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Alternative Spring Break: Reflection Pr oposal

Purpose Alternative Spring Break, one of the unique programs administered by Volunteer UCF, immerses students in nationwide service learning projects for one week, and is the subject of this proposal. The program presents an exclusive opportunity for students to travel at low cost to eleven different destinations, to face new challenges and form lasting friendships; the scope of its impact, however, is limited. Because the duration of the trip is so short, and because students are unable to control where they are placed, creating viable connection between the students and their work can prove to be formidable task for the VUCF staff. The following offers a variety of recommendations to help sustain participation in the Central Florida community after the students have returned from their trip.

Objectives Sustain participant desire to improve their local community through the use of day to day discussions which offer a casual and immersive activity for the students over the course of the trip. Provide the means for ASB to gain substantial feedback by implementing a variety of interactive mediums that can best reflect the diverse opinions of the volunteers. Connect students with prior members of ASB and similar hometown organizations that can help prompt the volunteers to continue community service. Plan of Action I. Video Diary / Blog Journal a. Summary i. The Video Diary, or what could also be considered an ASB blog, would engage the students in an informal environment. Before the groups set off for their trip, contact would be made between faculty and their students to survey interest in this activity. Students with a desire to express their experience either by taking pictures, streaming video, or writing independently would be invited to put these on the ASB website for future students to see. b. Implementation i. Students can use any artistic medium to record themselves at work, in their surroundings, or partaking in extraneous activities. a. E.G. Video, artwork, articles y Fitting Response: Being offered the opportunity to engage future participants will prompt the students to create distinct and valuable feedback. The activity is imaginative and therefore creates a more personal attachment to the work. ii. Students submit to faculty leaders, who turn the documents over to ASB for upload. y Fitting Response: Avoids an overload of submissions; lessens likelihood of technical difficulty. iii. ASB will use a generic Wiki-page to showcase the participants work. y Fitting Response: ASB can easily control and manage a Wiki-page.

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ASB Gala a. Summary i. If possible, a food and drink event should be organized with all participants, consisting of local community organizations and ASB alumni with direct involvement in such issues. y Fitting Response: Provides volunteers with an already established means of continuing involvement. b. Implementation i. The groups could watch the Video Diaries and look at pictures they took. Leaders of the community organizations and ASB alum could then speak about what they do, and have information with them about how these students could be involved. y Fitting Response: Participants less interested in their projects issue will gain from listening to other groups and the organizations which relate to these problems. Video Discussions a. Summary i. For this activity, rhetorical prompts will be provided before the trip to site and faculty members. y Fitting Response: Group brainstorm will enable students to help each other articulate any hindrances, successes, or first impressions that might be useful to ASBs future programs. b. Implementation i. At the end of each day, groups should meet for a videotaped reflection. A faculty leader will record the meeting, and send the responses to ASB. a. ASBs use for video must be made explicit. y Fitting Response: Video-taping these discussions would ensure the most accurate feedback. c. Prompts i. The following prompts reflect possible discussion topics for each day, to be given in whatever order the site or faculty leader see fit. The last four are trip specific, covering the four topic areas determined by the authors to be the collective issues of the program. Those prompts will directly relate the issue to Central Florida articles (articles are attached to end of proposal) which will be provided to participants. a. After working on the ASB program for the first day, how do you guys feel this week will go? What do you want to accomplish? y Fitting Response: ASB and the organization can better understand the students' first impressions of volunteering. Bonding experience for the team members, allowing them to talk about their hopes for the trip generally. b. How can you take what you did today and apply it to a problem or need in your hometown? y Fitting Response: Participants will be able to think about ASB and community service in terms of the big picture. This isn't just a one-time activity! It will draw a further connection to the problems facing their own community. c. Has anybody had experience in dealing with this issue? In your opinion, how severe is it? What makes you feel that way? y Fitting Response: Students are open to be persuaded by their peers and address any stigmas or misconceptions they may have. Collective examples and interpretations will promote students to transform their view and sustain a more significant appreciation for the work. d. Discuss what has impacted you the most in this trip. y Fitting Response: ASB will gain insight into the subtle events and interactions which may alter a students experience, helping the organization to place more emphasis on certain aspects of the trips.

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e. Poverty: Opponents of Orlandos homeless feeding ban win reprieve. Should organizations be allowed to feed the homeless? Is that a right, or a privilege? Why is this an issue for such a big city? y Fitting Response: The article features a debate that has been going on since the beginning of the year: the right for organizations to proceed with mass public feedings in Orlando's major parks. Parks in Orlando are where most of the homeless live; if not they live in a forest, otherwise considered as land that has not been developed. f. Education: Education cuts show up in Rick Scotts budget. Do you have any suggestions to prevent further cuts to Floridas educational system? Do you think its best for the government to cut this area of the budget? In what way? y Fitting Response: This article is about all of the educational budget cuts done by Rick Scott. This is an issue that the ASB participants can problem-solve and debate, for ways to raise money for the Florida educational system, prevent more money from being cut, or have some money reinstated. g. Environment: Q&A: What St. Johns River Water Management District means to you. Students could discuss how they (and their family/roommates) handle water. For example, whether they water their lawn all the time, try to take shorter showers, or even turn the water off while brushing their teeth, etc. y Fitting Response: The prompt would set the stage for a reading and discussion of the questions that the article poses, collective thought on how to improve the districts policies, and a focus on the participants making real changes to their lifestyle. h. Animal Rights / Conservation: UCF wants to build teaching hospital, expand arts center. According to this snip-it, UCF is going to do some serious expansion into its forested area over the next seven years; yet there are also huge efforts across campus to go green, and provide a more eco-friendly campus. How do these efforts seem to conflict? Can big, bustling institutions like UCF avoid destroying nearby habitats? What compromises can be made when thinking in terms of conservation and rapid expansion? y Fitting Response: This issue becomes more prevalent every day, as industry continues to expand around the population. If participants can begin to understand that some of these problems are inevitable, the want to find a solution becomes more rewarding; even if only at a personal level the students can start to think about making more organic choices to balance the growing problem of development. Conclusion The authors of this proposal hope that their recommendations will help to create an even more effective ASB program. Though current prompts evoke critical thought from the participants, a hands-free approach might be an eco-friendly, open alternative to gauging the students. Video feedback would give ASB staff insight into the collective day to day experiences of the participants, and the progression of their growth over time. Furthermore, as an additional activity, ASB can offer students access to its 2011 trip blog as a means of simple and creative participation. Helping to engage future volunteers will require extra effort from the students, and will inadvertently create a stronger attachment to their journey with ASB. We hope to see these steps implemented through small changes that can better serve ASBs overall mission.