Alternative Break

The Center for Civic Engagement & Learning hosts and supports community service trips that enable students to get involved in service beyond Cleveland. Rather than engage in typical break activities, students on Alternative Breaks engage in projects with non-profit organizations and community members in different cities and countries. It is a great way to make a difference, learn about a new place, and meet new people!

This year, CCEL will be offering three alternative break trips to Costa Rica, New Orleans and Nicaragua. CCEL is also happy to promote additional break programs coordinated by student service organizations and Case affliliated departments.

CCEL also coordinates a community-based capstone course that involves a week of service activities with the National Park Service on Cumberland Island National Seashore off the coast of Georgia. Visit the capstone page to learn more about that program.

Costa Rica

January 1, 2013- January 10, 2013: BETH 315/415- Health Care in Comparative Perspective, Costa Rica and the United States

The Center for Civic Engagement & Learning and the Department of Bioethics are partnering to coordinate a week of community service in Costa Rica during winter break. Participants will spend a week learning about the local culture and working on community service projects in the small coastal town of Bahia Ballena. Bahia Ballena is located in a region that includes three national parks, two reserves, and a wildlife refuge. Students in the community service program will learn about the unique opportunities and challenges facing this region, while also contributing to projects that promote environmental stewardship. These projects may include participating in beach cleanups, working on a school garden, and engaging local youth in projects that empower them as change agents in their community. Space is limited for this non-credit bearing week of community service, and preference will be given to those students who are registered for the the Bioethics Course . For more information, visit the Bioethics: Short Term Study Abroad page or contact Michelle Champoir.

New Orleans

March 8-17, 2013: A Service Trip to New Orleans

The CWRU Krewe Alternative Break team returns to New Orleans and the Gulf Region for its 10th relief journey in a post-Katrina, Rita and – now – Isaac world. The group has worked with other volunteers from across the nation to address the issues of education, hunger and homelessness, environmental restoration and access to healthcare. Partners include the Lower Ninth Ward Village, New Orleans City Park, HandsOn New Orleans, GROW DAT! Youth Farm, the Roots of Music after-school program and more. The journey is open to students, faculty, alumni and community. The estimated cost of the 2013 trip is $450. The application is due on December 1 and can be sent to Janice Eatman Williams.

Nicaragua

March 9-16, 2013: A Service Trip to Nicaragua

CCEL, with the generous support of the Inamori Center, is pleased to offer an international Alternative Break destination to Nicaragua. Students will travel to a rural, coastal community near the town of Chinandega and work with a nonprofit organization called Waves of Hope. Service projects will include facilitating activities with the local school, helping to improve community infrastructure through basic construction projects, and working on afterschool projects with a local youth group.

The trip will provide students with a unique immersion experience that will allow them to better understand Nicaraguan culture and history. The cost of the trip will be approximately $1,550 which includes most meals, lodging, in-country transportation, and international airfare. For general information about the Nicaragua trip, check out our FAQ page or visit the Education Abroad website for an online application. The first round application deadline is Monday, December 3. You can also contact Angela Lowery with any questions you may have. For highlights from past trips, visit the following page:

  Alternative Break - Nicaragua 2010

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