Colleen Rose, senior assistant director for community engagement at Student Life and Learning, said these programs are only additions to the 14 other programs already listed on the Hoosier Alternative Breaks website.
Hoosier Alternative Breaks is a program through Student Life and Learning that connects students with service-based trips.
One new program is the Winter Community Plunge taking place from 5 p.m. Jan. 15 to 5 p.m. Jan. 18 in Bloomington.
Rose said because this trip includes Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day traditionally dedicated to service in the local community, this event will be the perfect way to kick off Hoosier Alternative Breaks and to celebrate King’s legacy.
Participants will spend the weekend serving the local community, discussing current social issues and attending the annual Indiana University Unity Summit.
Anna Archer, community engagement graduate adviser at Student Life and Learning, said that participating in a locally-based trip like the Winter Community Plunge is just as important as participating in Hoosier Alternative Breaks’ international trips.
“It’s really a unique opportunity to be orientated, educated and really immersed in a social issue and then provide hands-on community support,” Archer said. “That is just as valuable locally as internationally, and no matter where you go you’re going to have a transformational experience.”
To participate, students must pay a $50 program fee and complete the application on the Hoosier Alternative Breaks website by Nov. 18.
Additionally, Hoosier Alternative Breaks released applications for the Student Advisory Board.
This is a new leadership committee dedicated to fostering the program’s vision of service.
“On the Advisory Board we’re looking for students who have a passion for Alternative Breaks and service that would want to contribute to creating a vision for HAB and getting the word out to other students on campus about it,” Rose said.
Student Life and Learning also introduced a new course, EDUC-U495, through the School of Education and LEAD IU. The course is open to any student involved in a past or current alternative break program to connect with other alternative breakers and share experiences.
“A lot of times you go on a trip that can change your life and then there’s this big question of, ‘Now what? What do I do?’” Rose said. “We hope that this class can help students make meaning of those experiences.”
To enroll in this one-credit course, students can email Hoosier Alternative Breaks at sllhab@indiana.edu.
Archer said these new opportunities for students will hopefully make students more aware of Hoosier Alternative Breaks and more inclined to serve their community.
“We hope that ultimately these experiences will help students understand important social issues and move them toward action to make a positive impact in their own community,” Archer said.
