Alternative Spring Break
UMA/UCB has partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Harrisburg for our Alternative Spring Break program. Each year during break at the end of March, an Independent Studies class drives down to Harrisburg and spends the week building with Harrisburg Habitat. We leave on a Sunday, and return the following Saturday. We spend our first Monday in Washington D.C. getting a quick tour of the monuments and visiting a museum or two. We spend the next four days working with Habitat. After working we usually go visit someplace in the area, for instance Hershey Park, or go out to eat -- whatever the group decides to do.
We stay in a volunteer center run by a local church; it has a great yard and plenty of room inside to spread out. In the morning we pile into the van and head out to the area of the city where Habitat is working. Harrisburg is very urban, and very different from what you'll find in Maine. It's an exciting environment for people who are used to a rural state like Maine.
ASB Requirements & Information
We usually hold information sessions on ASB at the end of Oct/beginning of November. Until then, here is some basic information:
- This is a 6-credit Independent Studies class.
- The class will meet once a week leading up to the trip, and you will be expected to write a journal that relates to what we are doing (building with Habitat).
- At the end of the class, there will be a paper due which will be related to issues of homelessness.
- There is an extra fee over and above the 6-credit fee, and that can be added to your financial aid if you register early enough.
- There is an English requirement, but if you haven't already taken the class, you can take it during the same term as the Habitat Independent Studies class.
- There is also the option of going to Harrisburg strictly as an Alternative Spring Break. If you choose this option, you won't have any of the writing requirements.
If you are interested in signing up, watch for announcements around campus about the information sessions, or stop by the Office of Civic Engagement in Eastport Hall in Bangor, or in the Student Technology Center in Augusta. It's never too early to sign up for ASB. The sooner we know who's going, the more fundraising we will be able to do, making the trip less expensive for everyone.
If you would like more information about the Alternative Spring Break, contact Melissa in Bangor at melissa.cormier@maine.edu, or Andrea in Augusta at andrea.emch@maine.edu.