For 146 GW students, winter break was more than just time away from school. It was an opportunity to serve others both in the U.S. and around the world.
As part of George Washington University’s Alternative Winter Break program, students traveled to five different locations to undertake service projects. The trips were organized, funded and driven by students, and staffed by the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service. For the students who participated, the experience was one they will never forget.
"Alternative Break has changed my life," said junior Lindsay Young, who helped build a school in Guatemala. "Getting to go to any location, no matter if it's domestic or international, you're going to meet people who have similar interests and who are dedicated to a cause greater than themselves. I've met people who have had incredible experiences and have so much to offer.”
Besides Guatemala, students also traveled to Honduras to support youth development, Puerto Rico to work on a sustainable farm, Los Angeles to address gang violence and New Orleans to build homes with Habitat for Humanity. Amy Cohen, executive director of the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, said the alternative break program is a defining moment for many students.
"Even though it's only a 10-day experience, it has a life-changing impact," said Ms. Cohen. "Sometimes it changes their academic course. Other times it changes their career course."
For Ms. Young, it’s changed both. When she originally came to GW, she was really interested in politics and planned to major in international relations. But after going on an alternative break trip to Peru during her freshman year, she decided to major in Middle Eastern studies with a minor in public health. And she hopes to do the Peace Corps after graduating from GW.
In the months leading up to an alternative break trip, students spent hours planning and educating themselves about the topics they would address in their service projects. Then at the end of each day during the trip, students spent time reflecting on what they had learned.
As a learning partner on the alternative break trip to Honduras, Jovanni Mahonez, coordinator for administration and hallmark programs in the Student Activities Center, was inspired by the students’ deep reflections about youth empowerment as they painted murals and worked directly with Honduran youth.
“They learned that change agents can be any age, and education plays a key role in developing socially conscious youth,” said Ms. Mahonez. “I was really impressed with how the students planned on bringing the lessons they learned back to the GW community.”
Adrienne Watkins, a senior in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, co-led the trip to New Orleans where 55 students helped Hurricane Katrina victims continue to build back their lives. As she returns to classes at GW this week, she hopes she can raise awareness about the continued need in New Orleans.
“Six and a half years later, there is still so much work left to be done, and we hope people continue to go there and lend a hand,” Ms. Watkins said.
Senior Amy Brickman, who led the trip to Los Angeles this year, participated on the New Orleans trip during her sophomore year. At the time, she was considering transferring because she was having trouble finding her niche at GW. But the Alternative Break trip to New Orleans changed that. And her most recent trip to Los Angeles has also helped shape her career path. After volunteering with the juvenile detention system in LA, she hopes to look for similar service opportunities in the District and eventually become an educator in the justice system.
Ms. Cohen said these trips are always much more than an extracurricular activity. Instead, they complement what students learn in the classroom.
For Charles Guinn, who volunteered with a nonprofit in Puerto Rico that teaches workshops on sustainable agriculture, the Alternative Break program has been the “cornerstone” of his academic experience at GW.
“I think that the idea of service as a lifelong component of who you are is definitely something I began to learn as soon as I got involved with the Alternative Break program,” said Mr. Guinn. “It solidified who I want to be as an adult and for the rest of my life.”
More than 195 students are planning to participate on eight alternative break trips during spring break. Some students will serve in the District while others will travel to Appalachia, Atlanta, Cherokee Nation, Greensburg, Kan., Gullah Island in Beaufort, S.C., New Orleans and New York City to provide environmental, housing and educational service.