UW Oshkosh students involved in the Alternative Spring Break program will be going to Guatemala, Honduras, New Orleans or New York City for spring break to volunteer with different organizations in those areas.

According to Nicole Bellcorelli, ASB coordinator, the focus of the Guatemala trip is sustainability. She said the students going on this trip will be picking coffee beans, learning the process of farming coffee and working on construction projects where needed.

UWO student Carly Persson said she is going to Guatemala on her first ASB.

“I am most looking forward to emerging myself in a different culture and doing coffee farming,” Persson said.

Persson said the program itself has allowed her to meet new people.

“This program has brought an awareness of global issues such as poverty and sustainability,” Persson said.

Bellcorelli said youth education is the focus of the Honduras trip and students taking part in this trip will be working with school children.

UWO student Ashlee Arendt is also going on her first ASB trip to Honduras.

“I’m an education major, and it has always been a dream of mine to travel out of the country to work with kids that are in need,” Arendt said.

Arendt said she is looking forward to making relationships with the children they will be working with, and blogging about the daily activities and projects they will be doing throughout the week.

“I’ve learned a lot about different cultures, leadership skills and learning how to apply strengths to go with those skills,” Arendt said.

According to Bellcorelli, the focus of the New Orleans trip is hunger and homelessness. She said students will be working with Common Ground Relief to continue the rebuilding of the area from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

Bellcorelli said students will be helping in homes with wetland restoration and will spend a day at the Humane Society.

According to Bellcorelli, AIDS and HIV education will be the main focus of the New York trip. She said students will be assisting the Gay Men’s Health Center and will also be visiting major places that deal with the history of the gay rights movement.

UWO student Lizzy Johnson, who is going to New Yotk City, said the program introduced different perspectives as well as different cultures.

“I wanted to opportunity to expand on the horizon with AIDS and HIV,” Johnson said. “I also wanted to see a different culture and step out of my comfort zone.”
According to Bellcorelli, no trips have been planned yet for spring break 2016.

“The planning process begins after this year’s trips are complete,” Bellcorelli said. “We will assess the locations that need the volunteer help and start the planning from that.”

Bellcorelli said she is hoping to find a location closer to home for next year to help keep the cost of the trip down.

There is currently no financial aid available to help with the cost of the trips. Trivia Night, a fundraiser held Feb. 21, helped with some of the costs, however.

Information nights for the 2016 ASB trips will take place in the fall. The application will also be available on the volunteerism page after the trips have be planned.