2016 International Alternative Spring Break
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2016 International Alternative Spring Break #JagBreak Information Guide! 2015 trip participants pose after some heavy lifting of the beach clean-up Social Issues: Sea Turtle Conservation & Eco-Tourism The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago Community Partner: St. David Empowerment & Developmental Organization (SDEDO) Directions Please review this information guide carefully as you decide to apply to the 2016 international alternative break trip to Trinidad. Please make sure you can meet the necessary obligations and that the work of the trip interests you. Table of Contents I. Alternative Break Programs II. 2016 International Alternative Spring Break: Overview III. Staff 2015 group at Matura Beach, witnessing a leatherback IV. Trip Itinerary sea turtle laying eggs V. Before & After the Trip: Mandatory Meetings VI. Cost th VII. Apply! Deadline: Wednesday, September 16 VIII. Location IX. Housing X. Meals XI. Accessibility – Reviewing Service Work Expectations XII. Safety XIII. Contact for More Information XIV. Trinidad Demographics & Statistics XV. Helpful Resources XVI. Packing List XVII. Trinidad & Tobago Vocabulary 1 Alternative Break Programs: Community Service & Scholarship Opportunities Alternative Break trips at IUPUI are student-led, social issue-focused, service-based trips that take place during IUPUI's fall and spring breaks. These are alcohol and drug-free trips that allow students to connect with different communities and cultures while working to create positive, sustainable change. Students engage in educationally meaningful direct service to support the work of a community organization and then participate in a Reorientation upon return, where they engage in service with a local Indianapolis organization that works on a similar social issue. Trip participants learn through service, education, and reflection about how they can be agents of change when they return to the Indianapolis community. Alternative break trips also include pre-trip meetings that are designed to educate students on the community partner they will be working with, the social issue(s) that the organization is working on, the culture of their destination city, discuss the similarities with the local Indianapolis community, learn about logistics and policies, and have an opportunity to develop relationships with one another prior to the trip. IUPUI hosts one Fall Alternative Break (FAB) trip in October for 22 students, one international alternative spring break for 10 students, and four domestic alternative spring break (ASB) programs for 44 total students. Students who participate on an alternative break trip are eligible to apply for the Sam H. Jones Community Service Scholarship (SHJ) for the Alternative Break Trip Leader (ABTL) scholarship. This $1,000 scholarship allows students to plan a spring break trip of their own the following year. 2016 International Alternative Spring Break: Overview The Community Service & Civic Engagement (CSCE) team, housed within the IUPUI Office of Student Involvement, is proudly sponsoring the second ever international alternative break trip! From March 13th – 19th, the IUPUI Alternative Breaks Program is returning to Toco, a rural area of The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. The trip will take place on the Trinidad island and students will engage with the community group St. David Developmental & Empowerment Organization (SDEDO) in supporting eco-tourism efforts. This will include tagging sea turtles as they come ashore to nest, beach clean-ups, and building a trail from the forest to a beach. This is a service-learning experience dedicated to the educational opportunities experienced within working with a new community, cross-cultural discovery, and engaging in a deeper understanding of civic engagement. Staff The Alternative Break (AB) program is overseen by Niki Messmore, Coordinator of Community Service & Civic Engagement. The staff advisor who will be accompanying students on the trip is Amanda Bonilla, Assistant Director of Social Justice Education. The international AB trip will be planned by two Sam H. Jones scholars in the “Community Service Leader” (CSL) program. These leaders are Lyla Mahmoud and Bridget Barbara. Lyla is a junior majoring in Political Science and is a 2015 Trinidad participant. Bridget is a junior in the Kelley School of Business and a former AB trip leader. Contact them at [email protected]. 