authorizing
the active citizenship that should be occurring following an alternative break
program. Without it, we are essentially sending students on feel-good
experiences with short-term capacity for social change. One week of direct
service is nice, but think of the impact students can make with the other 51
weeks of the year in their communities with the same applied principles.
I left the conference with a lot
of ambitious goals for the AWOL program. I won’t quite reveal what those are
exactly, but I can say they will push its social change capacity to its full
potential. I love being in these types of environments, because it’s so
inspiring to be surrounded by people with the same passion for social justice.
I think I’m fairly new to the field, so I relish at the opportunity to reach out
to people with experience such as higher education administrators whom I can
learn from. As for the trip itself, I was glad I could share this experience
with fellow Student MOVE members. The entire time, Jessica and Taylor had some
pre-conceived idea that they were going to assert their power by teaming up
against me. This was a walk in the park for me after being the only
male out of the 10 students that went on my AWOL trip freshman year (*insert evil laugh). I was confident I could handle
this situation by not being a complete pushover. Luckily Ken was there to save
me from saying too much, or I might have been sent back in pieces. Lesson here:
take refuge in sound logic, but winning isn’t always the objective of an
argument (I guess…). Interesting group dynamics didn’t stray us away from
enjoying ourselves and having a valuable experience. I’m grateful for this
opportunity to become a better leader and hope to apply everything I’ve learned
as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!
In service,
Zach
