Alternative Spring Break Trips

Costa Rica By Monica Cason 14 For most college students, spring break is thought to be the perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy a fruity drink on an exotic beach.
While participants of the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE)'s alternative spring break program did enjoy a tropical location during their week off, the main focus was not on personal rejuvenation. On March 10th, 2012, a group of nine CMC students joined Staff Leaders Amy Bibbens (Director of CCE) and Nicole Sheldon-Desjardins (Assistant Director of Off-Campus Study) as well as Student Leaders Monica Cason '14 and Andrew Bergman '14 for a week of volunteer service with Tropical Adventures in Education in the rural community of Villa Mastatal, Costa Rica. read more... Panama City by Michael Lapadot '12 During Spring Break 2012 at the Claremont Colleges, seventeen students from the Rotaract of the Claremont Colleges traveled to Panama City, Panama to engage in meaningful community service in the Casco Viejo barrio. The goals of the trip were ambitious. We wanted to provide generous donations to the local NGOs we would be working with, make a lasting impact in the community through manual labor, and establish strong relationships between Casco Viejo and the Claremont Colleges and Claremont community. Long before we departed LAX in the early hours of March 9, we set about accomplishing these goals, and in the end, the results were extraordinary. read more... Central Appalachia by Kevin Amirdjanian '14 Spring break is often a time for students to acquaint themselves some much needed rest and relaxation.
A group of students at CMC decided to do something unique with their spring vacation and take part in a community service trip sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement. Twelve students and two staff members boarded a plane late at night on March 10th, 2012 and flew over to Johnson City, Tennessee to spend a week working with the Appalachia Service Project.
The Appalachia Service Project, or ASP, is a Christian volunteer organization that operates in Central Appalachia. ASP dedicates itself to providing home repair for low-income families whose living conditions are considered sub-standard. Additionally, ASP provides the opportunity for groups of people from across the country to develop leadership and communications skills while participating in home-repair projects. read more...