Description
Each year, SMU students participate in Alternative Breaks, a program that allows students to live minimally, learn more about the intersectionality of various social issues, and partner with non-profits across the country to serve the local populations. Recently, SMU students traveled to Austin, TX and McAlester, OK to perpetuate the sustainability of the environment as well as repair and rebuild homes for the impoverished. In the upcoming weeks, students are planning to serve in Selma, AL where they will spend a portion of their week working with children in low-income school districts while learning about the history of Selma and how history impacts the residents today. In the spring, students are coordinating trips to Atlanta, Colombia, and others to participate in similar education and service projects.
“I learned so much about home improvement! I’ve never before removed a floor or hung up drywall or done any sort of demo. I feel like I would be more confident doing some of these own repairs in my own home in the future. I really learned so much.”
“Interacting with farm owners allows you to truly see the embattled perspective of organic farmers. This trip showed me the hassle and difficulties in working with negligent and/or inexperienced people in power, which I now feel compelled to alleviate in this organization and others.”
“Get to know people for who they really are. Serving is more than putting in work, it is incorporating it into your daily, social life.”
“The Town Hall meeting of Austin’s Food Policy Board gave our group a chance to see the inner workings of a policy-making civic board that was dealing with the very issue we were focused on.”
Special Thank-You Reward Levels
For all donors
- A mailed report on Alternative Breaks programs in Spring 2019
For donations $500-$999
- A mailed report on Alternative Breaks programs in Spring 2019
- A thank you note from student members of Alternative Breaks
For donations $999 or more
- A mailed report on Alternative Breaks programs in Spring 2019
- A thank you note from student members of Alternative Breaks
- An Alternative Breaks swag sticker
