Spring Break this coming year is March 23 to March 31, 2013….what are your plans? How about connecting to a community via meaningful service experience? Again this year the OSU Center for Civic Engagement has planned three service opportunity trips over spring break. They are:
Hunger & Homelessness: San Francisco, California
Explore the complex, multi-faceted factors at play impacting hunger and homelessness in San Francisco and learn about homelessness issues in major urban areas including the short-term relief and long-term solutions that are being worked for and envisioned. Participants will complete service projects centered on addressing hunger and homelessness while meeting and working alongside local visionaries who actively address these issues in their communities. If you have an interest in learning about homelessness issues in major urban areas, this is the perfect trip for you. The trip will include hands-on direct service work with people experiencing homelessness from diverse backgrounds such as preparing and serving meals. We will also complete indirect service projects, such as facility improvements and assisting organizations prepare for fundraisers, gaining behind the scenes awareness and understanding of organizations that address homelessness. On our off day, we will explore San Francisco and all of the treasures that it has to offer!
Community & Cultural Engagement: Yakima, Washington
Uncover the human face and human cost of land acquisition, colonization, and immigration by exploring the influx and interplay of different cultural groups in the Yakima valley by working with the Native American Reservation, Yakama Nation, Latino migrant workers, and the City of Yakima. Through direct service work, we will expose the buried roots of the area’s historical relationship to the land and explore implications for the present and future of different cultural groups in the region within our society. We will also see first-hand the human impact and cost of land acquisition and immigration in the pursuit of the “American dream.” During our trip we will serve different populations: We’ll help to teach English language skills to recent Latino migrant workers, assist with afterschool children’s programs at a Native American housing project, prepare meals for a homeless shelter for youth, and even work on the land ourselves. The group will visit the Yakama Nation Cultural Heritage Center. During our off day, the group will elect outings to a local, beautiful hike/park, a community festival, the Allied Arts Center, the Yakima Valley Museum, or the Yakima Area Arboretum.
Environmental Restoration & Conservation: Ashland, Oregon
Discover the pressing environmental conservation and restoration issues in Ashland, Oregon. Participants will complete environmental restoration projects such as creek restoration, planting, mulching, invasive species removal, fertilizing, trail building, and restoring bird habitats with a variety of community organizations. Participants will meet with local environmental leaders to learn about threats to the natural environment and local and national legislation that is impacting natural habitats and ecosystems. This trip will include many hands-on, physical projects and possible hikes in the beautiful Pacific Northwest outdoors. Rain jackets, rain pants, and work boots are required for this trip to ensure comfort of the participants. On our off day, we will explore Ashland, go hiking, and/or possibly attend a play at the local Shakespeare Festival.
Application deadline is next Monday, November 26th. You can get more information at the Center foe Civic Engagement website: oregonstate.edu/cce or contact Julia Lang in Snell Hall 158, 541-737-3172.