2 Trip Itinerary Saturday, March 12th Students will stay overnight together on the IUPUI campus due to the early departure time. This will ensure that all students are prepared to leave together in the morning. Sunday, March 13th Students will depart the IUPUI campus around 3:45am. Ground transportation will be arranged to the Indianapolis airport. Flights will be scheduled once students have been accepted and submitted their passport information; however flights to Trinidad usually leave around 6:15 – 6:30am. Students will likely fly through either the Houston or Miami airport, and then continue to Port-of-Spain (POS), Trinidad. Students will arrive in Trinidad between 7:00pm – 9:00pm EST and after going through customs, proceed via ground transportation to Toco. This trip is an estimated 2.5 hours from POS, Trinidad’s capital city. It is possible that the group may stay overnight in POS and proceed in the morning. Monday, March 14th Every alternative break trip has one free day, and this is it! Since this is an international trip, students will stay grouped together at all times and a group excursion will be planned and paid for through the AB program. In 2015, the trip visited the Asa Wright Nature Center for a hike to learn about the rainforest environment, had lunch, and then swam in a natural pool located in the forest. Trinidad offers many exciting opportunities, so this may change per the decisions of the trip leaders. Tuesday, March 15th Students will begin their service with the St. David Developmental & Empowerment Organization (SDEDO)! Students will spend three hours cleaning a beach in the Toco community. That night, they will spend three hours working with the SDEDO to tag turtles as they come ashore to nest. There are seven species of sea turtles in the world and five come to Trinidad & Tobago (TT) to nest – of those, two nest on the Toco beaches. Wednesday, March 16th Students will spend 6-8 hours building a trail extending from the forest down to the beach. The local community group SDEDO hopes to build up this oft-forgotten beach as a way to bring tourists, educate them on turtle conservation, and increase economic resources for their community. This will likely include building stairs into a deep sloping hill, cleaning, lifting, and other physical activities. Thursday, March 17th This will be a repeat of the day on Tuesday Students will spend three hours cleaning a beach in the Toco community. That night, they will spend three hours working with the SDEDO to tag turtles as they come ashore to nest. There are seven species of sea turtles in the world and five come to Trinidad & Tobago (TT) to nest – of those, two nest on the Toco beaches. 3 Friday, March 18th The Toco community will host a beach cook-out, invite the whole community, and spend time with the IUPUI participants. This will be an excellent way to enjoy time and learn about the culture of Trinidad. Saturday, March 19th Students will be transported the 2.5 hours to the Port-of-Spain (POS) airport; or may head to Port-of- Spain on Friday night so the airport trip is not as long. The flight will likely leave around 6:30am EST. Students will fly back to Indianapolis via likely Houston or Miami, and arrive in Indianapolis around 7:00pm – 9:00pm. Before & After the Trip: Mandatory Meetings Students should not to apply if they cannot attend all 10 required meetings. Otherwise, if a student makes it to the interview round of the application process, they will have essentially stolen a spot from another student who could have made the meetings. One selected, all participants must attend these meetings or they may forfeit their $500 fee and lost their place on the trip. The pre-trip meetings are a critical component of the international alternative break experience. The pre-trip meetings are intentionally designed to introduce students to the culture of Trinidad, the work that the community organization SDEDO does, the social issues of sea turtle conservation and eco-tourism, hear panels of past participants and individuals from the Caribbean, relationship building, and more! The April 16th Reorientation event brings together students from all alternative spring break trips (5 total trips) and past AB alumni, for a day of service, reflection, and celebration! Students will break into their AB groups to volunteer at a community organization that works on an issue(s) similar to the social issue(s) of the AB trip. Students will return for a free lunch, reflection, and talk about next steps for themselves and the group to continue maintaining engagement in their community. Fall Semester (2 meetings) – Location: Office of Student Involvement (OSI) Conference Room • Tuesday Nov 3rd 4:30-6pm • Tuesday, Dec 8th 4:30-6pm Spring Semester (8 meetings scheduled) – Location: (OSI) Conference Room • January 22, 3-5pm • January 29, 3-5pm • February 5, 3-5pm • February 12, 3-5pm • February 19, 3-5pm • March 4, 3-5pm • March 11, 3-5pm • April 16, 8am-3pm – Reorientation with all AB trips 4 Cost This is an extraordinary opportunity for students to engage with an international community in service at a very low-cost. The $500 program fees will