CLS Newsletter - April 2008
Florida Alternative Breaks Recap
Florida Alternative Breaks (FAB), an organization based in the Center for Leadership and Service in the Dean of Students office, sends students on weeklong service trips during academic breaks. Each trip focuses on a different social issue. For one-week students immerse themselves into their issue through service, education, and advocacy.
FAB is an outlet for students who are searching for a way to become involved with various social issues. It allows students the opportunity to engage in an intensive week of service, education, and activism about an issue that they are passionate about or that they simply want to learn more about.
This year FAB sent out 15 trips over spring break, including three international trips. Each trip was led by two site leaders. Site leaders are chosen at the beginning of the academic year and are responsible for coordinating trip logistics, site development and participant recruitment. Site leading is a time intensive commitment but can also be extremely rewarding.
"Not only are you teaching, you are encouraging, motivating, inspiring, and most importantly changing lives. Therefore the experience leads you to unmemorable stories," said Olvin Carias, site leader for the Gerontology spring break trip.
Each trip allows students to learn about their issue though various forms of community service. However the service for each trip varies, with some trips participating in hands on work while others focus more on advocacy and education for their issue.
FAB also offers another element to its members, one in which a person cannot understand until he or she participates in a FAB trip. Past participants have claimed that they experience a deep connection with their site leaders and fellow trip members.
"I met some amazing people on my trip. In the beginning I formed close relationships with the people on my trip because of our shared passion for our issue. But by the end of the week our relationship wasn't solely based on our issue; we had all become such close friends. Throughout the week, we were like a family. We cooked together, laughed together, and lived together," said Stephania Alvarez, a spring break participant on the Homelessness and Poverty domestic trip.
Florida Alternative Breaks is a unique organization. FAB seeks to address a wide range of social issues on multiple levels, ultimately bringing back the issues to Gainesville. As an organization, FAB hopes to inspire its members to become active citizens throughout their life and not simply for one week.
A CLS Senior's Thoughts on Graduation
As my college years come to an end, I find myself in an unavoidable predicament: becoming a part of the 'real' world. I graduate in May. Eight months ago the thought of this left me paralyzed in anxiety. Although my college career was building up to this moment, I was embarrassingly blindsided. Yet when it came time to think about what I wanted to do directly after college, and for the rest of my life, the choice was obvious to me. I wanted to serve others.
Serving others and working in my community were not always of high priority to me. I had a strong desire to make a difference, but when I entered college a few years ago I didn't have a clue about how I could do that. So in an effort to add a little excitement to my life, I decided to participate in the Florida Alternative Breaks (FAB) program in the Center for Leadership and Service (CLS). FAB is a program on campus that sends college students on service projects during their spring, winter and summer breaks. I did my service in South Carolina with the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (SCDJJ). During that spring break of my first year, a group of 13 other UF students and I, spent time tutoring, mentoring and inspiring young men and women who were serving time in the SCDJJ. In that week, those young men and women showed me that I could make a difference in this world simply by showing up, being present and serving with all I had. From that moment on I was sold out to service. I also began to understand that I had been given a lot, and with great privilege came great responsibility.
In my time at the University, the CLS has continued to give me opportunities to serve and grow and has been the most influential part of my time here. So, again, there was no question as to what I wanted to do after I graduated from college. My career goal is to become an academic librarian. I thoroughly enjoy helping others gain access to the resources and information that they need to reach their goals, and working as an academic librarian awards me that opportunity.
Immediately following graduation I will be working with Americorps VISTA. VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) programs work to eliminate poverty in American communities by putting individuals in non-profit organizations, which also share that mission. During my service, I will be working as a site coordinator with National Student Partnerships (NSP) in North Philadelphia. NSP runs a network of resource centers across the nation in an effort to connect people in need to the resources and opportunities to become self-sufficient. The centers are staffed and run by college students from local universities. I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity. Not only because I will be able to assist people in reaching their goals, but also because of the opportunity to get college students engaged in community service. I know that everyday I go into work, lives will be changed and a difference will be made. I couldn't be happier.
Being able to do service throughout my years here, have helped me develop in ways that none of my other UF experiences can match. The thought of going into the 'real' world still makes me anxious, but in a glaringly different way. I look forward to the experiences that await me. I also look forward to the opportunities to serve and grow and the new lessons to be learned. I am much more confident because my experiences through the CLS have shown me what I value and love and now I can pursue it.