This Spring Break, 167 U students spent their time volunteering.
The students traveled to 12 cities across the United States, with one location in Vancouver, Canada, through the Bennion Center’s Alternative Spring Break program.
“There’s a reason I keep coming back to alternative breaks,” said Peter Bergeson, a senior in biology, who has gone on three alternative break trips. This year Bergeson led the trip to Point Reyes, California, focusing on coastal ecosystem restoration.
Each service group includes a student leader, a university staff member and roughly 10 student participants. The groups focus on a distinct problem within the community they serve. Issues include public health, poverty and environmental justice, among others.
Stephanie Cooper, student chair for the Alternative Breaks program, said the program serves two purposes: to allow students to delve deeply into an issue and attempt to identify its root causes. Secondly, Cooper hopes students return to Salt Lake City with possible solutions for similar problems in our community.
Cooper traveled to Denver, Colo. as a student participant in a group focused on women’s issues. The Denver trip is one of three new trips offered this Spring Break, all student-driven.
“The faculty advisors are very open to student ideas,” she said. “There’s so much room for the program to grow. All it takes are students willing to put in the work.”
Nisha Kalavam, an ASB student site leader, has experienced this openness firsthand. Kalavam led the trip to Seattle to work on hunger and food justice. Last year the trip was called “Hunger and Homelessness,” but Kalavam felt this topic was too broad. She brought her concerns to Kris Fenn, the progam’s director, who worked with Kalavam to develop a more specific trip.
Students traveling with Kalavam over Spring Break worked on an organic farm, a food bank and a food distribution agency. They also explored the city of Seattle.
Bergeson and his group in Point Reyes worked with a representative from the National Parks Service to address the needs of different coastal species on a variety of beaches in the area.
He hoped to show students the “nuts and bolts” of environmental restoration, including the respective benefits and harms of different restoration efforts.
Student participants looked forward to gaining hands-on experience in these issues. Madeline Berger, an undeclared freshman, headed to Kanab, Utah to work on animal advocacy in a no-kill shelter. Berger has volunteered with animals before but hoped to gain more education on this specific topic.
“I’m hoping it will steer me in the direction of how to be more useful,” Berger said.
Bettymaya Foott, a junior in environmental studies and Spanish, also participated in the Kanab trip and enjoyed the experience. She wished the program offered more scholarships.
“I got $50, which is helpful, but it almost wasn’t worth applying for,” she said. “I could have spent that time working on my homework or other things I have to do.”
As the Bennion Center expands their program, they continue to receive more applications than they can accept for each year’s program. The center hopes to continue adding new trips to meet student demand. Lacey Holmes, the Bennion Center’s public relations coordinator, believes every student deserves the experience.
“Alternative spring breaks give students a chance to get outside the bubble and learn about something they’ve never been exposed to,” Holmes said. “The trip lasts a week, but the experience lasts a lifetime.”
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