More than 100 UW-Madison students won't have to worry about missing the party bus this spring break. These Badgers are choosing to devote their time off from school to volunteering. The Wisconsin Union Directorate's Alternative Breaks Committee is sending 120 students to 12 different sites next week.
Students will be volunteering through a variety of projects ranging from community building to working on organic farms. They'll travel in all directions and as little as two hours south of Madison or as far as the Everglades in Florida.
WUD Alternative Breaks Director Kaitlin Koehler went on her first alternative break trip last year after hearing about them at the student organization fair. She became ""hooked"" after her first trip and is traveling to West Virginia this year to work on an organic farm there. ""The overall learning experience is the best part,"" she said.
""The most important thing is the hands-on learning experience students can get both from the program and from each other.""
Committee member Matt O'Rourke agrees. He's been to New Orleans previous years, but this break he's traveling to Jackson Hole with Hoofers. ""I constantly regret not signing up for one this spring,"" he said.
Alternative Breaks, which the WUD has run almost 20 years as part of WUD, has had time to develop good working relationships with the sites they serve. Koehler says that's important, especially since the San Juan, Texas, site is close to the Mexico-United States border, currently a troubled area.
""We've had extra orientation meetings to discuss the circumstances in San Juan,"" Koehler said, ""but we're still planning on sending the students.""
WUD Alternative Breaks can usually accommodate ten students per trip, so admission to the spring break programs can be competitive, but there are also opportunities for students in the winter and summer, as well as shorter weekend trips. Applications for the four summer trips are now available and can be found at www.union.wisc.edu/altbreaks.com.
