Call for hosts: 2012 Alternative Break Citizenship Schools (ABCs)

Posted by on December 19, 2011

THE 2012 ALTERNATIVE BREAK CITIZENSHIP SCHOOLS

“It has been a wonderfully beautiful opportunity to host, prepare and give insight to Break Away in the summer of 2011. Break Away decided to bring a group of 60 including their enthusiastic and dedicated staff to the swamp that is Washington D.C. The amount of energy and positivity that this conference brought was powerful. The ABCs are a crash course in getting college students to care about something. We all have passions but it can be painstaking trying to connect them to something bigger. Break Away has masterfully done this time and time again. If they can do this in the capital, it can be done anywhere. Break Away please come back soon!”  – Charles Coats, George Mason University

We are pleased to announce a great opportunity open to your school or organization! Break Away: The Alternative Break Connection will be taking proposals through January 20th, 2012 for schools, locations (and social issues) to host the 2012 Alternative Break Citizenship Schools (ABCs).

In the past, we have been hosted by schools such as Butler University, Emory University, Florida International University, George Mason University, Saginaw Valley State University, University of Utah, Vanderbilt University, Virginia Tech and Xavier University. We have also partnered with Hostelling International in Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco and with organizations like the National Park Service.

The ABCs combine the synergy and networking opportunities of a national conference with the personal and team growth aspects of an intimate leadership training. All activities are presented within the dynamic atmosphere of a quality alternative break experience.

Participants at the ABCs synthesize knowledge and skills gained during workshops with the impact of learning about a systemic social issue from the local community. It is an experience like no other – combining workshops, service projects, community interaction, speaker panels, team building, and reflection – the ABCs present a unique learning experience that is truly remarkable.

If your school or organization is chosen as a host for the 2012 ABCs, you will:

Have the opportunity to send up to four participants at no cost to your program.
Gain meaningful media attention for your campus and community.
Work with the Break Away staff directly – with the conference logistics and on how to improve your individual program or draw more break groups to your organization and community.
Gain or build local community partnerships with the agencies that we engage in direct service with throughout the week.
Have future alternative break groups returning to your community to replicate the ABCs social issues. (After the 2007 ABCs in Atlanta, GA working on Refugee Resettlement Issues, over 15 alternative break groups come to Atlanta annually during their Spring Break to work with those same communities.)
Share your campus and community with staff and students from up to 50 different colleges/universities and alternative break programs.

Please consider this outstanding opportunity! If you are interested, please see the application available on our website, http://www.alternativebreaks2011.org/.

If you have questions about the ABCs or the proposal, please contact us by phone (toll-free) at 800.903.0646 or email [email protected].

Quotes from ABCs hosts of yore:

“Hosting the ABCs this past year was a truly amazing experience. We saw a great opportunity to train our entire staff for the upcoming year and more importantly we saw a way to bring volunteers to a community that needed attention. After working with the local community, our program found a connection with the city that we live in. The training that the Break Away staff provided for our program provided us with the tools to take our program to the next level. – Richard Hill, Saginaw Valley State University

“It was an awesome experience to partner with Break Away for one of their 2010 Alternative Break Citizenship Schools – The Role of Neighborhoods in a Depressed Economy. It was a life changing experience for all of us – including the Saginaw city mayor, the Covenant Neighborhood Association and volunteers and members of our city. The Break Away staff brings commitment, dedication and enthusiasm to each conference and it is absolutely awe-inspiring!”  – Mary Weaver, Covenant Neighborhood Association

“Hosting an Alternative Break Citizenship school is a great way to help spread the word about your mission and issue. The students come to learn how to facilitate an alternative break and arrive prepared to do service for your organization.  From the training, they have the knowledge of how to have a successful alternative break and intimate knowledge of an issue. This is a wonderful opportunity to have greater impact!” – Todd Nelson, National Park Service

“I feel very fortunate that we had the opportunity to partner with Break Away for one of their Alternative Break Citizenship schools.  The level of enthusiasm, dedication and commitment that the Break Away staff brings to each conference is absolutely incredible!  Whether you are an experienced alternative breaker or introducing a new program to your campus or organization, the ABCs are a great way to refresh an existing program or launch a new one, while directly interacting with others about best practices around the nation.”  – Sandy Wirt, YMCA at Virginia Tech