Alternative Break: Engage with Our Global Community
Central to being a USC student and a member of the Trojan Family is caring for and learning more about not only the communities we are a part of, but also our broader global community. Those of you that recently applied to USC or read the Caring Counts in Crisis blog post know that, especially during this year’s Admission process, we looked closely at how you have cared for yourself and others in the communities you come from. The Volunteer Center at USC exists to empower Trojans to serve Los Angeles and our global community as well.
In years when travel is not restricted, the Volunteer Center invites USC students and faculty to participate in Alternative Break during the Winter and Spring recesses from classes. The purpose of these trips is to explore social justice issues in communities outside of Los Angeles. Although the Volunteer Center will be hosting a virtual conference this year to continue to discuss issues in the areas of education, antiracism, public health, and environmental justice. The Volunteer Center typically organize trips all over the world to places like Costa Rica, Utah, Tahiti, Navajo Nation, San Francisco, New York, and Louisiana.
To see what Alternative Break is all about, all you really need to do is watch this short video that these USC students made after their trips. Basically, when students choose to travel on an Alternative Break trip, they are choosing to spend time learning more about and engaging with another community’s present struggle. For example, the group of students that traveled to Costa Rica not only learned more about the country’s commitment to education, but they also worked with children in a local elementary school. Students who traveled to Navajo Nation also had the opportunity to work with children in addition to learning about Navajo culture and the ways the Navajo have been economically and politically disenfranchised in the United States.
We want all interested students to have the opportunity to engage in service-learning. Even though the cost of these trips is not included in the cost of tuition, there are grants and fundraising opportunities for students who need financial assistance in order to participate.
USC strives to give its students knowledge and skills that help them better respect, appreciate, and serve others in a variety of ways. Participating in an Alternative Break trip is just one of the many ways members of the USC community can engage with our greater global community.
